Crowds gather for the Procession of Witness and Good Friday service in South Shields

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Marchers congregated at the Living Waters Church in Laygate at around 9am on Good Friday (April 7) before they made their way along Bedford Avenue, towards Westoe Road.

The Procession of Witness then went by South Shields Town Hall and along Fowler Street - with the marchers being joined by members of the Bethesda Church, the Salvation Army and Westoe Baptist Church.

Marchers heading along King Street towards Market Place.

As the parade reached King Street, The People’s Mission Church also joined as the procession began to head towards South Shields Market Place.

The traditional Good Friday services was held in the market square at around 10am, with the marchers and crowds looking on.

Those who took part in the Procession of Witness then returned to their respective churches via the same route that they came.

Cllr Pat Hay, the Mayor of South Tyneside was in attendance at the Good Friday service.

Councillor Pat Hay and Jean Copp, the Mayor and Mayoress of South Tyneside, were in attendance at the Good Friday service in Market Place.

Following the service, the Mayor spoke of her delight at residents in the borough coming together to celebrate one of the local area’s key traditions.

She said: “The Good Friday parades are a long-established tradition in South Tyneside’s calendar.

“It was wonderful to see communities coming together to mark the occasion.”

Crowds gathered in the market square for the Good Friday service.

Marchers who took part in the Procession of Witness carried brass instruments, which they played as they went along the route, as well as banners, some of which contained bible verses.

One was spotted from John 3:16 which stated: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son.”

People of all ages took part in the procession.

The Procession of Witness is organised by the South Shields Sunday School Union and has been a key event in the borough for more than a century.

Members of the Salvation Army played their instruments in the market square.

Before today’s procession, South Tyneside Council had already confirmed that the parades traditionally held in the Harton/Horsley Hill and West Park areas were not taking place in 2023.

It is understood that Marsden Road Baptist Tabernacle held an outside service at 10am.

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