A Cross Hills-based building firm has won a £4.3 million contract to help bring Bradford Cathedral into the new Millennium.

PS Turner is to start work this spring on refurbishing the old Post Office building in Forster Square, Bradford - in front of the Cathedral - which is to become a monument to faith in the city.

Turner will also construct a glass access lift which will give visitors a scenic view of Forster Square as they enter the converted listed building.

Mike Gorman, Turner's project manager, said: "We are delighted to have won the contract. We are not generally associated with such prestigious projects - we are usually involved with industrial and retail units."

He said it is hoped work will start in April or May and be completed by June 2000.

He stressed that the facade of the building would have very little alteration and that most of the work involved restructuring the inside, which had stood empty for some years.

The new centre will be called the National Millennium Faith Experience and it is hoped a member of the Royal family will attend the opening.

The aim is to provide a visitor centre celebrating the story of faith in the city and Bradford's famous sons and daughters in an exhibition designed by the creators of the Jorvik centre in York.

There will also be a restaurant offering facilities for 80,000 people a year. The ground floor will be used by Bradford Council as its main training centre.

The total funding is - £2.268m from the Millennium Commission, £830,000 from Europe, £630,000 from English Partnerships and £250,000 from General Accident.

The Provost, the Very Reverend John Richardson, said it was a huge relief finally to get the go-ahead from the Millennium Commission after months of negotiations.

The Forster Square building has often been blamed for hiding the Cathedral and making it one of the least visited in the country.

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