SALISBURY Cathedral has been awarded £415,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its Magna Carta project.

The award will help the cathedral, which is home to the finest of the four surviving original Magna Carta 1215, prepare for the UNESCO listed document’s 800th anniversary celebrations in 2015.

The project, called Engaging with the Magna Carta, will see the display and presentation of the Cathedral’s Magna Carta in the Chapter House alongside other documents from the Cathedral’s archive.

Using displays, media, interactive stations and film, the exhibition is set to open in February 2015 and will tell the story of how Magna Carta came about and explore its lasting legacy.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Sajid Javid said: “Our history and heritage is rich and deep, defining us to the rest of the world. Magna Carta is one of its cornerstones so it seems absolutely right that next year, its 800th anniversary, should see special efforts made to present it in a new and compelling way to the public, young and old.”

The Very Revd June Osborne, Dean of Salisbury said: “We are delighted to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable us to fulfil our ambitions to share the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015 with the widest possible audience.

“As we reflect on the sealing of this milestone in human rights, we hope to help people to engage on a personal level with the values it represents and its lasting legacy of equality and justice.

“The new exhibition and the exciting range of celebratory activities we have planned will do just that and we are very grateful for the support which makes it possible.”

Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West Nerys Watts said: “Salisbury Cathedral’s original 1215 Magna Carta is one of the world’s most important documents, pivotal to our journey to democracy, and is still hugely relevant to our lives today.

“In the run-up to the 800th anniversary in 2015, we’re really pleased to be supporting this project that will allow people to see it in its rightful place, properly, for the first time.”