Whitworth celebrates St George in glorious sunshine
20th April 2011
... Comments

On Sunday 17 April, Whitworth celebrated England’s patron saint in glorious sunshine at an event organised by the Tourism and Leisure Committee of Whitworth Town Council.

In early afternoon a procession, headed up by St George himself and a ferocious looking dragon, paraded up Market Street, the main road in Whitworth.  Other participants included the Mayor and Mayoress of Whitworth, Councillor David and Mrs Gillian Chorlton, members of the town’s various uniformed organisations, the famous Whitworth Vale & Healey Brass Band, and the members of the Curtain Theatre Company in their Pace Egg costumes.

There followed a Service of Celebration at the Riverside (Civic Hall), led by the Mayoral Chaplain, Rev Father Frank Thorpe of St Mary and St Anselm’s Church.  The service included a performance of the traditional ‘Pace Egg’ play by the Curtain Theatre Company, and the winners of the primary schools colouring competition were announced.  All four Whitworth primary schools had taken part, resulting in hundreds of entries.  The eventual winners were:

  • Ben Andrews, 8, from St John with St Michael Primary
  • Eleanor Fogarty, 10, from Tonacliffe Primary
  • Freya Pedder, 5, from Our Lady and St Anselm Primary
  • Spencer Watson, 5, from Tonacliffe Primary


The Mayor, Councillor David Chorlton, who is also Chair of the Tourism and Leisure Committee, said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better day weather-wise and, considering the event took place during the school holidays, we were delighted with the numbers of people who attended, which we estimate at around 250.  Many thanks are offered to all who assisted on the day - the Police and Community First Responders, the Pace Egg performers, the Riverside staff, the Band, Father Frank, Peter Ruane for leading the singing, our marshalls, and our local uniformed organisations and schools.”

More
About the Author

Isabella B

Member since: 11th April 2012

I'm Isabella, I live in Bury and I have an interest in all things local and current.

Popular Categories