Tyson and Blossom lead St Andrew's a procession on Palm Sunday

Vicar of St Andrew's, Dearnley, the Rev Rachel Battershell (left) and Cherry Vann, Archdeacon of Rochdale outside church with donkeys Tyson and Blossom before the Palm Sunday service

In memory of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey a few days before his crucifixion, donkeys Tyson and Blossom, from Wakefield, had a significant role to play before the Palm Sunday service at St Andrew's, Dearnley.

Led by the Archdeacon of Rochdale, Cherry Vann, and the vicar of St Andrew's, the Rev Rachel Battereshell, Tyson and Blossom fronted a procession of parishioners around the outside of church before the service started.

Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9), when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent.

The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is an animal of war.

Rev Rachel said: "On Palm Sunday, the Church remembers how Jesus arrived at Jerusalem a few days before the Passover.

“He was the Messiah who had gone to his own people in their capital city, but he went not in triumph but in humility and riding on a donkey."

Many churches in the United Kingdom have special services to celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. It is also a time for many Christians to remember his suffering before his death and resurrection. Many churches provide congregation members with small crosses made from palm leaves at special Palm Sunday services.