Schools Out

A pop up café, a Green Fair or step back to discover more about the Benedictine heritage – just a few things visitors can discover at our cathedrals this summer.

Schools out! It’s August … what will you discover at a cathedral near you?

Bradford Cathedral has announced it is opening a Pop-up Café this summer selling a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and made-to-order food.

The Pop-up Café will be open five days a week and is a project close to the Dean of Bradford, Andy Bowerman’s heart as he and his wife, Ali were the co-founders of Vicars Café Bistro in nearby Saltaire in 2005, a not-for-profit social enterprise which supported the local Bradford food bank.

The Pop-up Café will be run by Ali Bowerman and a team of Cathedral volunteers and opens this week (Wednesday 2 August)  with locally-sourced and Fair Trade produce and products.

The Very Revd Andy Bowerman, Dean of Bradford, said:

“It’s been an exciting few weeks planning the Pop-up Café and we’re delighted that the opening date is almost upon us.

“Already we’ve had visitors this week asking about when we’re starting so we hope this will be a welcome addition for those visiting Bradford Cathedral this summer to discover more about our history, find some time for prayer and reflection, explore our amazing windows and monuments and finish it off with a slice of our delicious home-made cakes.”

Pop Up Café is open throughout august on Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat from 11-2pm. Find out more here.

Ely Cathedral is getting ready to host its second Green Fair this Saturday (August 5) with over 800 stalls, supporting a range of local organisations, environment groups, trade stands and exhibitors from therapy dogs to rewilding projects.

This family fun ‘Eco Event’ was first launched in 2021 as an annual event but was cancelled last year due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and this year it is bigger than before with over 80 stallholders and in the grounds of Ely Cathedral.

Demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day and will include: wood turning, weaving, flower arranging and needle felting plus children’s creative workshops by Re-Imagine.

There are artisan craft stalls, street food traders and other stalls featuring  local producers and locally brewed beer from the Three Blind Mice Brewery.

National and regional organisations, dedicated to supporting our local communities and the environment, will be on hand to share their knowledge and views including The Wildlife Trust, Cam Cycle, South East Cambs Badger Group, ECDC Climate Change, Therapy Dogs and the RSPB.

This is a free event which takes place on Cross Green and Palace Green on Saturday 5th August from 10am.

Visitors of all ages can discover the monastic heritage of Gloucester Cathedral with the launch of a new, family-friendly Summer Challenge that will run between Friday 4 August and Sunday 10 September 2023.

The challenge invites visitors to see how many of the Cathedral’s activities they can complete during their visit with stickers earned for every task. As part of the challenge, visitors are invited to experience the history and architecture of the building in a new way: lie on the floor, dress up as royalty or send a secret message in the Whispering Gallery.

The Labyrinth will also be returning to Gloucester Cathedral between Tuesday 8 August and Thursday 31 August 2023 and visitors are invited to follow in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims before them as they take time out of the busyness of their lives to walk the Labyrinth to reflect, to pray or simply to take a moment.

Gloucester Cathedral’s Benedictine heritage can be explored in a wide range of events and activities later in August when families are invited to take part in ‘Monks, Medicine and Mayhem’. and discover more about the world of the monks who used to live there. From the chance to create their own healing lip balm and take part in historic board games or meet a medieval barber surgeon.

The Very Reverend Andrew Zihni, Dean of Gloucester, said:

“It is wonderful to be able to offer this programme of activities during the summer holidays alongside our normal pattern of services and worship, and we hope there will be something for everyone. Following our Benedictine values and tradition, we are proud to be a place of welcome for all people of all ages. We hope that visitors will be able to engage with the many things we have on offer over the summer and see the Cathedral in new and creative ways.”