St Cuthbert festival marking St. Cuthbert's Day March 20

St Cuthbert Festival Durham Cathedral is the resting place of St Cuthbert, one of the North's greatest saints, and was built to house his shrine. Every year there is an array of special services and celebratory events on and around St Cuthbert's Day, which falls on 20 March. This year is no exception. Visitors of all ages are invited to join us as we celebrate the life of this remarkable saint. All events are free.  Please share this e-news with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming you to Durham Cathedral.

Special Services Thursday 19 March, 7.30pm Sung Eucharist and Procession on the Eve of St Cuthbert Durham Cathedral Choir is joined by Newcastle Cathedral Choir to honour our Northern Saint.  Friday 20 March, 5.15pm Evensong and Procession on the Feast of St Cuthbert A joyous commemoration of the life of St Cuthbert, featuring the late John Tavener's work, Ikon of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, written specially for Durham Cathedral and sung by Durham Cathedral Choir.

Family Fun - Storytelling and Make & Take Saturday 21 March, 10.30am-12.00noon & 1.30pm-3.30pm The South Transept and the Education Centre Join storyteller Adam Bushnell for a day of stories and activities celebrating the life of St Cuthbert, featuring excerpts from a new children's book about St Cuthbert by Sam Church which is available in the Cathedral Shop. Come and try your hand at being a jousting knight or making some Anglo-Saxon artefacts and crafts. A free event - no need to book.

Local Producers' Market Saturday 21 March, 10.00am - 4.00pm The Cathedral Cloister An opportunity to purchase local food and produce in a special Cuthbert's Tide market in the Cathedral Cloister.   Organised by Durham Markets Company

St Cuthbert's Day Walk and Procession Saturday 21 March, 9.30am St Mary’s and St Cuthbert’s Church, Chester-le-Street Join the Northumbrian Association for its annual walk in honour of St Cuthbert from Chester-le-Street to Durham Cathedral, symbolic of the arrival of the body and the relics of St Cuthbert in Durham in 995AD. The walk arrives at the Cathedral via Durham’s Market Place. The St Cuthbert Banner will be carried in processsion from the Market Place to the Cathedral. Both the Banner and walkers will be welcomed to the Cathedral at 2.15pm for a procession and prayers at the Shrine of St Cuthbert. The walk is guided and is eight miles long. Please wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the weather. For more information or to reserve a place please contact events@durhamcathedral.co.uk. Organised by the Northumbrian Association.

St Cuthbert's Tide Tours of the Cathedral Saturday 21 March, 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am, 1.00pm & 3.00pm Enjoy a free tour of the Cathedral with one of our experienced guides.

Pilgrimage Walk Saturday 21 March, 10.00am - 11.30am Woodlands and Riverbanks A reflective walk around the city centre riverbanks.  The walk starts at the North Door, the main entrance to the Cathedral.  Please wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the weather. A free event - to reserve a place contact events@durhamcathedral.co.uk

Stonemasonry Demonstration Saturday 21 March, 10.30am - 12.30pm & 2.30pm - 4.00pm The Cloister Garth Durham Cathedral employs a team of stonemasons who maintain and conserve the fabric of this wonderful building. One of the masons will be demonstrating the techniques involved and may even let visitors have a go themselves.

The Lindisfarne Gospels Saturday 21 March, 11.30am & 3.30pm The Chapel of The Nine Altars Catherine Hodgson, Marketing Officer at Durham Cathedral, explains the history and significance of this Anglo-Saxon manuscript written in honour of St Cuthbert. Catherine holds a 1st class honours degree in History from Durham University. During the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition at Durham University's Palace Green Library in 2013, she regularly gave talks to visitors about the Lindisfarne Gospels that were enjoyed by all.

John Stainer's 'The Crucifixion' Saturday 21 March, 7.00pm St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington Performed by The Galilee Choir of The Chorister School, St Cuthbert's Church Choir and Choirs from Darlington Deanery. Admission free. There will be a retiring collection.

