Specialist fire training is being held at Ripon Cathedral in the aftermath of Notre-Dame

Church insurer Ecclesiastical will be hosting the course on May 21 for delegates from cathedrals and churches from across the North of England, aiming to help reduce the risk of fire at the precious ancient buildings.

Ecclesiastical's church risk specialists Claire Attenborough and Kevin Thomas will be leading the day, which will also features talks from Steve Emery, Oxford University’s fire officer, and Stewart Kidd, chartered security professional and heritage fire consultant.

Claire said: “Helping our customers reduce their fire and security risk is a fundamental part of our business. It is particularly important when you are insuring buildings that are part of the nation’s history. As we saw at Notre-Dame, a major fire at a cathedral or greater church would be a huge loss, so anything we can do to help protect these buildings is very important.”

Following the blaze at Notre Dame, Ecclesiastical’s group chief executive Mark Hews offered support to the French Authorities.

Mark said: “It was absolutely heart-breaking to see such a beautiful, spiritually and historically significant cathedral engulfed in flames. Our thoughts are with the people of France as they come to terms with the damage to such an iconic building.

“As a long established specialist insurer of churches and listed heritage, we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the restoration of these very special and complex buildings. We stand ready to join others in providing as much help as we reasonably can to support the restoration.”