Tuesday 29 July 2008

Yorkshire Mayors parade in Guisborough

Redcar and Cleveland Council is ready to welcome a total of over 40 Lord Mayors, Mayors and Council chairmen, resplendent in their civic robes, from all over Yorkshire to a colourful day of celebration for Yorkshire Day in Guisborough on Friday, August 1.

The Yorkshire Society chairman, Keith Madeley, said: "The civic day will see the largest gathering of civic heads in one place on one day anywhere in the world!"

The men and women, some joined by civic mace-bearers, will have a traffic-free walk along Guisborough's Westgate to St Nicholas Church for an hour-long service, which starts at 11am.

Mr Madeley, a Leeds-based business consultant, who boasts his own website, said: "It's a spectacle to behold, the Mayors will all be in their regalia and we'll have mace bearers, too. It would be wonderful to have as many people as possible to line the streets waving the white rose Yorkshire flag."

The Council's Mayor Councillor Mike Findley said: "After the success of the Yorkshire Regiment's Freedom Parade in Redcar, I'm looking forward to another successful day celebrating all that's good about Yorkshire.

"We're welcoming over 200 dignitaries to Guisborough and it's right that people celebrate their heritage. I hope the people of Redcar and Cleveland will turn up and ensure the success of another great Yorkshire event."

The public are welcome to attend the service which includes the Yorkshire Day Anthem, led by opera singer Suzannah Clarke, and the reading of the Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity.

The civic dignataries, plus the High Sheriffs for South and North Yorkshire and the Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, all wearing white roses, will walk from the church up for a commemorative photocall in the grounds of Gisborough Priory in what has been an annual Yorkshire Day event since 1985.

After the photo session, timed for around 12.15pm, the civic party will leave for lunch at nearby Laurence Jackson School, with the Yorkshire-themed menu including Rydale mushrooms, herb crusted rack of lamb with minted pea filled Yorkshire pudding, parkin with raspberries or Swaledale cheese and Yorkshire blend tea.

1 comment:

Ardent Yorkshire Person said...

These traditions have been happening since 1974 when someone behind a desk in London decided to split the counties up. We are Yorkshire and proud of it! We are not Redcar & Cleveland put us back into Yorkshire. The Leader of the Council recently commented that Yorkshire should be taken off the address, how hypocritial especially if he turns up on Yorkshire Day for the celebrations. Other regions petitioned Government and were put back into their traditional counties we need to do the same and not take no for an answer - put us back into YORKSHIRE!!!!