MUTAI AND MERGIA BOOST LONDON MARATHON FIELDS AS BEKELE WITHDRAWS

Two of the greatest marathon fields ever assembled have just become even stronger with the announcement today that Geoffrey Mutai and Aselefech Mergia have been added to the men's and women's elite line-ups for the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon.

 

 

 

Kenya's Mutai and Mergia from Ethiopia are the two most prominent names in a second wave of athletes signed up for the London Marathon's 35th anniversary races on Sunday 26 April.

 

The men's line-up remains one of the best ever seen, and has been strengthened further with the new addition of Geoffrey Mutai, a man who has won the New York Marathon twice in recent years and tasted victory at the 2012 Berlin Marathon. He famously set an unofficial world best when he won the 2011 Boston Marathon in two hours three minutes two seconds, although not acceptable for official records because of the downhill Boston course.

The 2011/12 World Marathon Majors champion joins a field featuring the first ever marathon clash between world record holder Dennis Kimetto and defending London champion Wilson Kipsang, plus the second fastest marathon runner in history, Emmanuel Mutai, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion, Eliud Kipchoge, and last year's London Marathon runner-up Stanley Biwott.

The line-up contains the three fastest marathon runners of all time, and six of the 10 quickest men in history, while Mutai, who has a 'legitimate' personal best of 2:04:15, is one of nine men to have run the grueling 26.2 miles in under 2:05.

A training partner of Kipsang and Kimetto, the 33-year-old Kenyan was due to compete at the Tokyo Marathon on 22 February, but had to withdraw from that race because of a niggling injury and instead has prepared himself to compete with the rest of the world's best in London, a race already described as "ridiculously good" and "fantasy track and field" by the Let's Run website.

Mergia's record is barely less impressive. She returned from pregnancy to win the women's race at the lucrative Dubai Marathon in January for a record third time, while her personal best of 2:19:31 makes her the third quickest on paper in a women's field containing the last three London Marathon champions – Edna Kiplagat, Mary Keitany and Priscah Jeptoo – plus last year's runner-up, the world half marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat.

Mergia will take on Kenya's fab four in London alongside fellow Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye, the 2014 Tokyo and Berlin Marathon champion, who is another new addition to the talented roster. Tsegaye broke the course record when she won the Tokyo Marathon last February, and ran a personal best of 2:20:18 to take victory in Berlin last September.

 
While this will be Tsegaye's London Marathon debut, Mergia runs for the third time having reached the podium on her first appearance in 2010. The addition of these two champions means the race now features four women who have run quicker than 2:20 and eight who have broken 2:21.

Virgin Money London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher welcomed all the new additions.

"Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it has," said Brasher. "In most marathons around the world Geoffrey Mutai and Aselefech Mergia would be headline names in their own right.

"While, of course, we are disappointed to lose Kenenisa, we are delighted to have added Geoffrey and Aselefech to our already bursting fields and welcome them back to London along with all our elite athletes.

  

Men

Wilson Kipsang KEN 2:03:23

Dennis Kimetto KEN 2:02:57

Emmanuel Mutai KEN 2:03:13

Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:04:05

Geoffrey Mutai KEN 2:04:15

Ayele Abshero ETH 2:04:23

Sammy Kitwara KEN 2:04:28

Tsegaye Mekonnen ETH 2:04:32

Stanley Biwott KEN 2:04:55

Tilahun Regassa ETH 2:05:27

Samuel Tsegay ERI 2:07:28

 

Women

Edna Kiplagat KEN 2:19:50

Mary Keitany KEN 2:18:37

Aselefech Mergia ETH 2:19:31

Florence Kiplagat KEN 2:19:44

Priscah Jeptoo KEN 2:20:14

Tirfi Tsegaye ETH 2:20:81

Feyse Tadese ETH 2:20:27

Jemima Sumgong KEN 2:20:41

Tigist Tufa ETH 2:21:52

Tetyana Gamera UKR 2:22:09

Tatyana Arkhipova RUS 2:23:29

 

JENSON BUTTON HEADS CELEBRITY FIELD FOR 2015 VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON

Formula 1 star Jenson Button heads a list of stars from television, film, music, radio and sport lining up for the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26 April to raise funds for their chosen charities.

