THE Ludlow Palmers, the fund-raising arm of The Conservation Trust for St Laurence, are celebrating Ludlow’s medieval past by recreating a 15th century pilgrimage from St Laurence Church to the shrine of St Thomas de Cantilupe at Hereford Cathedral.

Pilgrims, dressed in authentic costume, will walk the 30 miles over three days with overnight stops, like their medieval ancestors, at Leominster Priory and Marden Parish Church (where the Anglo-Saxon St Ethelbert the King was martyred).

To start off the Ludlow Palmers’ Weekend, at 10am on Saturday, May 26 the medieval pilgrims will receive a grand send-off in front of the great west door of St Laurence Church – the Cathedral of the Marches. The schedule for Dignitaries for the Opening Ceremony of the Ludlow Palmers’ Weekend on Saturday, May 26.

Participants will see The Marches art exhibition and review the successful completion of the recent £175,000 major repairs to the building.

Since its founding in 2006, the Conservation Trust for St Laurence has raised over £500,000 towards the repair of the building and its nationally historic treasures.

As part of the Ludlow Palmers’ weekend, more than 100 ‘modern’ pilgrims will be making the journey to Hereford Cathedral by foot, cycle and modern coach, and arriving at at Hereford Cathedral on the afternoon of Monday, May 28, they will be met by the Dean, the Very Revd Michael Tavinor.