£230,000 roof repairs needed to save future of Peterborough Cathedral
It comes after a fundraising campaign to keep it open seven days a week
There are hopes for the future of Peterborough Cathedral if urgent repairs to its roof are made.
The cathedral has applied for part of a £92 million grant scheme funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to repair the roof, which it says could cost around £230,000.
If they are successful with the Places of Worship Renewal Fund - delivered by Historic England which runs within a four-year period - the money would be used to remain safe and open to the public.
"It's roof tile replacements, guttering, leading, it allows us to stop the water progressively going into the building whilst we look at the bigger picture of how we fund this building properly," Jack Pishhorn, chief operating officer at Peterborough Cathedral, said.
The current roof at the cathedral is more than 100 years old and the cathedral expects this to need a complete overhaul within the next 20 years.
The planned works include repairs to an internal drainage runway at the west end of the nave, which is at risk during heavy rainfall.
A lead gutter between the bell tower and the nave roof also needs replacing.
Mr Pishhorn said the cathedral - which needs around £10m in the next decade to keep it running - should find out if it's been successful with the grant later this year.
It is the first stage of a two-part application process and if successful, the cathedral will be invited to submit a full application for funding.
"We're being real in the situation and it is a drop in the ocean, but it is an important drop in the ocean because it buys us time to stop the situation getting worse," Mr Pishhorn said.
"I genuinely believe this place has so much potential and there's so much opportunity to get it to where it needs to be in terms of the fabric but the organisation's impact and sustainability, and we're making strides to do that.
"There's so much positive progress happening; I'm not hiding the fact we are struggling and last year's crisis campaign brought us time to get things right, but I think the future is bright here."