Norwich Cathedral has been given a £20,000 grant by the Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund to make much-needed improvements to the nave aisle roofs.

Part of the grant, along with generous supplementary funding from the Friends of Norwich Cathedral, will also be spent on lead work repair to the roofs and the installation of trace heating. This new heating system will prevent the build-up of snow and ice which can then lead to flooding on the roof above important parts of the Cathedral's organ.

Work is scheduled to begin next month as part of an ongoing plan to repair and restore several areas of the Cathedral.

The Reverend Canon Jeremy Haselock, Precentor and Vice-Dean of Norwich Cathedral, highlighted the urgent need for repair work to be carried out on the Cathedral in order to secure its future as a centre of worship.

He said: 'We are hugely grateful to the Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund and the Friends of Norwich Cathedral for enabling us to get on with this vital work.

'Major expenditure on the repair and rebuilding of the organ lies ahead in order to ensure the continuation of its important role in our daily offering of prayer and praise.'

Rev Can Haselock added: 'These organ repairs would be foolish indeed without weatherproofing the gallery chambers where a major part of the instrument is located.'

Other upcoming renovation projects include a £1.5 million plan to update and replace the inner lighting at the Cathedral using sustainable technology and power-reducing LED lights. This will not only improve the interior lighting but also reduce power consumption and help to lower the Cathedral's running costs, which currently stand at more than £4,000 a day.

Plans are also underway to refurbish the 60 year old organ at a cost of £1.5 million. The organ, which is the fourth largest in the country, needs a redesigned layout and poor quality pipework will be replaced with new ranks.

Full details of the Cathedral's preservation and restoration plans for the next 10 years can be found online at http://www.cathedral.org.uk/support.