Sheffield Catherdral
Faith
Content Creation / Event Production / Hybrid Event
2022
On 19 September 2022, the United Kingdom observed a historic moment with the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Across the country, communities gathered to pay tribute to a monarch who had served for over seventy years. In Sheffield, a civic memorial service was held at Sheffield Cathedral, welcoming senior local leaders, religious figures, and members of the public.
Due to the significance of the occasion, Sheffield City Council and the Cathedral recognised the need to make the service accessible not only to those present in the building, but to the wider public. This meant turning the event into a carefully orchestrated hybrid event, with professional live streaming, public relay broadcasts, and broadcast-grade AV quality.
Stream7 was selected to design and deliver the technical solution. With extensive experience managing complex live broadcasts and hybrid productions in sensitive or historic locations, the team was tasked with creating a respectful, robust and far-reaching viewing experience for both attendees and remote audiences.
The brief called for a full-scale live streaming and hybrid event setup that would preserve the solemnity of the service while delivering an engaging and accessible visual experience. Key goals included:
Broadcasting the service live from inside Sheffield Cathedral to a large outdoor LED wall in the cathedral forecourt.
Providing video relay to internal displays, ensuring every seat in the building had a clear view of the proceedings.
Streaming the event online to allow the public to watch from home or on mobile devices.
Using discreet technology so as not to interfere with the service, the architecture of the cathedral, or the dignity of the moment.
Capturing high-quality footage for potential archival and press purposes.
This wasn’t a typical concert or corporate show – it was a high-profile hybrid event set in a sacred space, with civic leaders in attendance and public interest at a national level. The event had to be technically flawless, visually elegant, and completely unobtrusive.
Sheffield Cathedral is an architectural gem, with listed status and centuries of history built into every stone. From a production perspective, it also presents challenges:
Limited fixed rigging points and restricted space for staging
Unpredictable lighting conditions due to high windows and stained glass
Poor acoustics in some areas due to high ceilings and stone walls
The need to preserve the visual integrity of the space for the worshipping congregation
Stream7’s approach involved meticulous planning, careful placement of equipment, and the use of specialist broadcasting technology suitable for historic environments.
At the heart of the solution was a full NDI-based workflow, enabling high-quality, low-latency video to be transported over standard network infrastructure. This allowed Stream7 to avoid running long analogue video cables or installing bulky camera platforms.
BirdDog P200 PTZ Cameras: Four of these professional pan-tilt-zoom cameras were installed in discreet locations within the cathedral. Mounted behind pillars and balconies, they captured multiple angles of the ceremony, including wide views, close-ups of speakers, and audience reaction shots. Operated remotely from a vision mixing station, the cameras allowed silent, unobtrusive movement without the need for camera operators in the main worship area.
BirdDog Mini and Studio NDI Converters: These converted video signals to NDI and allowed seamless transmission between cameras, computers, projectors and LED screens – all over the cathedral’s existing IT network.
Camera Crane (Jib): To add visual dynamism to the stream, a small camera jib was installed in a side aisle, offering sweeping cinematic movements to transition between speakers and musical performances.
Vision Mixing and Live Control: The production desk was set up off-site within the cathedral complex. From here, Stream7’s team handled all live camera switching, audio control, graphics overlays, and coordination with screen and streaming platforms.
This fully integrated system delivered professional-grade live streaming and in-house AV coverage with minimal footprint and no disruption to the integrity of the space.
The memorial service was attended in person by invited dignitaries and members of the public. But the capacity of the cathedral meant that many others had to watch from outside or remotely.
To serve this wider audience, Stream7 supported multiple delivery points:
LED Wall Broadcast: Outside the cathedral, a large-format LED screen relayed the service in real-time. This created a communal experience for hundreds of people gathered in the forecourt, many of whom were moved by the atmosphere and respectful quiet.
Internal Display Relays: Several internal screens were set up to support overflow seating and restricted-view areas, ensuring that everyone inside the cathedral could see and hear clearly.
Online Livestream: A secure online stream was delivered via Sheffield City Council’s website and promoted across social channels. This allowed members of the public from across the city (and beyond) to take part in the moment of reflection from their homes.
The feedback following the service was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees inside the cathedral commented on the discreet but effective AV support, while those watching outside or online praised the clarity of the visuals and the reverence of the stream.
Key outcomes included:
Hundreds attended the outdoor screening in person, with clear sight and sound throughout.
Thousands more accessed the online live stream, many of whom shared their experiences on social media.
Local and regional press used Stream7’s footage to produce coverage of the event, including on-demand highlights and news features.
The broadcast-quality video captured during the event was preserved for MSSC and civic use, supporting future archival needs.
Stream7’s delivery of the hybrid memorial service at Sheffield Cathedral demonstrated the potential of modern broadcast technology to honour tradition, bring people together, and support public events in a respectful and inclusive way.
By deploying a flexible, scalable, and highly professional live streaming solution, Stream7 helped Sheffield mark a historic national moment with dignity, clarity, and community engagement.
This project serves as a model for how cathedrals, churches, civic venues, and public organisations can embrace hybrid events – reaching beyond physical walls and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate, no matter where they are.
Stream7 specialises in delivering technically excellent, visually elegant solutions for faith institutions, public memorials, and civic services. We understand the balance between visibility and discretion, and we design every project to enhance – not distract from – the occasion.
Services include:
Multi-camera live streaming
Broadcast integration using NDI workflows
On-site vision mixing and audio support
Event relay to LED walls and internal screens
Recording, archiving, and content creation
Technical production for hybrid civic, faith, and remembrance events
Contact Stream7 to discuss your next project.
