Plenty to look forward to at Peterborough Cathedral in October

The Cathedral will be specially lit up for Baby Loss Awareness Week

Peterborough Cathedral will be lit up pink and blue for a service of reflection and remembrance this month – plus there’s a concert and half-term activities for kids to look forward to.

From October 9-15 the west front will be lit up to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week. It will also hold a special service on Saturday 15th at 5.30pm, for anyone who has lost a baby, whether that is recently or a while ago.

The service will be a gentle time of reflection and remembrance during which the lives of the children lost will be brought before God through music, prayer and the lighting of candles. There is no need book to attend.

The Cathedral will welcome families with children during October half-term week for a special family-friendly tour, a chance to climb the central tower, and a free Halloween trail from darkness to light.

The Monks, Mischief and Marauders Tour is a fun-filled way for children and their grown-ups to find out more about the Cathedral. During the 45-minute tour you can hear stories about badly behaved monks, royal burials and civil war looters, and have a copy of the illustrated children’s guide book to take home.

The tour takes place at 2pm each day from October 26-28 and tickets are £5 (£20 for a family of 2 adults and up to 3 children).

The Tower Climb, which runs at 11am and 12 noon on October 26-28, goes straight up the winding staircase to the top of the central tower to take in the fantastic views from the top, then comes back down again. It is open to ages 8+, accompanied by an adult, and takes around 45 minutes. Tickets are £6 or £25 per family (2 adults and up to 3 children).

Then on Saturday, October 29, between 10am and 4pm, The Halloween ‘Fear Not’ Trail will find the way from fear to fun, and darkness to light. Starting with some crafty bat making, children and their carers can then pick up a plan and find the interactive challenges set for them inside the Cathedral. The trail will move from dark and scary things towards light and hope, and find out how Halloween leads to Christmas. This is a free activity but it’s best to book a timed ticket in advance to avoid queuing.

Following his 2019 concert, award-winning pianist Janusz Piotrowicz returns to Peterborough Cathedral on October 29 with a recital of works by Scarlatti, Mozart, Liszt, Rachmaninov and Chopin.The concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets are £15 or £20.

Finally, Peterborough Floral Decoration Society and friends will be bringing a splash of autumn colour to Peterborough Cathedral, from October 29-31.

Their Celebration of Flowers exhibition will show an array of traditional and contemporary flower arrangements, all made by members of the flower clubs in Bourne, Brampton, Peterborough, Stamford, Werrington and Yaxley. They will be on display in the beautiful, fan vaulted New Building at the east end of the Cathedral.

As visitors head towards the exhibition area they will also see a display of poppies falling from the upper level of the Cathedral. This artwork will stay in place until Remembrance Sunday, November 13. Tickets are £5.

Go to www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk for full details