A FEW SUNDAYS ago a ripple ran through the cathedral community after the biscuits laid out for congregational tea and coffee went walkabout, snaffled by a group of visiting Italian language students. ‘Biscuitgate’, as it has since become known, confirms the universally acknowledged truth, that no biscuit left out in the open is safe around teenagers, and the that those who ‘work’ the cathedral floor have to be prepared for literally anything.
A FEW SUNDAYS ago a ripple ran through the cathedral community after the biscuits laid out for congregational tea and coffee went walkabout, snaffled by a group of visiting Italian language students. ‘Biscuitgate’, as it has since become known, confirms the universally acknowledged truth, that no biscuit left out in the open is safe around teenagers, and the that those who ‘work’ the cathedral floor have to be prepared for literally anything.
From highly co-ordinated Disney cruises to Daisy the visiting dog drinking from the cathedral font, the guides at Salisbury have seen and done it all. At the cathedral frontline they earn their Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (received by the team in 2016) over and over again, demonstrating the cathedral’s values of generosity and openness.
They are a redoubtable and unflappable force, all 260 of whom have been through the cathedral’s bespoke six-week initial guide training course. This involves learning more than just the facts and figures, fascinating and important though they are. There are also sessions on voice projection, presentation skills and welcoming skills. Languages are a useful add-on but not essential.