Wales’ first “Cathedral Camp”

Wales’ first Cathedral Camp for heritage-conscious youngsters is taking place in Brecon this week.

An assorted group of young people from all over the world is camping at the historic cathedral to help give it a bit of a make-over, learn about heritage conservation and help out with the Jazz Festival concerts.

The group of 13, all aged 16-22, come from Japan, Croatia, Belgium, England and Denbigh. They will be doing a variety of jobs from painting ancient railings and clearing meadows to re-painting the crypt, wax polishing the chapter and choir stalls and a making a survey of the grave-yard. They will also be helping out at the 10 events the cathedral is hosting for the Brecon Jazz Festival which takes place this weekend.

All the work they do will count towards medals such as the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Dean of Brecon Cathedral, the Very Revd Geoffrey Marshall, said he was delighted to host Wales’ first Cathedral Camp. He said, “Lots of youngsters wanted to come to Brecon, partly because it’s in a National Park and partly because the camp straddles the Jazz Festival weekend – one or two of them are keen saxophonists!

“We’re fortunate because the cathedral architect, Geoffrey Worsley, has taken a week’s holiday to join us which means the youngsters will be able to have a go at skilled work normally only reserved for specialists, such as servicing monuments, re-guilding the Bishop’s throne and re-pointing the 17^th century gravestones which make up the floor inside the cathedral.”

Cathedral Camps is a charity dedicated to the role young people can have in preserving the architectural heritage of Britain. It has been running for 26 years but this is the first time it has been held in Wales. The Brecon Camp will continue until Wednesday (August 12).

The team at Brecon is led by Liz Barker, 21, a geography undergraduate at Loughborough University. She said, “I have done several Cathedral Camps before, including at St Albans and Worcester, and I know how much the work we do is appreciated by the cathedral staff. We work full days but it’s great fun and we learn a lot about the work involved in conserving ancient buildings.”

The only Welsh volunteer (and Welsh speaker) is Dan Jones, 19, from St Asaph. He said, “I’m studying building conservation at Swansea Metropolitan University so thought this camp would be the perfect opportunity for me to do some practical work.”

Cathedral Camps Project manager, Ruth Coates said, “We’re very excited about being able to come to Brecon and there was a lot of interest. Each camp brings young people the chance to work towards satisfying goals while gaining knowledge of the historical and cultural importance of the buildings. During the week they also socialise and mix with other young people from around Britain and other parts of the world. Because the camps are residential, many volunteers create firm and lasting bonds. Some return year after year while others go on to become leaders and assistant leaders.”

Brecon Cathedral will be a hive of activity during this weekend’s Jazz Festival. As usual, it will be holding the Festival Service on Sunday at 11am, to which all are welcome, and this year it will also be hosting 10 of the Jazz Festival concerts.

Picture shows some of the Cathedral Campers at the cathedral crypt with the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Rt Rev John Davies.

For more information, contact:

Geoffrey Marshall, Dean of Brecon Cathedral, 01874 623857
Ruth Coates, project manager, Cathedral Camps – 07973 251515