A New Steinway Piano for the Cathedral

A beautiful new Steinway D 9’ 2” Concert Grand has been donated to the Cathedral. It is a superb instrument which will further enhance the music we offer to the glory of God here in the Cathedral and give solo performers at concerts and recitals an instrument of the finest quality to use. We offer most grateful thanks to our benefactor.

New Church Wardens Elected

At the Cathedral Forum AGM on Thursday 24 April Mrs Pam Pitts and Mr Tony Kimber were elected as church wardens. Mrs Pitts has served for several years as a deputy warden and Mr Kimber has a long association with, and is currently the chairman of, the Friends of the Cathedral Choir. Standing down after many years dedicated service were Mr David Cockram and Mr Alan Jary. Mr Cockram was honoured on Easter Sunday, 23 March by being installed as a member of the Order of St Edmund.

Visitors Welcome

Regular Guided tours of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds are available from Easter Monday, 24 March 2008. Tours will take place every day except Sundays at 11.30a.m. until the end of September. There is no need to book. Just turn up on the day and meet the Guide near the font. There is no fixed charge but donations are welcome. ‘These tours are a fascinating insight into the past, present and future of the Cathedral,’ comments Sarah Friswell, Cathedral Visitor Officer. In a new initiative, visitors to the Cathedral will be encouraged to help the Cathedral recycle its ‘Welcome’ leaflets. Over 30,000 leaflets are handed out to visitors each year. This year, not only are the leaflets being printed on recycled paper for the first time, visitors will also be encouraged to return them if they do not wish to keep them, so that they may be reused. Also new for 2008 is a DVD about the life of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Visitors can view this on a touchscreen computer and discover even more about the life of this important place. Group bookings for guided tours are also welcome and these should be booked in advance with the Visitors’ Officer on 01284 748726. Further information from the Cathedral Office, Abbey House, Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds (Tel: 01284 748720) or on visitor.officer@stedscathedral.co.uk

Choir Tour to Bulgaria

The Cathedral Choir travelled to Bulgaria on Tuesday 25 March for eight days to give concerts in Sofia at St Josef’s Roman Catholic Cathedral and in the Alexander Nevski Cathedral Crypt and in Plovdiv Concert Hall. Together with the Dean and the Precentor, they also visited many of the great historic areas of Sofia including two World Heritage Sites: the Rila Monastery and the Boyana Church. This was a great opportunity to share our musical heritage with the people of Bulgaria. They were welcomed with great warmth and the concerts were all greatly appreciated.

Suffolk Welcomes new Bishop on St Edmund’s day

The Right Reverend Nigel Stock was enthroned as the tenth Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, on St Edmund’s Day, Tuesday 20 November, in a service in the Cathedral. The service in Suffolk’s fine cathedral was a joyful, uplifting and welcoming occasion. The enthronement, the first in Suffolk for eleven years, is where the bishop formally takes his seat in his cathedral church. The Dean of St Edmundsbury, the Very Reverend Neil Collings, who conducted the service said, “This was the time when we welcomed our new bishop and friend. It was a day of great joy.”