A CHRISTIAN art student from Hereford has used her final year exhibition to voice disgust at cathedral entrance charges.

Mature student Diana Thomas believes it is an outrage that Anglican cathedrals such as York and Canterbury ask for money, and says it does little to communicate Christian values of love and forgiveness.

This week, she used her final year Fine Art degree exhibition at Hereford College of Arts to let the public know how she feels.

“I believe access to churches is incredibly important,”

said Diana, who worships at St James Church in Bartonsham.

“I have spent the last year endeavouring to communicate how wrong, I believe, the entrance charges are.

“Uncounted numbers are now too poor to seek comfort in the spiritual peace of our cathedrals.

“They turn away angry and rejected, feeling betrayed by the very people who should be helping them.”

Among the images on display were a number of food cans with pictures of the various fee-charging cathedrals, accompanied by the words “God is not a commodity”, and a bible under lock and key.

She said the idea stemmed from a meeting of the Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE), of which she is a member.

“There was a debate about cathedral charges and a lady behind me said she supported them as it meant she had somewhere quiet to pray.

“It wasn’t something I agreed with and it led me to thinking about this project.”

She says “money follows mission”, adding that “if churches are doing what they are supposed to, the money will follow”.

Diana says she hopes her exhibition highlights not only the fee-charging cathedrals but “the good being done by many churches such as St Peter’s and St James in Hereford”.

Her tutor, Allison Neal, said fine art is all about developing ideas.

“We like to encourage students to develop their own practice and Diana has certainly done that.”

Hereford Diocese’s director of communications, Anni Holden, said there were “absolutely no charges” for entering Hereford Cathedral or any other churches in the county.