THE rain ceased for a few hours, to allow the colourful civic procession from Preston Town Hall to the Parish Church to go ahead in brilliant sunshine.

The parade, led by the Mayor and Mayoress of Preston, Geoff and Jean Swarbrick, pictured right, on Monday morning marked the start of the Annual Judges Service.

Sporting their full civic attire, members of the courts, mayors from all over the county, and the town's aldermen set off from the Town Hall and headed for the church, where the service was held. They filed into St John's where Chief Constable Pauline Clare (pictured below) stood to attention.

From there, the entire procession moved on to the Session House, in Harris Street, for the reading of the Royal Proclamation in the Court of the Honourable Mr Justice Forbes.

The event was also the first engagement for the town's new Honorary Recorder, His Honour Judge Peter Openshaw QC who was installed on September 27, witnessed by other judges from the Lancashire circuit.

Mrs Joyce Openshaw, the wife of murdered former Honorary Recorder William Openshaw, was also present, along with Mrs Rosemary Jolly, wife of the Honorary Recorder during the last Preston Guild in 1992.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.