A TOWN will be celebrating annual King Alfred Day later this month.

The commemorative service to celebrate King Alfred, the first king of a united England who is thought to have been born in Wantage in 849 AD, will take place in Wantage Market Place at 11am on Saturday, October 29.

It will be led by Vicar the Revd. Katherine Price and Father Benji Tyler, who came up with the idea of 'AlfredFest' last year.

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The town is preparing to mark the day with an outdoor service and a concert.

Local bakery Marco Polo is preparing the communion loaf, which will be carefully burned, to commemorate Alfred’s own 'Bake-Off Disaster' with the famous cakes.

Herald Series: King Alfred Statue, WantageKing Alfred Statue, Wantage (Image: n/a)

There is also talk of a special Alfred’s Bun being designed for sale at this time of year.

On Sunday, October 30, there will be a concert at 4pm in the parish church, where key moments in Alfred’s life will be presented in words and music – with perhaps just a hint of ‘Horrible Histories’ in the performance.

Father Benji said: “Alfred was an extraordinary leader, scholar and man of faith. We want to celebrate him in a joyful way that’s accessible to everyone in the town.”

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The first annual King Alfred Day was held in the town in 2013.

For more details on the event, visit: wantageparish.com

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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