Choristers and staff at Worcester Cathedral kicked off Pancake Day in style this morning with the return of the annual pancake race.

The popular Shrove Tuesday event was held for the first time since before the pandemic and saw two sides of the cathedral choir face off against each other.

Competitors have to race around the cloisters while navigating obstacles and keeping a pancake in its pan. They are cheered on by students from King’s St Albans.

There were different elements to the race along each side of the cloister – participants had to dribble a football between some cones on one side, balance a small bean bag on their head along another, and pass a hoop over their head on the third, all the time holding a pan with a pancake in it, and flipping it on every corner of the cloister.

In the end it was team ‘Decani’, the dean’s team, that won out over ‘Cantoris’, which is led by the precentor.

King’s St Albans headteacher Richard Chapman said: “It was great for the whole school to visit the cloisters of our beautiful cathedral and support their friends.

“It’s one of the more bizarre and less formal events we support at the cathedral. It was lovely to see choristers from seven to 13 working together and enjoying each other’s company.”

Worcester News: Flippin' fantastic: Worcester Cathedral choristers at the first pancake race since the pandemicFlippin' fantastic: Worcester Cathedral choristers at the first pancake race since the pandemic

The Dean of Worcester, Peter Atkinson, said: “We’re so glad to be able to celebrate Shrove Tuesday with our annual pancake race this year.
“It was very disappointing to miss last year’s race, due to the lockdown, so it is wonderful to back out in our teams once again racing around the cloister.”
King’s Worcester school said on Twitter: “It was fantastic to see the return of Worcester Cathedral’s pancake race today with our King’s Choristers taking part in the much-loved tradition.”