(Ed: Sorry. So very sorry)
It’s that time of year and many of our cathedrals are gearing up to get flipping for Shrove Tuesday and preparing to move into the Lenten season.
On Tuesday York Minster will raise the Lent and Easter Cross ready for Ash Wednesday. This wooden cross – six metres tall by three metres wide is made from wooden scaffolding boards in the Minster workshop – will be suspended from the Central Tower throughout the Lenten season.
In Winchester, 20 teams made up of clergy, choristers, councillors, charities, and mayors in full regalia will be tossing pancakes and raising money for charity at the same time thanks to Winchester Rotary at the inaugural Winchester Pancake race.
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In Peterborough, the Cathedral pancake race sets off at 12 noon round the outside of the cathedral – with a special shorter race route for mascots from local organisations – as long as they are dressed in costume!
In Bradford, the Cathedral Choir hosted their annual fundraising Pancake race last night (Thursday 28 Feb) to raise funds for the choir’s forthcoming trip to Germany.
Alex Berry, Director of Music:
“The tradition of pancake races is over 500 years old and great fun for the children in our choir as well as a chance to raise money for our choir tour.”
On Shrove Tuesday Bradford Cathedral will also host a celebratory two-course pancake lunch.
And in Ely, the choristers will be holding their traditional Pancake Race on Shrove Tuesday after Evensong.
This long-standing custom sees the choristers and clergy race down the Cathedral’s nave tossing pancakes.
Ely Cathedral has once again teamed up with the Church Urban Fund as part of their ‘Big Pancake Party’ to raise funds and awareness of food poverty in the UK and all donations will go directly to that charity.
At Durham Cathedral there will be a pancake race around the Cloisters on Shrove Tuesday at 1.30pm with Chorister School pupils and Cathedral staff are all signed up and ready to race!
In Worcester, the Cathedral’s annual pancake race will take place at 9.15am when teams of choristers will race around the medieval cloisters, cheered on by children from King’s St Alban’s primary school.
The two teams are Decani (The Dean’s team) and Cantoris (The Canon Precentor’s team) represent the sides of the Cathedral Quire that the choristers sit in – Decani on the south side and Cantoris on the north side. Boy and girl choristers, Cathedral vergers and members of the Music Department will race round all four sides of the Cloister, navigating various obstacles on the way.
