A Tribute to Friendship
Acting Dean Thanks Friends of Cathedral at AGM
Director of Salisbury Museum Adrian Green (right) joins treasurer of the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral Chris Dragonetti (left), executive secretary Kate Beckett and acting Dean the Rev Canon Ed Probert at the charity’s annual meeting in the Cathedral.
Every person who comes into Salisbury Cathedral is experiencing the fruits of a particular kind of friendship, according to the acting Dean.
The Revd Canon Ed Probert paid tribute to the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral’s “long and honourable history” when he addressed them at their annual meeting last Saturday.
“Everything you do enhances the practical, social or spiritual life of the cathedral,” he said.
“When you see the stonework, when you sit down, when you experience the lighting, when you use the toilets, none of these things would be as they are without the commitments made by your organisation.
“Every person is experiencing over and over again the fruits of your friendship.”
Rev Canon Probert, standing in as president of the Friends after the Dean’s promotion to Bishop of Llandaff, said the life of the cathedral “will continue seamlessly” due to its “blend of stability and adaptability” until a new Dean is appointed.
Friends’ treasurer Chris Dragonetti said increasing membership and all grant requests met meant “we are succeeding in our aims and achieving more for our charity”.
He thanked last year’s Mayor of Salisbury Derek Brown for choosing the Friends as one of his charities, helping to raise its profile and additional funding.
He added that in the last 20 years the Friends, which was founded in 1930, had made grants in today’s money totalling £4,367,939.
Kate Beckett, in her tenth year as Friends’ executive secretary, gave a round-up of activities over the last year and thanked all those who had helped the organisation in any way.
She presented flowers to Sue Ash, who has stepped down after seven years as membership secretary.
Following the AGM, Adrian Green, director of Salisbury Museum gave an illustrated lecture on the way in which Salisbury Cathedral has inspired artists, such as Constable and Turner.
He showed slides of works dating from 1671 to the present day and reminded audience members that in 2002 readers of Country Life magazine had voted Salisbury Cathedral Britain’s Best View.
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