Newport Cathedral Emergency Campaign

Abseilers make Cathedral safe for Christmas

Abseiling steeplejacks from Ascend will today (Wednesday 20.12.06) remove stonework on the West Tower Wall of St Woolos, loosened by the recent storms in order to make the Cathedral safe for the Christmas festivities.

The Dean, The Very Revd Dr Richard Fenwick commenting on the work said, ‘This is a more permanent solution than the emergency scaffolding we put up just before the Duke of Gloucester’s visit’.

Fr Mark Soady added, ‘We will be praying to St Barbara, the Patron Saint of Steeplejacks for a successful venture.’
The repairing and protecting of the Cathedral stonework is a key component of the £2.5 Million Cathedral restoration programme.

Ascend are a leading firm in this field, working as they do on buildings in the care of CADW. They are based in Abergavenny

Fr. Mark Soady St Woolos Cathedral, Newport, S. Wales (07968 753978)