Several roads will close in Harrogate’s town centre this weekend as the traditional St George’s Day parade is set to return.

The parade, which will take place on Sunday (April 28), will see the Harrogate and Nidderdale Scouts lead the march through the town.

They will be joined by hundreds of Cubs, Beavers, Squirrels, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows for the event.

According to North Yorkshire Council’s roadworks map, the parade will begin on Beech Grove and will make its way to Christ Church Track.

Both roads will be closed during the event, as well as Victoria Avenue, East Park Road, Queen Parade, North Park Road and Coach Road.

The road closure notice on Victoria Avenue.

The roads will be closed from 2pm to 2.30pm. A spokesperson for the Scouts said the parade will commence at 2pm.

There will also be a Scouts and Guides St George’s Day service held at Christ Church High.

The church’s online calendar said the service will run from 2.30pm until 3.45pm.

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Traffic will be prohibited on several roads in Harrogate on Sunday afternoon for the annual St George’s Day parade.

The parade, which was held for the first time in three years last year, sees hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.

North Yorkshire Council, the highways authority, has issued temporary prohibition of traffic orders lasting from 1.30pm to 3pm.

It covers Victoria Avenue and parts of West Park, Beech Grove, Station Parade, Marlborough Road, Queen Parade, North Park Road, Coach Road and Christ Church track.

Victoria Avenue is among the roads affected.

Alternative routes will be signposted.

The closures do not apply to emergency vehicles.

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The traditional St George’s Day parade returns to Harrogate for the first time in three years this weekend.

Taking place tomorrow, it will see hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.

After gathering on Coach Road, they will parade into Christ Church for a short service when they will renew their promises.

It is a shorter parade than usual, after the decision to go ahead was only made two months ago. Attendance is also likely to be reduced because the event falls at the end of the Easter holidays.

District commissioner Karsten Hartmann told the Stray Ferret:

“In the past, we have started on Beech Grove, but it was too short notice to get everything into place. We hope to come back stronger next year.”

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This year marks the first time the youngest Scouts have been able to take part in the parade. First Pannal Squirrels caters for boys and girls aged four and five, and was set up during the covid pandemic.

The deputy mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Christine Willoughby, and her consort Andrew Willoughby, will also be at the event.

The parade will gather from 2pm with the 45-minute service, led by Rev Matthew Scott Evans, set to begin at 2.30pm.

It will be the first major event in the district’s scouting calendar since 2019. Mr Hartmann said he hopes it will begin to raise the organisation’s profile again, and particularly help to attract volunteers to enable more people to join Scouts and other groups.

For more information about joining Scouts or becoming a volunteer, click here.