Garfield Weston Foundation
2007 Annual Report and Accounts
Religion – £7,277,990 in 572 grants

The major grant in this category is an initial £1,000,000 paid with a further £2,000,000 pledged over the coming two financial years to Canterbury Cathedral’s £50,000,000 capital campaign. £30,000,000 is needed for urgent fabric restoration, of which £14,000,000 alone will be required for re-leading the roof. Several other cathedrals also feature in the list, including Norwich and York with grants of £250,000 and Coventry, Sheffield, Lincoln and Portsmouth with £50,000 each.

As has been the trend in recent years, this category takes up the largest number of grants, almost six hundred in total, demonstrating the importance the Trustees place on the maintenance of Britain’s historic parish churches and the need for many of these to be opened up for community use. Grants are also made to more recent, 20th century church buildings for broadening their reach and activities.

The Council of Christians and Jews receives a grant of £60,000 for its Citizenship, Difference and Identity project and the London School of Theology £50,000 for capital improvements to its premises. This will enable the school to provide more lecture rooms, music practice rooms, tutorial spaces and a much larger chapel/auditorium. The Trinity Foundation for Christianity and Culture is supported with a total of £25,000 towards its education work on the differences and similarities between Christianity, Islam and Judaism.