Cathedral on the Close - A 'Roaring' Success

Hereford Cathedral is celebrating after its Cathedral on the Close event was attended by over two thousand people!

Last week the team at Hereford Cathedral invited people to join them for a week of discovery, teaching and creativity as they hosted a range of fun activities for people to discover more about what the cathedral has to offer. With events including a community coffee morning, family activities, talks, performances and even a wine tasting, there was truly something for everyone!

A lady in a red shirt is kneeling on the floor pretending to put a flip flip onto the foot of a dinosaur. The cathedral is in the background as well as a group of people in the sunshine

Vennture attempt to fit a flip flop onto the dinosaurs foot (Caroline Potter)

A highlight of the weekend was the Saturday Spectacular which saw the Close filled with families eager to meet Raptor Encounter’s dinosaurs and take part in lots of fossil fun organised by Hereford City Life. There were also two stages of live music performed by a selection of local bands including Whiskey River and Bandemonium.

Whiskey River perform on the cathedral plinth. Four men playing stringed instruments sing into microphones

Whiskey River perform in the cathedral at the Saturday Spectacular (Caroline Potter)

Very Revd Sarah Brown, Dean of Hereford, says: “The aim of this week was to show people that the cathedral, as well as a place of mission and worship, can be many other things for our community. Its been lovely to share these other aspects of our community with so many different people and wonderful to see the Cathedral Close so vibrant and busy - our doors are open!

A huge thank you to our team here at the cathedral, our fantastic volunteers, Hereford BID and the performers, practitioners and organisations who helped us deliver this event as well as those who have helped to spread the word about Cathedral on the Close. We feel very blessed to be part of such a vibrant community and are already planning our next big event!”

Five people are smiling at the camera inside the marquee. There is a table laden with plants in front of them

The Cathedral Gardeners at Cathedral Discovery Day (Gordon Taylor)

Cathedral on the Close took place from Wednesday 16 – Monday 21 August. Hereford Cathedral has many other events taking place in the coming months. For more details on these events please visit: www.herefordcathedral.org/events

Banner Image: Saturday Spectacular at Hereford Cathedral (Caroline Potter)