CELEBRATIONS marking the feast day of one of the region’s best known saints have been held over the weekend.

St Cuthbert’s Day on Friday (March 20) was marked by Durham Cathedral, which houses St Cuthbert’s shrine, by an evensong service and procession.

On Saturday, the Northumbrian Association held its annual St Cuthbert’s Day Walk and Pilgrimage from Chester-le-Street to Durham.

In front of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) statue the Hotspur Award, which is awarded for services to the North-East, was presented to The Rifles, the successor of the DLI.

St Cuthbert’s Banner was then taken up to the cathedral, where was blessed and reinstated in a short service.

Marion Bridgwood, from the Northumbrian Association, said: “70 walkers left St Mary and St Cuthbert’s Church in Chester-le-Street to follow the route Cuthbert’s body took hundreds of years ago to its final resting place in Durham Cathedral.

“Having paused at Finchale Priory for lunch, the walkers arrived in Durham’s Market Square to enjoy a splendid spectacle as the Northumbrian Association’s Hotspur Award was presented to representatives of The Royal Fusiliers and The Rifles, accompanied by veterans of the Durham Light Infantry.

“Then, led by pipes and drums, the sumptuous St Cuthbert’s Banner was processed through the streets, accompanied by crowds of wellwishers, to be greeted by the Dean of Durham, Michael Sadgrove, and welcomed back to its home in the sacred shrine in the cathedral.”