Plans to improve cathedral safety

Admission fees are not being considered for the cathedral

Radical plans have been announced to ensure Truro Cathedral remains open to the public.

The cathedral's chief executive, Richard Glover, says millions of pounds are needed for urgent repairs and if the money is not raised, parts of the building will be closed.

Plans to save money and help pay an estimated £3.5m repair bill include abandoning multi-million pound plans to build a new cloister and re-organising about 50 lay staff who work in the building.

Richard Glover's plans also include redeveloping the cathedral's green and creating an exhibition space in an adjoining building.

It is Cornwall's church. The Cornish people built it and we must make sure it is there The Very Reverend Michael Moxon

Truro Cathedral dominates the skyline of the city and the building is often used as a symbol of Cornwall.

But the fabric of the 127-year-old structure is in poor repair. Much of it is made of bath stone which is crumbling away.

As well, as this, its finances are said to have been steadily getting worse over the last 10 years

This year, it is estimated the building will cost £200,000 more to run than it will get in revenue.

Truro cathedral is the first in the country to hand its day-to-day running over to a chief executive.

Richard Glover, 37, started his £35,000-a-year position at the cathedral in August, and says it is urgent that the repairs are made.

He said: "If you stand and look at the cathedral, you can see that the statues are starting to erode.

"That, in the main, is not too much of a worry. But the same sort of stone holds up the towers. And when you go up to the roof, you can put your fingers into the stone.

"It's not critical now. But if we don't resolve it in the next couple of years, there's a very real danger."

The Dean of Truro Cathedral, the Very Reverend Michael Moxon, said: "It's not turning the place into a money-making venture.

"It is Cornwall's church. The Cornish people built it and we must make sure it is there for our children and grandchildren."