After nine months of extraordinary skill, patience, and devotion, Sheffield Cathedral’s much-loved volunteer Christine Barker has completed the painstaking restoration of the historic altar cloth in the Shrewsbury Chapel — and it has now returned home.

The cloth, nearly 95 years old, required specialist conservation to preserve its delicate emblems and intricate goldwork. Through a meticulous process known as deconstruction, Christine carefully worked beneath the original gold thread, stabilising worn areas and restoring deteriorated sections without compromising the historic integrity of the piece. The result is nothing short of breathtaking: a treasured part of the Cathedral’s heritage brought back to life for future generations.

Christine Barker carefully working on the altar frontal, using specialist conservation techniques to restore 95-year-old goldwork by hand.

This achievement is just the latest chapter in Christine’s remarkable contribution to Cathedral life. Recently named Association of English Cathedrals Volunteer of the Year 2025, she is not only a master of textile conservation but also one of the Cathedral’s most recognisable and welcoming faces.

As a Guide, Christine is often the first person visitors meet, greeting people with warmth, calm kindness, and genuine enthusiasm. Her love of the building and its story shines through as she shares Sheffield Cathedral’s history and spiritual heritage with all who pass through its doors.

But it is as a needleworker that her lifelong expertise truly shines. Christine oversees an extraordinary range of textile work across the Cathedral: intricate embroidery and restoration of historic liturgical garments, and the creation of new pieces that support worship and education alike. From altar cloths and vestments to children’s vestments, pilgrims’ capes, and Nativity costumes, her hands quietly help shape the visual and symbolic life of the Cathedral.

The Shrewsbury Chapel altar frontal restoration stands among her most significant recent works. She has also previously revived the altar frontals in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, the Crypt Chapel and the high altar ‘Christ the King’ frontal. Some details of these works had completely disintegrated and were painstakingly recreated.

Dean Abi praised Christine’s dedication, saying:
“Christine is a wonderful volunteer at Sheffield Cathedral. Her skill is incredible - every stitch is perfect and every piece she makes or restores is exquisite. The time she freely gives us is a wonderful gift.”

Christine’s work supports daily worship, enriches learning, and safeguards the Cathedral’s heritage with quiet excellence. Her commitment, talent, and generosity truly embody the spirit of volunteering at Sheffield Cathedral.

We are deeply grateful for all she does.