 

The 35-year-old former world champion and keen runner will be making his Virgin Money London Marathon debut in April and is hoping to beat his marathon personal best time of 2:58. Button is running for Charity of the Year Cancer Research UK and has set a fundraising target of £5,000.

 

 

Joining Button in the Cancer Research UK team is British fashion designer Henry Holland, who is raising money for the charity after several of his close family and friends were affected by cancer. Scottish television presenter and radio DJ Jenni Falconer will also be raising money for Cancer Research UK in her fourth London Marathon. 

 

Several sports stars and presenters will compete with Button to be the quickest celebrity of 2015, all attempting to beat the current celebrity best times set by former professional cyclist Chris Newton (2:45:10) and model Nell McAndrew (2:54:39).

 

1968 Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist David Hemery CBE, now 70, has been persuaded to run his first marathon for 39 years by former race director Dave Bedford. Hemery will be running with his son Peter and weightlifter Michaela Breeze to raise funds for his charity 21st Century Legacy. Breeze represented Great Britain at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and won six medals for Wales over four Commonwealth Games. 

 

Olympic champion rowers James Cracknell (running for Headway, the brain injury association) and Zac Purchase (running for SportsAid) line up alongside Welsh rugby union star Shane Williams (running for the World Wide Fund for Nature). 

 

Sky Sports' Sarah-Jane Mee will make her London Marathon debut, raising money for the children's charity Sparks, whilst veteran marathon runner and fellow presenter Charlie Webster will run for the fourth time to raise funds for Centre Point. 

 

Juliet Aubrey, Helen George and Dervla Kirwan are three of the famous faces from the world of television drama taking on the London Marathon for the first time this year. 

 

Aubrey, ambassador for the charity Women for Women International, is most famous for her roles in ITV's Primeval, and the BBC's The White Queen and The Village. George meanwhile is best-known for her role as Trixie in the hugely successful BBC series Call the Midwife and is running for Macmillan.

 

Star of stage and screen, Kirwan found fame playing Assumpta Fitzgerald in household favourite Ballykissangel. She is running for the charity ActionAid.

 

Reality television stars Hugo Taylor and Oliver Proudlock will put aside the dramas of Channel 4's Made in Chelsea to run in aid of Malaria No More and The Rainbow Trust, and the British Heart Foundation respectively. Whilst April will be Proudlock's first experience of the London Marathon, Taylor completed the 2014 race in a time of 4:17:51. 

 

Greg James, BBC Radio One DJ and television presenter, will make his marathon debut in London, raising funds for The Lords Taverner's.

 

Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research will have a strong representation from the world of television including stars of Welsh drama Hinterland Hannah Daniel and Richard Harrington, Doc Martin's Jessica Ransom, Casualty's George Rainsford and Emmerdale's Jeff Hordley and Tony Audenshaw.

'From The Jam' headline a Mod festival at Chester-le Street Riverside this May Bank Holiday.

From The Jam, featuring former The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, will be touring the UK with their “The Public Gets What The Public Wants” 2015 Tour, stopping off to headline a 'Mod revival' in County Durham on May 24.

 

From The Jam have gained a reputation for the kind of incendiary ‘live’ performances that sealed the reputation of The Jam all those years ago.

Those coming to the Chester-le- Street performance can expect to hear classic The Jam hits such as' Down In The Tube Station At Midnight', 'Going Underground', 'Town Called Malice' and 'The Modern World' as well as some live favourites and songs from Bruce’s solo career.

