More than 150 youngsters from schools across York will be travelling back in time this week to celebrate the opening of the National Centre For Early Music in the city.

Dressed in English Civil War costume and armed with an array of colourful banners, the pupils will march around the city walls and through Walmgate Bar to the centre's home - the revamped St Margaret's Church, in Walmgate.

Once there, they will perform a series of historic dances to music by the QuintEssential Sackbut & Cornett Ensemble.

Delma Tomlin, director of the York Early Music Foundation, said: "We are delighted to be able to celebrate the opening of the centre with such a colourful, educational project.

"The children have been working for months on their costumes, banners, dances and music and it will be a really joyous way to announce our arrival."

The children taking part will be from St Barnabas's CE Primary, Tang Hall County Primary, Heworth CE Primary, St Wilfrid's RC Primary and Ralph Butterfield County Primary.

The celebrations will take place on Friday lunchtime prior to the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, officially opening the centre in the evening.

The centre was created mainly with a £1.5 million grant from the National Lottery.

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