A PARADE of Orangemen is to take to the streets of Malton and Norton for the first time in their 21-year history.

The groups of men - Protestants commemorating the Battle of the Boyne - are a familiar sight in Northern Ireland.

Each year the Lord Louis Mountbatten Memorial Lodge, based in Scarborough, has paraded through the coastal town, joined by hundreds of other Orangemen from across the North East, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The group's new master, Andy Nelson, comes from Norton, so this year their annual parade on Saturday, March 29 ,will start in the town, before parading through Commercial Street, Castlegate, up Wheelgate and into Wentworth Street car park.

Orangeman Malcolm Holder said they were looking forward to the break with tradition.

"There will be a band of 70 or 80 of us, parading through Malton and Norton for the first time," he said.

"Everyone will wear an orange collarette, there will be banners and also a band.

"It will be a peaceful parade, it's our way of celebrating."

Mr Holder said once the Malton and Norton members, who begin the parade on Jubilee Street at 9.30am, had arrived at Wentworth Street they would travel to Scarborough for the noon parade there.

Inspector Neil Burnett, of Malton Police, said they did not have many concerns about the parade.

"It's not a big issue for us in Malton," he said.

"We have met with the organisers and discussed their route through Norton and Malton."

Insp Burnett said the march was unlikely to cause severe disruptions.

"We will not be closing any roads," he said.

"The Orangemen will in effect march on one side of the road and as a consequence of that we only see it taking 20 to 25 minutes.

"We are not anticipating any particular problems."

Updated: 10:53 Friday, February 28, 2003