With over 75% of the £3.6 million cost of the East End restoration project raised, Lichfield Cathedral is pleased to announce the launch of a Mosaic Appeal in support of the East End Appeal.  All Parishes in the Diocese have received information on how to become involved in this innovative fundraising idea.  A mosaic of 600 'virtual tiles', showing images of the Lady Chapel before and after the stonework restoration, has been created online and Parishes or individuals can pay £100 to 'light up' a tile.  The donor's name is shown as visitors 'scroll over' the illuminated tiles.

Phases I and II of the East End Project, comprising the restoration of the North and South Choir Clerestories’ stonework, and the restoration of Lady Chapel stonework which supports the Herkenrode Windows, are now complete. This work has not only been completed to an astonishingly high standard, but has in fact saved the East End of the Cathedral from collapse.

The Herkenrode Glass is now locked away in secure storage awaiting the commencement of the final phase of the East End Project, which will take up to five years to complete. The glass will be sent, pane by pane, to Barley Studios in York for intricate and intensive cleaning and conservation. This will include:

• The removal of disfiguring strap lead repairs dating from 1945
• The removal of earlier mending leads inserted through important features such as the faces of figures
• The removal of ‘spiders web’ lead repairs
• The cleaning of the internal and external surfaces of the glass, removing dust, cobwebs, soot and other built up grime
• The removal, by surgical scalpel and microscope, of the old lead calme weatherproofing cement from the painted surface of the glass
• The restoration of lost painted detail by cold-painting onto the unpainted reverse surface of the glass.

Once the work on all the glass is completed, it will be re-installed in the Lady Chapel Windows, in new tungsten brass frames and behind the isothermal glazing which will serve the weather-proofing purpose the Herkenrode Glass itself once performed, thus protecting the Herkenrode Glass from all moisture, and thus any future decay.

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, the visiting public, individual private donors and various grant-making trusts and foundations in the West Midlands and around the country, we have raised approximately £3m of the total £3.6m cost. Without the rest of the money, however, the future of work on the Herkenrode Glass will be in serious jeopardy.

We still have the target to raise £600,000 to complete the project and guarantee the future of one of the world’s greatest artistic treasures and one of the Cathedral’s greatest spiritual icons. Please help us to win the Race to Save the East End of Lichfield Cathedral.