Quarterly E-News - April 2026 | Friends of Coventry Cathedral

Quarterly E-News	*April 2026*

Dear Friends

It has been several months since our last news bulletin from the outgoing chair, Martin Williams. We are grateful for Martin’s service as chair of the Friends, especially for his monthly news bulletins which were full of anecdote and history, as well as keeping friends up to date.

As your new chair I am not even going to attempt to follow what was a unique offering from a chair whose knowledge of all things Coventry Cathedral is unsurpassed.

So this is the first of what will be a quarterly update from the chair, mainly conveying news of the Cathedral and information on the Friends as we look to the future.

The Friends Council

Before going further let me introduce the current council:

In addition to myself, David Porter, as chair we have Paul Warren (Secretary); William Howard (Treasurer); Jim Newtown (Membership Secretary); Julie Barnes; Christine Camfield; Jane Edwards; Sandra Graham and Phil Morris.

Last year Martin and Jane Williams, Hamish Blair and Mandy Wooltorton, all stood down from the council. We are grateful for their service and are on the look out for new members, especially someone to take over from Jim as membership secretary when he steps down this summer. Please be in touch if you would like to discuss this opportunity to volunteer.

Evensong for a Faithful Servant

In early March our long-standing vice president, Heather Wallace went to be with her Lord. A faithful servant of the Cathedral, her life and ministry will be remembered at Evensong at Coventry Cathedral on Sunday 3 May at 4 pm. All Friends are welcome.

A Time for Change

This is a time of change in the life of the Cathedral. On Sunday 17 May John Witcombe will mark his final services (1030 Eucharist and 1600 Farewell Evensong) as he retires on 31 May after just over 13 years as Dean. Canon Kate Massey will be Acting Dean from the 1st June.

He has kindly agreed to take part in a Friendly Monday, reflecting his ministry at the Cathedral. This will be on Monday 11 May in the John Laing Centre. Coffee and tea served from 1030 and the conversation with Dean John will take place from 1100 to just before the midday litany. All friends are invited to join us.

The process is in place for discerning who will win us as the new dean. Applications closed on 12 April, shortlisting takes place in early May and interviews in early June. Please pray for wisdom for David Moorcroft (Chair), Bishop Sophie and the other members of the interview panel.

Looking to the Future

This will mark the start of a new chapter in the life of Coventry Cathedral. As always, alongside the opportunities for ministry, locally, nationally and internationally, the challenge of resources is ever present. A major fundraising initiative has been in preparation by the chapter and awaits the new dean’s arrival to lead its implementation. As a Council we are keen that the Friends play a part in this and are in conversation with senior staff as to the most appropriate way we can contribute. In due course we will share our thoughts on how we as part of the Cathedral community network take up this call to support Coventry Cathedra.

Alongside this we are reviewing what a future events programme may look like for the Friends. Whether it is sponsoring exhibitions or organising talks, arranging visits or hosting a friendly Monday, we would like to hear from you what you would value going forward.

Thank You

Thank you for your continued commitment. In the last year we have enjoyed having a restored Hutton cartoon of an angel keep watch over the crib during advent - now on permanent display in the entrance to the John Lang Centre. Continued the digitisation of archive footage of the cathedral, which we hope to make accessible on the website in due course. And maintained our support of choral scholars and the ongoing repair of cathedral chairs.

Without you none of this would be possible. We value your partnership with us and look forward to hearing from you or seeing you at one of the events mentioned above.

Yours in friendship

David