"It is great for us to announce that Bruce Foxton will bring the 'Mod' sound to the Riverside for our first major gig " said organiser of the one-day festival Carl Marshall, " His band The Jam are an iconic group from that era and we know the people of the area will love the music and the setting we have for the festival."

And the late 70's early 80's theme continues on the stage  with The Lambrettas who with original members Doug Sanders, Paul Wincer, Mark Ellis and Jez Bird, came to prominence with their cover of 'Poison Ivy' and had follow up hits with 'Go Steady' and 'Beat Boys in the Jet age'.

 

 

From then, fast forward to 2009, and the anniversary of Quadrophenia. Doug and Paul were asked if they would get back together to do a short set at a Modrophenia event in Brighton. They were joined by Phil Edwards on guitar and Chris Venzi-James on bass.

After the Brighton gig it was clear that they were back together permanently.

Secret Affair will also  be on stage during the day following the success of last year’s 35^th Anniversary Tour.

Classic mod song 'Time For Action' brought the band to the public in 1979 and with songs such as 'Let Your Heart Dance' and 'My World' established them with the youth of the day. Secret Affair continue to perform throughout 2015 and will be having a reunion of sorts in County Durham as they had their first gig as a support act for The jam in February 1979.

"With a full day of themed music planned it is sure to be a great day to relax and enjoy the music and atmosphere and we have kept the ticket prices at a level that will attract all lovers of music" said Carl.

General Admission Tickets £35 via the website - : www.riversidelive.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RiversideLive15

Twitter: @riversidelive15

 

 

Weir set for World Champs Wheelchair Showdown at 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon

Twelve months on from their thunderous battle down The Mall last April, wheelchair stars David Weir and Marcel Hug are all set for a thrilling re-match at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon when the world’s best para-athletes will be going for gold in eight IPC Athletics World Championship marathons.

 

Reigning world champion Hug edged out Weir by the length of his wheel in last year’s scintillating sprint finish, denying the six-times Paralympic gold medallist a record seventh London Marathon title in his 15th consecutive appearance at the event.

 

Weir equalled Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s record of six London Marathon victories in 2012, and has been targeting a seventh ever since. But the Briton had to settle for fifth two years ago and lost out to Hug last April as the Swiss racer added a first London Marathon crown to the five gold medals he won at the Lyon 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships.

 

 

Now the pair are ready to go wheel for wheel again on Sunday 26 April in pursuit of the US$20,000 winner’s prize, the biggest award ever for a London Marathon wheelchair race, with the added incentive of an IPC Athletics world title and gold medal on offer to the victor.

 

Prize money for the 2015 men’s and women’s wheelchair races has been boosted by a total of $16,250. The traditional T53/54 events are just two of the IPC Athletics World Championship marathons being staged as part of the London Marathon this year ahead of the track and field programme to come in Doha, Qatar, this October.

 

More than 100 world-class para-athletes will compete for their countries in the eight marathon races. Weir, who missed last summer’s IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea, can’t wait to compete for Britain again.

 

“Just a second separated the top three last year and I’m sure it’s going to go down to the wire again in 2015,” said Weir. “It would mean a lot to get the record-breaking seventh in London and win gold for the British team, but first and foremost I’m focused on ensuring I’m in the best possible condition at the end of April and ready to attack the race.

 

 

“It was heart-breaking having to pull out of the team for the Europeans last summer, but I’m really looking forward to getting back in a GB vest to test myself against the very best in the world. We’re going to have the home support behind us and if we can deliver it will be a real boost for the team ahead of Doha in October.”

 

Hug won’t be the only racer trying to stop the 35-year-old ‘Weirwolf’, however, for the elite field is the biggest in London Marathon history and packed with champions – athletes such as official world record holder Heinz Frei, the Swiss who won three London titles in the 1990s; Canada’s 2010 London champion Josh Cassidy, who produced the quickest wheelchair marathon ever in Boston three years ago; and 10-times Boston Marathon winner Ernst van Dyk, the South African star who is still seeking his first London win.