Coronation Celebrations
Lichfield Cathedral start their celebrations on Friday 5 May at 11:00 when 250+ children from local schools and Lichfield Cathedral Choir will join the nation to Big Sing for the King.
Schools from all over the country have been challenged by Daniel Nicholls, former piano teacher of the Princess of Wales, to learn his specially composed coronation song: Defender of All. Visitors to Lichfield Cathedral will be treated to a special performance of children from a range of schools within the local area. Everyone is welcome to attend the short performance, which will start at 11:00 on Friday 5 May in the Nave of Lichfield Cathedral and will include another specially composed piece 'The New Monarch' by Cathy Lamb, Director of MusicShare. Later that day, at the 17:30 Choral Evensong, there will be special prayers for the eve of the coronation.
Saturday, as many will watch the coronation at home or on large screens around the region, the Cathedral will be a place of calm and peace for reflection. The audio of the service will be played through the sound system for those who work at or wish to visit the Cathedral.
Lichfield Cathedral invites everyone to attend the Service of Celebration at 11:00 on Sunday 7 May, an opportunity for the region and beyond to celebrate the service of the King to the nation. For those who want to take part in The Coronation Big Lunch, the Cathedral grounds make a peaceful spot for picnicking. At 15:30 there will be a special Choral Eucharist and later that evening London Concertante present a concert ‘A Night at the Opera’.
The Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, Interim Dean of Lichfield, said: “I would like to warmly invite everyone to come along to the Cathedral during the coronation bank holiday weekend. It is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to mark this historic occasion, to give thanks for the faith and service of the King, and to contemplate how we can all join together to serve our own communities.”
Throughout the bank holiday weekend craft activities will be available for families in St Stephen’s Chapel in the Cathedral. Postcards for visitors to take home will be available all weekend, they will have a prayer for the King and the nation on the reverse.