Carlisle Cathedral has become the first Cathedral in the Church of England to become a registered charity.
In 2021, new recommendations and measures made by the Church of England came into law requiring all English cathedrals to apply to the Charity Commission for England and Wales for registration as a charity, and Carlisle is the first to complete this process.
The new laws focused on changing the governance of cathedrals and set out new measures for the centres across England.
Edith McColgan, chief operating officer, said: “We are delighted to be the first cathedral to successfully be awarded charitable status, and are extremely proud of our dedicated staff, volunteers and advisers: without whose detailed and tireless work it would not have been
possible.”
The new measures call for reorder of the organisational structure of the cathedrals which enables them to function day to day and to rewrite their governing documents.
Previous to the changes, three bodies were responsible for the governance of the Cathedral, including the Cathedral Chapter, Cathedral Council and College of Canons. The new measures replace this arrangement and focuses on Chapter as the primary governing and oversight body of the Cathedral.
The new measures also require Members of Chapter to become charity trustees and to also be subject to oversight by the CCEW, rather than just the Church Commissioners.
Interim dean, Canon Michael Manley added: “We welcome the additional accountability that the Charity Commission will bring; and we are excited to use this new status to renew and enhance our commitment as a Praying, Cherishing and Transforming community for the County and Diocese that we serve.”
