English Heritage has announced that it has awarded a total of £2.6m for the repair of 23 cathedrals across the country under its Cathedrals Grants Scheme in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation.

The grants have been made available to both Roman Catholic and Church of England sites, and will be used for a range of projects, including masonry repairs at Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire and work to fix the roof of Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral. St Paul's Cathedral in London, which attracted more than 1.6 million visitors in 2007, is one of three cathedrals to receive the maximum grant of £250,000 for repair work, along with Lincoln Cathedral and Truro Cathedral in Cornwall.

Sir Barry Cunliffe, interim chair of English Heritage, said: "Cathedrals are some of our country's most imposing and beautiful buildings. The excellent craftsmanship demonstrated in these places of worship is something which we must strive to preserve for generations to come. The Very Revd Dr Christopher Hardwick, Dean of Truro Cathedral, said: "It gives us a real boost in our fundraising efforts which will need to see £2m raised to complete the work on the Victoria Tower and spire to replace worn and defective stonework.

"The Cathedral which welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors a year is at the heart of a county steeped in a rich religious tradition and our continuing ministry and mission is at the heart of all that we do."