Easter procession and service

7th April 2017

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The Rt Honourable Horatio Donk with children outside of St Cuthbert's Church, Bellingham.

A four-legged special guest accompanied children and staff in Bellingham on their Easter procession through the village at the end of the Spring term. Rector Susan led the procession along with 15-year-old donkey, ‘The Rt Honourable Horatio Donk’, and his owner Sally Bland.

Children from Bellingham Middle School and North Tynies Children’s Centre carried 'palm leaves', while walking from the school through the centre of the village to St Cuthbert’s Church, where they had an end of term service.

Four Bellingham Middle School pupils each sang solo parts of the hymn 'There is a Green Hill Far Away' and several pupils worked towards their Public Speaking Awards through their retelling of the Easter story.

Rector Susan was very pleased with how the service went. “It was a lovely day – clear, bright and dry. The procession was a nice way to represent Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey. I was delighted the children enjoyed the service; they read very well and sang very well. It was quite a thoughtful time. “Particularly when the girls sang the song, the children seemed to be very understanding. The story brings hope - it’s about Jesus dying and rising for us.”

When the children left the church they each got a palm cross and had a photo opportunity with The Rt Honourable Horatio Donk, who had travelled from Muggleswick with owner Sally. The star of the show was a hit with the children, having previously won the first prize for Best Family Donkey at Stanhope Show.