Cathedral welcomes thousands of visitors, donates thousands to St Mungo’s

Museum of the Moon

In August 2021 Bristol Cathedral hosted Bristol artist Luke Jerram’s celebrated Museum of the Moon artwork: a 1:500,000 scale model of the moon using NASA photography printed onto a balloon from Cameron Balloons in Bristol.
In the 18 days it was presented in Bristol Cathedral, over 65,000 visitors came through the doors. This is more than any other exhibition at the Cathedral in living memory, and almost certainly ever.

Thanks to the generosity of Luke Jerram, and of the many thousands who donated so freely during their visit, we have been able to raise £13,000 for St Mungo’s, the homelessness charity.

Lamorna Hooker, St Mungo’s, said: “We are delighted that Luke Jerram chose to support St Mungo’s with the Museum of the Moon in Bristol this summer. It has been an amazing opportunity to introduce St Mungo’s to so many new people and we are honoured to have been associated with such an incredible exhibition. Your generous donations will help us to support even more people who are experiencing homelessness in Bristol; to support people in their recovery journey and prevent homelessness in the future.”

The Very Revd Dr Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol said: The Museum of the Moon has been such a gift to Bristol Cathedral and the people of Bristol. The installation transformed our building, brought in visitors from around the city and the country, and provoked hundreds of conversations. It was wonderful to see the diversity of those who came through the doors, and to enjoy such a variety of events and music under the Moon. We are enormously grateful to Luke for his generosity, which enabled us and our visitors to be generous to others. We look forward to many such projects in the future!

Luke Jerram, the artist, said: "It’s been wonderful to present the Museum of the Moon in my home town. Visiting several times and attending many of the events, it’s been great to meet so many people who've come from right around the UK to visit the artwork. Thanks again to the staff and volunteers of the Cathedral for all their hard work, making the exhibition such a success. I met people of all ages and from all walks of life, who'd come to from London, Wales and the North of England specifically to see the Moon."