Discover how Southwark Cathedral is nurturing young musicians, widening access to singing, and sustaining a choral tradition that brings comfort, joy, and belonging, and how your support can help shape its future.

Southwark Cathedral is looking ahead, with ambitions to nurture young talent, strengthen partnerships with schools, and create opportunities for people of all ages to experience the joy of singing together.

Sharing this vision, Canon Precentor Kathryn Fleming reflected on music's place at the heart of Cathedral life. Leading worship alongside our choirs, she said, means standing with them as they “open windows onto heaven and build bridges between time and eternity”.

For Kathryn, widening access matters deeply. Growing up, she loved singing but could not pursue the cathedral opportunities available to boys. Later, three years immersed in the English choral tradition at Cambridge deepened both her love of music and her faith.

Today, that experience informs her enthusiasm for helping others discover what singing can offer: musical skills, confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging.

Opening up opportunities

Southwark’s choirs draw children from across London and beyond, bringing together young people from a wide range of backgrounds. Through singing, they contribute to a living tradition while developing skills and friendships that can shape their lives far beyond the Cathedral.

Donors' generosity has already enabled the restoration of choral and organ scholarships. Looking ahead, the Cathedral hopes to extend its singing programme through 'Small Sounds' for pre-school children and partnerships with schools across the diocese, particularly those without specialist music teaching or regular opportunities for music in the timetable.

These ambitions reflect a belief that more people should have the opportunity to make music together, at every stage of life.

Sustaining our music and our building

Realising this vision comes with financial challenges. Southwark became a cathedral in 1905 and lacks the historic endowments that support some older cathedral foundations.

Alongside the costs of sustaining its music, the Cathedral faces significant demands on its building. Restoring the Comper East Window and addressing dry rot in the roof will cost around £ 750,000. Further urgent repairs and projects to improve physical accessibility also strain available resources.

Support for the Cathedral helps us care for this extraordinary place while sustaining the worship, music and welcome that bring it to life.

A shared vision for the future

For those who step into Evensong after a difficult day, music can offer a moment of stillness, comfort and renewed hope. For choristers, creating something beautiful together can transform how they see themselves and the world around them.

Kathryn’s invitation is to help safeguard these experiences and extend them to others: to support a Cathedral where young musicians can flourish, visitors can find solace and people from different backgrounds can discover the joy of singing.

Together, we can help Southwark Cathedral keep making space for love, belonging, and the kind of beauty that changes lives.