he annual Royal Maundy Service will come to Worcester Cathedral this year when Her Majesty The Queen will distribute the Royal Maundy gifts on behalf of His Majesty The King.

Ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women from around the country – representative of the King’s age – and includes 39 people from the Diocese of Worcester.

The gift is presented in recognition of their exemplary Christian service to church and community over many years.

The first record of the Monarch distributing alms is in 1213. In recent times it has been the tradition for the service to travel to different cathedrals and last year the Royal Maundy Service was at York Minster and was attended by The King and Queen.

It last took place in Worcester in 1980.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd John Inge is also Lord High Almoner which means he will accompany HM The Queen as she presents the gifts.

He said:

“It is an honour to be able to welcome HM The Queen to Worcester. This is an immensely special service and I know it will mean a huge amount to those who have been chosen to receive the coins, all of whom will have given years of service to their local communities.”

Worcester Cathedral’s Interim Dean, Canon Stephen Edwards, said:

“We are delighted that Worcester has been chosen as the location for this year’s Royal Maundy service. We will be pulling out all the stops to create a special occasion for all the recipients.”

The Maundy service will take place in the morning and will be attended by invited representatives from across the diocese and county, including the recipients and their guests.

The word ‘Maundy’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘Commandment’. It was on this Thursday, the day before he died, that Jesus gave his disciples what he described as a new commandment: ‘that you should love one another as I have loved you.’