Corpus Christi

As you walk up London Road, choral music fills the air. It's not coming directly from Arundel's Roman Catholic cathedral; instead it's being broadcast from a string of loudspeakers hanging from lamp-posts to entertain a small crowd. "Hallelujah, sing to Jesus...", the disembodied voices urge.

This is Corpus Christi: a celebration of the Holy Communion ceremony. It remembers the original breaking of bread and sharing of wine before the crucifixion of Jesus. In Arundel, a town that's known to many tourists for its castle and cream teas, the Corpus Christi celebration sees the town’s gothic-styled church – officially the Cathedral of our Lady and St Philip Howard - carpeted with floral decorations for two days. The celebrations come to a climax on Thursday evening with a church service and a procession through the streets.

After a final blessing, the singing turns to amplified shuffling before a collection of clergy, choir and congregation leave the flower-carpeted church. Following a crucifix and an assortment of celebratory banners, hundreds of people march with the Blessed Sacrament to Arundel Castle... before returning to the cathedral, where the now trampled-on flower carpet is soon swept up.