West Country cathedrals turn to events and filming as deficits mount
Cathedrals in the West Country are turning to events, filming and venue hire to raise revenue, as Bristol, Wells and Gloucester face deficits, falling income and potential redundancies.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on Bristol Cathedral's deficits, staffing cuts and events income across the West Country.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Cathedrals across the West Country are looking for new ways to raise money as financial pressures mount, BBC One West reported. The broadcast said Wells Cathedral's income fell by almost £4 million last year, while Gloucester Cathedral is consulting on potential redundancies.
Bristol Cathedral has responded by hiring an events manager and turning itself into a venue. According to BBC One West, it is holding silent discos and street food markets, among other events, and has hosted candlelight concerts, art installations and television drama. The cathedral was used for the BBC's Wolf Hall.
BBC One West reported that Bristol Cathedral's deficit fell from £300,000 two years ago to £120,000 last year. The cathedral is on course for a £55,000 deficit this year, and Ben, speaking in the report, said it was moving in the right direction. Ben warned that the cathedral could only keep running a deficit while it had cash to cover it, and that its reserves would run out at some point if it carried on like that.
Ben also said Bristol Cathedral had cut costs and reduced its staffing budget. That meant fewer staff and the loss of good people, he said. Ben said the cathedral had taken measures that any organisation would take in the circumstances.
The BBC One West report also quoted someone at Wells Cathedral saying times were tight for people, who were having to think carefully about affording a day out. The cathedral needed to make sure visitors had a wonderful experience when they did come, the report said.
Alastair McKee reported for BBC Points West.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Bristol Cathedral reported a £120,000 deficit last year and is on course for a £55,000 deficit this year. | |
| Gloucester Cathedral is consulting over potential redundancies. | |
| Wells Cathedral reported a fall in income of almost £4 million last year. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West gave the story a regional round-up treatment, starting with the pressure on cathedral finances and then detailing Bristol Cathedral's deficit, cost cuts and events strategy. It also set out the situations at Wells and Gloucester, using figures and direct quotes to show why the buildings need new income. The tone was explanatory and sympathetic to the institutions, with no contrasting panel or outside expert.
- “we can only keep running a deficit as long as we've got cash to cover it”
- “Times are tight for people and so people are having to think really carefully about affording a day out”
- “we've had to reduce our staffing budget and therefore we've reduced the number of staff that work with us”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.