CCAers have been braving the heat to talk to local cathedrals and urge them to ditch fossil fuel banks. 

In June, groups visited Rochester, St Albans and Hereford Cathedrals and had productive conversations with the Deans and leading clergy about switching to ethical banks. 

This Thursday, July 23rd, a group will be outside Ely Cathedral, which banks with Barclays, from 12.30pm, and hope a member of the cathedral will come to meet them. You’re welcome to join in this peaceful prayer vigil.

If you’d like to pray for your local cathedral to switch banks and require flyers or other resources email us on christianclimateaction@gmail.com. You can also join in our letter writing action here.

According to the Banking on Climate Chaos Report 2026, major UK high street banks (Barclays, HSBC, Santander, NatWest, Lloyds) invested $71.1bn (£53.05bn) between them in oil, gas and coal in 2025, up from $54.35 (£40.55bn) in 2023.

This summer, we’ve been talking to cathedral congregations, clergy, staff and visitors, handing out ethical banking flyers, and praying for their discussions about switching.

Vigil at St Albans Cathedral

At St Alban’s Cathedral, which banks with Barclays, the vigil team met Dean Jo and Friar Will Gibbs, who said the cathedral is searching for the right ethical provider for its needs, which might mean switching to two banks. Another concern is finding a way to ensure the cathedral does not lose standing orders. 

At Hereford, which banks with Lloyds, the vigil team met Dean Sarah and Chief Operating Officer Marc Leppard, who said the cathedral is willing to switch but is looking into how it would work, including how to pay-in cash donations. 

At Rochester Cathedral, Dean Philip said its team had begun investigating ethical banking and would continue these discussions. 

CCA has passed on information to help cathedrals with switching including our Ethical Banking Guide and Q&A sheet and will continue the conversations.

Look out for information about how CCA will be upping its Ethical Banking Campaign soon and ways to get involved.