Ancient cathedral plans a helter skelter... to reverse slide in visits!
CONGREGATION numbers across the country are already spiralling downwards.
So plans by a cathedral to introduce a helter skelter to boost visitors could be seen as, well... an ironic twist.
The 40ft traditional fairground ride will be installed in the western end of the nave at Norwich Cathedral in August.
An artist’s impression has been used to show how it might look inside the 873year-old building. The diocese says the plan is to give visitors ‘the chance to expe- rience the space in a new way and open up conversations about faith’. Thrill-seekers will be treated to unique views, including close-ups of the medieval ceiling.
It is part of the cathedral’s ‘Seeing It Differently’ initiative, which will also encourage visitors to lie on yoga mats to gaze upwards. The Rev Canon Andy Bryant said: ‘We will be doing what cathedrals have always done: helping people see things differently and make connections with the things of God.
But Jenny Roope, 42, who lives near the cathedral, said: ‘I can’t quite believe this – is it an early April Fool’s joke? Another resident said: ‘It is basically dumbing down our faith. Whatever next – goldfish in the font so kids can feed them?’
Next year Dippy, the Natural History Museum’s much-loved diplodocus cast, will be erected inside the 10th century cathedral as part of a national tour.