THE Mayor of Durham will be among the guests at a special Christmas Eve service at Durham Cathedral.

Councillor Pauline Charlton, who is also chairman of Durham County Council, will attend a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service at 3pm on Christmas Eve.

It is one of five Christmas Eve services at the Cathedral. There will also be 7.30am Holy Communion, 8.45am Morning Prayer, 2pm Evening Prayer and 11pm Midnight Eucharist.

An earlier Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service will be held on Sunday (December 22) at 7pm, attended by Coun Jan Blakey, the Deputy Mayor.

On Christmas Day, the Cathedral will host 8am Holy Commuion, 10am Matins, 11.15am Sung Eucharist and 3.30pm Evensong, before the Cathedral Choir goes on holiday until Friday, January 10.