Coventry Cathedral, designed by Sir Basil Spence, will use its £38,000 grant to replace surface water drains in the ruins and St Chad's Roman Catholic Cathedral, in Birmingham, will receive £17,000 to install a fire detection and prevention system. Nick Reading, English Heritage's historic buildings architect, said it was vital the sites were maintained and preserved for future generations. He said: "Cathedrals like St Chad's, Gloucester and Worcester are very important, Grade I listed landmarks but as they age essential repairs become more extensive and expensive. "Medieval buildings like these were built by teams of master craftsmen and builders, and although the public do appreciate their beauty, they may be unaware of the cost involved in preserving them." Since 1991, English Heritage has given out £39.8 million for repairs to some of England's greatest buildings through its cathedral grants scheme. Many of the grants are used to fund fire detection and prevention projects after a blaze at Peterborough Cathedral in 2002 highlighted the importance of installing fire alarms and sprinklers. The Very Reverend Peter Marshall, Dean of Worcester Cathedral, said: "This year's grant of £99,000 towards reroofing the chapter house is part of a programme of work, started in 1986, to restore the fabric of the cathedral. "We have been very grateful for the ongoing English Heritage funding which has allowed us to proceed at a faster rate than we would otherwise have been able to." Andrew Eames, administrator and chapter clerk of Hereford Cathedral, added: "We are enormously grateful to English Heritage for its continued support of the cathedral." Headmaster cleared of assaulting his builder A headteacher at a top Birmingham primary school has been cleared of attacking a builder following a dispute over work carried out at his home. A jury at Birmingham Crown Court took under an hour to find John McElwee not guilty of assaulting Andrew Smith on June 18 last year and of a charge of criminal damage. Mr McElwee, aged 56, head of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, West Heath, had denied the charges. Afterwards Mr McElwee, who has been headmaster at the school for 16 years, spoke of his relief in a statement read out by his solicitor. Beverley Mace, of Jonas Roy Bloom, said: "My client is glad this is all over and he can continue to serve the community in the job he loves with the dignity he has always brought to his responsibilities. "He would like to thank his family, friends and colleagues for their support and loyalty throughout what has been a difficult time." It was alleged that following a disagreement over payment for work done on the teacher's bathroom at his home in Northfield, Mr McElwee had gone to Mr Smith's home in a temper and during an incident had bitten the complainant on the face and also caused damage in his garden. But Mr McElwee told the court that when he went round to the builder's address Mr Smith had suddenly launched a "cowardly and unprovoked" attack on him. The teacher admitted biting Mr Smith but said he was only acting in self defence. | 
