Derby Cathedral gets Lottery Win!

Derby Cathedral has been awarded a £244,401 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to strengthen its organisational, financial, and environmental resilience.

Derby Cathedral gets Lottery Win!

The funding will support the development of four key strategic documents that will guide the delivery of the Chapter’s Strategic Development Plan—ensuring the conservation of the Cathedral’s historic fabric, enhancing visitor experience and accessibility, and deepening its role as a centre for heritage, learning, and spiritual reflection.

“This is a momentous day for Derby Cathedral,” said The Very Revd Dr Peter Robinson, Dean of Derby.

“This grant is not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about people. It’s about ensuring that Derby Cathedral continues to be a place of welcome, inspiration, and shared history for all.

“We are deeply grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to all those who play the National Lottery. 

Their support will allow us to safeguard this sacred space for future generations, while also opening up new opportunities for education, outreach, and cultural enrichment.”

The Dean added,

“This grant is not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about people. It’s about ensuring that Derby Cathedral continues to be a place of welcome, inspiration, and shared history for all.”

Derby Cathedral is a Grade 1 listed building located within the Cathedral Quarter Conservation Area. Its architectural and historical significance dates back to the Saxons with a collegiate church on the site, c. 943AD.

The Cathedral is distinct not only for its architecture but also for its role in Derby’s cultural and spiritual life. It hosts commemorative events such as Holocaust Memorial Day and Remembrance Sunday and serves as a vital community space.

For the local community, it is a place of worship, education, and reflection. Individuals, groups and schools’ visit. There is a strong choral tradition, and the Cathedral is known for its music outreach programme.

This funding will play a key role in the long-term resilience and sustainability of the Cathedral with the delivery of: A Conservation Management Plan, enabling the Chapter to have a deeper understanding of the building’s condition and significance.

A Visitor Engagement Plan; to enable Derby Cathedral to thrive and be a relevant and engaging destination for all visitors, regardless of their reason for entering the building. An Architect led options appraisal; to understand the opportunities this Grade I listed building offers and a Business Plan; to understand the opportunities of the options appraisal and engaging an evaluation consultant; to evaluate the project, monitor progress and impact.

The Dean said,

“By taking a holistic approach, it will enable us to create a viable, sustainable future for the Cathedral while enhancing its role as a hub for cultural, spiritual, and community life in Derby city, county and diocese.

‘Recognising the Cathedral’s potential as a key player in the city’s placemaking strategy, we are also exploring how to strengthen its contribution to Derby’s identity and regeneration efforts,’ he added.

Liz Bates, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Heritage Lottery Fund, said:

“We are pleased to support Derby Cathedral with a grant of £244,000 made possible thanks to National Lottery players. 

We recognise the scale of the challenges facing places of worship; our support will enable the Dean and Chapter to build strategic plans to make a step change in business planning, visitor engagement and conservation management.”

For further information and to keep up to date with the progress of the project, please visit derbycathedral.org and watch out for social media updates.