Over the last year, the Cathedral has been working on the Eastern Cloisters Projects which has focused on creating different opportunities for people to experience our beautiful Cloisters area. This weekend sees a culmination of several elements of this project come together for the #CloistersBigWeekend.

On Friday we are running our first Photography Pilgrimage Workshop led by Jon Legge. The workshop will look at various photography techniques as well as allowing time for reflection in the Cloisters. The workshop has already proved popular with only a few spaces remaining and we will be sharing some snippets on our social media on the day.

Part of the Eastern Cloisters Project has also seen us explore the ways in which as an organisation we can become more Dementia friendly. This Wednesday, we held our first Cathedral Quiet Hour for people living with Dementia after running a quiet hour for Autism Awareness earlier in the year. We will also be running two Dementia Friends sessions which are open to the public to take part in. These sessions run on Saturday 26 at 3pm and Monday 28 at 4pm – what a great way to spend your bank holiday weekend!

If you are visiting our Cathedral Close this #CloistersBigWeekend you may notice a new musical addition to the area. We will have a piano in the close for everyone to enjoy! The Cathedral Piano has been painted by an amazing emerging artist and illustrator called Chaunce and you can see more of her work on Instagram at @chaunce.cannot.draw

The piano is there for everyone over the weekend and we want to see people enjoying it! Please tag us @HFDCathedral with your pictures on Twitter and Instagram or post them to our Facebook wall using #CloistersBigWeekend and #CathedralPiano by Tuesday morning. The 5 photos with the most likes will be shortlisted and our favourite will win a £50 voucher!

Sarah Hollingdale, Eastern Cloister Activity Project Officer, says "We’ve spent the last year talking to schools, focus groups, and the general public about what they’d like to see at Hereford Cathedral. The Cloisters Big Weekend is the first time that we’re putting your ideas into action! You asked for more music-related activities, so we’ve put a piano in the Close. You wanted more photography opportunities, so we’ve put on a workshop and a competition. And our dementia focus group asked for our staff and volunteers to be more aware of dementia, so we’ve started running Dementia Friends sessions. The Cloisters Big Weekend really is about you and what you wanted!"

The Eastern Cloisters Project is funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund.