Cathedral appoints chief executive

No admission fee is to be introduced at the cathedral

The new chief executive of Truro's cash-strapped cathedral has taken up his post as he aims to turn around its fortunes.

Richard Glover, 37, started his £35,000-a-year position at Truro Cathedral this week.

His brief is to turn around the financial fortunes of the institution, which was more than £160,000 in the red in the last financial year.

Truro is thought to be the first of England's 43 cathedrals to create such a role.

Mr Glover, a practising Christian and former director of Cornwall Arts Marketing, must come up with an action plan for the cathedral's future in the next four months.

He will then produce a business plan outlining how to safeguard its financial future.

We can't do outrageous things like serve burgers in the foyer Richard Glover

"It is to do with balancing the books in the short term," he said.

The late 19th century Bath stone building faces a £3.8m restoration programme over the next five years.

But Mr Glover ruled out the possibility of charging an admission fee in a bid to recoup costs.

He said: "While I work here, there will be no admission fees because it is a church - and you don't pay to go to church.

"The church as an organisation has a very important mission.

"Quite a lot of the decisions that one would make about where you go with the more commercial end of things are in the context of Christian mission.

"So we can't do outrageous things like serve burgers in the foyer."