A SPECIAL pageant to celebrate the Magna Carta is set to bring the streets of Salisbury to life as the city marks the 800th anniversary since sealing the famous document.

The celebrations will take place on the evening of Monday, June 15, from 7.30pm, eight centuries to the day since King John met the group of rebel barons at Runnymede and consented to a series of promises for new civic liberties.

The spirits of the barons will be reborn in the guise of a series of larger-than-life puppets, which will be paraded through the city from the Market Square to the Cathedral.

Hundreds will participate in the pageant and thousands are expected to line the streets of the city as the procession weaves its way to its destination, where dignitaries will take part in the signing of a new Magna Carta statement for Wiltshire in the 21st century.

The Very Rev’d June Osborne, Dean of Salisbury, said: “This day – the day on which Magna Carta was actually sealed 800 years ago – is a hugely significant anniversary for the Cathedral, the city of Salisbury and the county. It is an opportunity to publicly celebrate the values of Magna Carta and the liberties it has brought us, liberties that we hold dear today and are tempted to take for granted.

“As we celebrate with members of the community and visitors, we should remember what this day is all about – justice, equality, fairness and compassion – such values the church, national and local government should celebrate and share.”