THE man in charge of maintaining the world’s longest ongoing daily ceremony has been made a Yorkshire Patron.

George Pickles, who has been the Ripon Hornblower since 2004, has been handed the honorary title by tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire in recognition of his continued services to tourism.

Mr Pickles, 77, performs the Setting of the Watch, a ritual that was started in 886 after Alfred the Great visited the city to warn of Viking raiders.

The king was so impressed by the support he was given against the invaders that he granted the city a royal charter, symbolised by a horn.

A Wakeman was appointed to sound the horn at the four corners of the market cross at 9pm each evening to let residents know a nightwatchman was on duty.

Mr Pickles joins actor Sir Patrick Stewart, author Barbara Taylor Bradford and cricketer Michael Vaughan as a Yorkshire Patron.

Mr Pickles said: “I think that over the years as the Ripon Hornblower I’ve welcomed more than 70,000 from all four corners of the world and with the Tour de France coming, I hope to welcome many more.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Yorkshire is known the world over for our famous welcome and George encapsulates this.”