In Brief

Grants for Cathedral repairs
English Heritage has announced new grants for restoration work at London's cathedrals, including St George's Cathedral, Southwark, which will use the money to fund repairs to the roof of its south aisle.
St George's Cathedral, the first Catholic cathedral in Britain since the Reformation, has benefited from English Heritage funding for many years. In last year's round of grants, money was secured to rebuild a turret.
Clifton generosity
Catholics in the Clifton diocese have raised £101,019 to help the poor in the developing world by buying Christmas presents — including school books, chickens, and toilets — from Cafod's World Gifts catalogue.
"What better way to reach out to the world's poor than by giving a gift that will truly make a difference to their lives?" asked Tony Vassallo, the Cafod manager for the Clifton diocese. "In this fast-paced, got-to-have—itall consumer age, the people of the Clifton diocese have been tremendously generous."