A DONKEY led York Minster’s clergy and congregation on a Palm Sunday procession through the city centre.

The procession, which went from St Helen's Square to the cathedral for the Palm Sunday service, recalled Jesus' entry into Jerusalem days before he was arrested and crucified, said a cathedral spokesman.

Canon Peter Moger said the procession had had to take place inside the Minster last year because of unseasonal snow and ice, but this time Joey the donkey was able to lead it through the streets of York, with the choir singing as everyone walked.

Holy Week will be one of the busiest times of the year for the Minster, which is the only cathedral in the country to host daily Choral Evensong from Palm Sunday every day until Easter Sunday.

Additional services will take place throughout the week and a host of activities for families and children are planned, including Little Explorer Backpacks and trail sheets for children, and Easter trails for adult visitors.

"Visitors will see the Easter Garden, located beneath the Five Sisters Window in the North Transept," said the spokesman.

"A bare cross hangs beneath the central tower, which is draped with a white cloth ready for the Easter Sunday service – a procedure that will be familiar to those who watched the recent BBC1 Yorkshire series, The Minster."