A RANGE of celebrations will mark the feast day of a much-loved Northern saint.

Thursday (March 20) is St Cuthbert’s Day and celebrations are planned from Wednesday through to Saturday at Durham Cathedral, which was built as a shrine to the 7th century Bishop of Lindisfarne.

The festivities will start with a Sung Eucharist on Wednesday at 7.30pm, featuring the choirs of Durham and Newcastle cathedrals.

On the feast day itself, there will be a Festal Evensong and Procession of St Cuthbert at 5.15pm.

The Northumbrian Association will stage its annual eight-mile walk in honour of St Cuthbert from St Mary’s and St Cuthbert’s Church, Chester-le-Street, to Durham Cathedral on Saturday, starting at 10am.

The St Cuthbert Banner will be carried from Durham Market Place to Durham Cathedral for about 2.30pm, followed by a service. Also on Saturday, storyteller Adam Bushnell will lead stories and activities at the cathedral and visitors can also try being a jousting knight and make Anglo-Saxon jewellery.

All these free family activities will take place between 10.30am and 3.30pm, with a break for lunch from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

Children over five can also make ‘woody windows’ from 10.30am to noon.

Finally, there will be free, one-hour guided tours of the cathedral at 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2pm.

For more information, call 0191-374-4067 or email: events@durhamcathedral.co.uk