Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/785757
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2016 40 THE fabric of St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta is in dire need of restoration. Recent expert architectural inspections have identified severe problems threatening the tower, the spire and the external and internal stonework. Parts of the structure are now officially described as "unstable". There has been little maintenance of the fabric of the Cathedral for many years. Following a report by the Ca- thedral's architect, a multitude of problems have been identi- fied affecting the tower and spire and the stonework around the Cathedral. These include the ur- gent need for external restora- tion works; tower and spire and boundary wall restoration works; the replacement of the ceiling and other internal works as well as the wrought iron railings. The Joint Chairmen of the Res- toration Appeal, Sir Martin La- ing and Martin Scicluna said "the need is pressing" as they launched an appeal to raise €3,000,000 for vital restoration and repair work and to provide some funding for the future. The Restoration Appeal aims to raise money for the repairs by November 2019, the 175th An- niversary of the building of the Cathedral. But it is hoped to start the resto- ration as soon as possible so that this iconic listed building will continue to be open for visitors in time for Valletta's role as the pre- mier European Capital of Culture in 2018. Towering over the seaward ap- proach to the Valletta skyline, St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral, a Grade 1 building of local stone, is of major importance to the her- itage of Malta and forms a pre- eminent part of Valletta's archi- tectural landscape. It is a universally recognised Valletta landmark. With the bell- tower and its spire rising to over 200 feet (60 metres) from the ground, it is an historic and icon- ic element of Valletta's landscape. To imagine Valletta's sky-line without the tower of the Cathe- dral is just as inconceivable as im- agining St Mark's Square in Ven- ice, another World Heritage City, without its historic campanile. "We must save Valletta's sky- line" Sir Martin Laing and Martin Scicluna, said in their presenta- tion to launch the Appeal. Following preliminary architec- tural inspections, the renowned Maltese architectural practice of Architecture Projects (AP), Val- letta, are ready to proceed with a final study and recommendations for starting the urgent work. In- dividual elements of the required restoration have already been broadly costed and work can be started quickly. The Appeal Committee is confi- dent it has an achievable plan and that all elements are in place for a successful restoration once fund- ing has been secured. The Cathedral has no current endowment and receives no sup- port from the government or the Church of England. The small congregation meets the annual running and maintenance costs, but cannot fund major works. The Cathedral's only resource for essential restoration work is the generosity of individuals and businesses who wish to contribute in their own names or as a lasting memorial to others to save this vital part of Malta's cultural her- itage. St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral in dire need of restoration and repair Heritage St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral We all know that mushrooms love shady, damp places but many are also quite finicky about what stuff to grow on. Some are partial to conifer leaf litter (like the pine bolete we met recently), others will only grow on the bark of a particular tree. Some are so choosy that they only occur in a handful of places, or even a single location. Only last week I came across my very first bird-cage fungus, one of our rarer and weirder fungi. The specimen was a few days past its prime but its unusual structure was still intact. No standard umbrella shape here, this thing is more like an exquisite lattice work, hence its name. And it's pink-red. It stinks a bit too! You see, while many insects are attracted to scents that we humans too consider desirable, others root for smells we find repulsive. Our friend the bird-cage fungus (faqqiegħ tal-gaġġa) attracts flies, who land on it and unwittingly soak up a bunch of spores before buzzing off to disperse them elsewhere. Crafty, eh! GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 447 SHELF LINING: Use old newspapers to line your cabinet, dresser or bathroom shelves. They're cheaper than shop-bought shelf liners, and they're easy to put in and replace. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Desirée Falzon Chocolate is one of the most popular and widely consumed confectionaries in the world, and has become a product of mass consumption: the average European and US- American consumes 5.2 kilograms of chocolate each year! Europe and the US account for more than 47% and 20% of global sales respectively. Austrians and Germans consume about 9 kilograms of chocolate per person per year, which makes them the European fore runners in terms of chocolate consumption. While chocolate is growing in popularity, little attention is paid to where the primary ingredient cocoa comes from and under which conditions it is produced. Whereas the majority of cocoa consumption occurs within the Global North, cocoa is grown in tropical regions around the Equator. The specific conditions necessary for producing cocoa can only be found here. In total around 4.2 million tons of cocoa beans are produced each year. 70% of the world's cocoa beans come from four West-African countries – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Ivory Coast is by far the largest cocoa producing country, providing more than one third of the traded cocoa in the world. Ghana, as the second largest cocoa producing country, produces 21% of the global supply. Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil and Ecuador are the other main suppliers of cocoa. Bittersweet Chocolate Growing desire for sweet treats: demand and supply 544. BIRD-CAGE FUNGUS