Salisbury Cathedral sees red for Comic Relief

Salisbury Cathedral is taking part in Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day by turning its 404ft soaring spire red each night from Monday 9 March through to Red Nose Day on Friday 13 March. It hopes that everyone who sees the ‘red nosed’ Cathedral will be reminded of the comic relief message and encouraged to do something special to raise money for the charity.

The Dean of Salisbury, the Very Revd June Osborne, thinks it’s great for the Cathedral to be able to support the charity in such a public and positive manner.

“We’re very pleased to be taking an active role to support Comic Relief and be in a position to use our profile and sheer size to help. We are one of a number of iconic buildings in different parts of the country invited to ‘paint the town red’ to help raise awareness for the charity and its important work of addressing global poverty and injustice – aspirations which match those of the Cathedral. Some of the projects Comic Relief sponsors are based in the Sudan, a country the Salisbury diocese has worked hard for many years to support.”

She continued, “Salisbury Cathedral is also donating 20% of its income from visitors on Red Nose Day to the charity and will include Comic Relief, all it stands for and all those it helps, in the prayers that are said in the building every hour during the day and within its regular services throughout the week. Our Refectory restaurant is also joining in by making ‘red nose’ cakes to sell on the day with the proceeds going to the charity.”

Pupils and staff at Salisbury Cathedral School have already been inspired by the cathedral’s ‘red nose’ and are buying their own red noses and paying £1 to dress in red for Red Nose Day. School Chaplain, the Revd Jenny Taylor, is also running a ‘Silly Competition with Silly Prizes’ over the next ten days so that the children ‘Do something funny for money’.

The Dean concluded by saying, “So look out for possibly the largest red nose in England next week here in Salisbury and let it remind you to do something for Comic Relief. We are grateful to electrical contractors R T Harris whose generosity helped make this possible.”