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Jul 2022

Last Updated: 30/07/2022

Ripon

Ripon's historic St Wilfrid's Procession returns to huge crowds

by Nina Meads Lifestyle Editor

| 30 Jul, 2022

Thousands of people lined the streets of Ripon to watch the return of the historic St Wilfrid's Procession. Led by an actor on horseback playing the role of St Wilfrid, the parade was accompanied by the award-winning Ripon City Band. It featured a colourful assortment of decorated floats, with designs created by businesses and organisations,

Thousands of people lined the streets of Ripon to watch the return of the historic St Wilfrid's Procession.

It was a party atmosphere as the crowds clapped and cheered as the parade made its way around the city, which is celebrating its 1,350th anniversary.

Led by an actor on horseback playing the role of St Wilfrid, the parade was accompanied by the award-winning Ripon City Band.

It featured a colourful assortment of decorated floats, with designs created by businesses and organisations, including Bishopton Vets, Ripon Farm Services and Winksley cum Grantley Young Farmers Club.

You can watch a video of the procession on the Stray Ferret Facebook page here.

The parade was unable to go ahead in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

But it was back in force today, with a total of 16 floats taking part.

Antony Prince, chairman of the St Wilfrid's Procession Committee, said:

"It has been a huge success. It's fantastic that it is able to take place again.

"The community and public have really got behind it. There is no procession without all the people who put it together. They are all volunteers and all the money raised goes back into keeping it going.

"The weather has held off and it is just fabulous to get the community back together again."

The parade started on Studley Road at 1.30pm and finished at Ripon Cathedral at 4.15pm, where a service was held and awards were given out for the best floats.

Held on either the last Saturday of July or the first Saturday in August each year, the St Wilfrid’s Parade is a unique event, whose origins date back to 1108 when King Henry I granted a royal charter to the City Of Ripon to hold an annual fair.

St Wilfrid is celebrated as the man, who in AD 672, founded the church in the location where Ripon’s iconic cathedral now stands and the stonework in the crypt, dating back to that year, is the oldest remaining building remnant to be found in any English cathedral.

A year of celebration for Ripon’s Patron Saint

Plans to set up temporary gym at Ripon Leisure Centre

Ripon City Council event

While the revelry was on-going around Ripon’s streets, the city council held a Celebrating Yorkshire Day event, which included free fairground rides, a climbing wall, face painting and Punch and Judy shows.

At 6pm, local singer songwriter Freddie Cleary, kicked off an evening of free musical entertainment and he will be followed on stage by tribute acts, either side of the 9pm setting of the watch ceremony performed by one of the Ripon hornblowers.

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Ripon's historic St Wilfrid's Procession returns to huge crowds

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