CHARITABLE organisations are being invited to compete to host an event in a cathedral completely free of charge.

St Asaph Cathedral will waive the standard £700 fee for the winner of the competition as part of its commitment to supporting local charities and worthy causes.

Previously one charity had been selected but this year three organisations have been chosen to run events in the cathedral.

On July 7 the Colwyn Bay Group of Amnesty International UK is holding an evening of poetry, music and personal stories entitled ‘Refugees: Reflections in Words and Music’.

In November, the cancer charity, Tenovus, is holding its annual Lovelight concert.

Finally, Dangerpoint, a safety awareness charity based at Talacre, is moving its annual fundraising Christmas carol concert from Eaton Chapel on the Duke of Westminster’s Estate.

The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Rev Nigel Williams said: “The application process is now open for charities to apply to use the cathedral free of charge to host an event in 2018.

“We look forward to hearing from charities across North Wales hoping to use the cathedral in new, innovative and exciting ways.” 

The cathedral is currently undergoing a third of a million-pound refurbishment, which will see a new café, community meeting rooms and toilets open later in the summer.

More than £130,000 of grants were secured from various funding bodies, including WREN (£50,000) and the Garfield Weston Foundation (£25,000). The rest of the money has been raised by the cathedral or left as legacies. In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a development grant for interactive activities to safeguard and promote the cathedral’s historical and religious treasures. A further funding application for £243,100 has been submitted to take forward these development ideas.

St Asaph Cathedral, which is one of the oldest in Wales, tells the stories of St Asaph and St Kentigern and was instrumental in the preservation of the Welsh language through the translation of the Bible into Welsh.

Today it houses one of only 20 known copies of the original William Morgan Bible dating from 1588 but urgently needs new facilities to preserve the manuscript for future generations.

To apply for free use of St Asaph Cathedral, visit http://stasaph.churchinwales.org.uk/