UP TO 2,000 children and young people marched through the city centre as the annual St George's Parade returned to York.

Some of them took part in a dragon hunt as the York area Scouts and North Yorkshire South Guides celebrated the day of England's national saint.

It is three years since the annual parade was last held.

The streets were lined with onlookers as they paraded with the British and English flags at their head and four marching bands from Clifford's Tower to York Minster and back.

The parade was so long it took several minutes to leave the Eye of York and featured many flags with each group parading their own .

As the route was more than a half a mile long, the younger children, aged four to six, assembled at York Minster instead of the Eye of York to spare their legs, and had a dragon hunt in the cathedral while they waited for the others.

After attending the St George's Day service led by the Revd Abigail Davison, the two age groups united and all the children and young people aged from four to 18 paraded back together to Clifford's Tower via Parliament Street and Tower Street to the Eye of York where they dispersed.

"It's great to be back in the public eye again," said parade marshal district Explorer Scout leader Simon Errington.

"It gives the young people the confidence they need to come back to scouting again.

"We have missed it. We've missed the togetherness.

"It's something we look forward to every year."

He thanked the City of York Council for its support, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and the many volunteers who helped put the day together.

He singled out John Ives, district active support manager for his work in co-ordinating between the Scouts and Guides.

The marchers were from York Ebor and York Minster Scout and North Yorkshire South Guides..

They included all sections of the Guiding and Scout Movements - Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Sea Scouts, Guides and Explorers, and for the first time, Squirrels aged four to six.

With them were the St Chad's Scout Band, the only scout band in York and North Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Volunteers Band, who led the parade, the Humberside Police Band and the All Saints and St Andrew Youth Band from Huntington.

The young people were joined in the Minster by the Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Chris Cullwick, the Sheriff of York, Cllr Ashley Mason, the Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire, Mrs Johanna Ropner, the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire, Lisa Winward, the Girlguiding Region Chief Commissioner Linda Grant and other senior scout, guiding and civic figures.