WORCESTER Cathedral is offering a unique opportunity – to be immortalised in the very stone of one of its most prominent buildings.

In return for a donation members of the public can have their initials, or the initials of a loved-one, cut into new stone of the Edgar Tower gatehouse by skilled stonemasons.

The tower is need of urgent repair and this innovative scheme has been launched to raise funds for the 240 new stones required to replace weathered parts of the existing stonework.

Nick Drew, director of fundraising and development, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for people with a connection to the cathedral to become, literally, part of its fabric.

“It’s a chance to leave a mark for future generations and be remembered among the many benefactors who have kept this great building standing over the centuries.”

Architect Camilla Finlay, the Cathedral’s surveyor of the fabric, said: “The work on the tower is becoming quite urgent now.

“Our fantastic stonemasons know how to work the sandstone of the cathedral better than anyone and they are experts in repairing existing stones and carving and bedding new ones – but the scale of the task is very much greater than we thought it would be.

“On closer inspection we have found the condition of the stonework at the top of the structure to be particularly poor, principally because of the effects of the climatic conditions in the Severn valley, and because of the use of ferrous metal cramps in the stonework which have corroded.

“We really need the public’s help to restore this fascinating building.”

The Edgar Tower gatehouse, which forms the main entrance to College Green on the south side of the cathedral, already shows evidence of people’s desire for immortality – carved graffiti, some of it dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, is a reminder of the many people who have passed through the gate over the years.

Scaffolding has now been erected on the site to allow closer access to the stone for more detailed assessment and work will commence in the early months of 2015.

Donors to the project will receive a certificate and a plan of the tower showing the location of their stone and their name will be entered into a commemorative ledger to be kept in the cathedral’s historic library for posterity.

Donations to secure the dedication of a stone cost from £50. For more information contact the cathedral on 01905 732900.