More than £8 million has been awarded in grants to England's cathedrals from a special government fund.

The First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund was set up with £20 million following the Chancellor's March budget. The latest awards are the second round of grants.

The money will benefit 31 historic cathedrals, which will receive grants worth between £15k and £600k for repairs ranging from roofs, stonework and structural work through to detailed work on intricate stained glass windows.

Six of the cathedrals are Roman Catholic, with the remainder Anglican. The largest single grant is to Bristol's Catholic Clifton Cathedral, which receives £600,000 for roof repairs. Completed in 1973, the cathedral is an extraordinary building which uses natural light and white concrete to create a dramatic interior space.

Of the Anglican cathedrals, Portsmouth receives £594,000 for repairs to the tower and south transept while Truro receives £500,000 for repairs to the nave and the nave aisle roof.

Truro's grant comes after revelations in August that the diocese was facing a shortfall of more than £1 million in the next financial year and that Anglican churchgoers in Cornwall donate 20 per cent less than those in any other diocese in England. It received £50,000 from the first round of the Centenary repairs fund.

While attendance in many Church of England congregations is falling, cathedrals have largely bucked the trend, with steady rises of around three per cent a year since records were first kept in 2000.

The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Rev Dr John Inge, the Church of England's lead bishop for cathedrals and church buildings said: "Cathedrals are a success story, not just for the Church but for the cities where they are located and the millions of people who enjoy their architectural splendour, magnificent music and open welcome each year. It is entirely appropriate that the government has recognised that in supporting cathedrals, they are also supporting local communities across England.

"The outcome of these grants will have echoes far beyond mere building works. It is an investment in beautiful places which in turn support and encourage the people amongst whom they minister, making a significant contribution to human flourishing in each of our cathedral cities and beyond."

Rt Hon Frank Field MP, chairman of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, said: "As moving commemorations of the First World War continue to be held across England, it is a most excellent thing to see taxpayer's money being used to create a lasting legacy of cathedral grants which takes the pressure off building repairs and allows cathedrals to be the centres of remembrance and worship that people rely on them to be. There is always more to be done, but through this scheme government has begun a very vital task."