“Within six months the money was raised, the future of the choir was guaranteed, and the restoration was underway.”

The City of Christchurch was founded in the 1850's by a group of utopian visionaries. They dreamed of a city that would embody the best of old England, and many modern tourists agree that they might have pulled it off.

At the heart of the city sits ChristChurch Cathedral. In 2006 she turned 125 but the old lady was starting to show her age. She needed a new roof, extensive glazing and stonework repairs, rewiring and a new sound system.

Dean Peter Beck recognised the opportunity, and asked Compton to help him put together a major capital fundraising campaign to raise the required $4 million during the anniversary year. But rather than make it easy, he added another $4 million to provide scholarships for the cathedral choristers.

The the campaign was launched in July 2006, and by the end of that year the money was raised, the future of the choir was guaranteed and the restoration was underway.

At the final Victory Function Dean Beck presented the Compton Team with a framed facsimile of the plans for the original cathedral. He said, 'I know they get paid to do it but their commitment went way beyond anything we asked of them and we couldn't have done it without them'.