THE campaign to restore Newport Cathedral will benefit from a £40,000 grant from the city’s council.

Cabinet member David Fouweather decided to award the grant from cash it is allowed to donate from the Landfill Community Fund.

Spokesperson for the Newport Cathedral, St Woolos emergency campaign and cathedral priest vicar Mark Soady welcomed the cash, which he said would be used to cover a shortfall for the first phase of roof repairs which were finished before Christmas.

At the end of last year repairs were completed on the north end of the roof, while new lighting has also been installed."

We are very pleased, the council have been a real stalwart of the Cathedral appeal from the beginning," he said."

It’s been encouraging that they have stuck through this with us."

A further £1.5 million on top of just over 1 million already raised is needed for the restoration and repair works, including £500,000 to finish the roof.Fr Soady said: "We’ve completed phase one now and we need to look at which part of the programme that we do next.

"Our new Dean is being installed in two weeks time. Our minds are on getting him in. With his leadership we will take the campaign forward with fresh ideas."

The cash is the latest from the council which awarded the campaign £50,000 last year - also from the Landfill Communities Fund - allowing the cathedral to install up-lighting in the building so the roof could be seen.

A Newport council report said under Landfill tax rules, the council is allowed to donate a portion of the money its landfill site would have paid in landfill tax to certain bodies.