ANOTHER Royal cheque has been received to help pay for restoration work at Hereford Cathedral.

Like others it was signed by HRH the Prince of Wales and was an unexpected gift that arrived in the morning post.

Prince Charles has made several donations in the past, with no strings attached to where the money should be spent, said Glyn Morgan secretary of Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust.

But the latest gift, thought to be well into four figures, came as a surprise.

Only recently the Prince invited a group of principal Hereford Cathedral supporters to a special dinner at his home at Highgrove and no-one thought another cash donation to restoration funds would follow. "We are delighted that the Prince of Wales has made this further personal gesture in addition to the wonderful evening that he gave us at Highgrove, " said the Dean of Hereford, the Very Rev Michael Tavinor.

"Over the coming year we hope to be able to encourage the wider community to help support the cathedral and its choir and we are delighted that the Prince will be among those who have made a commitment to our work."

The Dean said he thought it obvious that HRH cared deeply for Hereford Cathedral and Herefordshire.

"We hope that in the near future we will be able to welcome him to the cathedral to show him the breadth of work that we are doing, from restoration to education, to music," said the Dean.