Ripon's ancient hornblower tradition will continue every night with some changes despite coronavirus fears

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In a post to the Ripon Hornblower Facebook page, a statement explains that the 1,134-year-old tradition has continued through "many hardships," including the Norman conquest, the Black Death, the Civil War, and the Blitz, and that the hornblower will keep going during the coronavirus outbreak.

The statement reads: "To put any minds at rest regarding recent events, our nightly setting of the watch ceremony will continue.

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"In order to continue in a safe and sensible fashion a few changes will be made, the main being that the talk given at the end of the ceremony will not be done until further notice. Information on the ceremony is available online and any questions can be messaged to us here on our Facebook page.

"We would also ask that anyone coming to see us that you follow sensible precautions as well, spread out across the square to avoid being too close to other groups and if you have a burning question, shout it from a distance. Otherwise rest assured that the watch will continue to be set."