HOLY TRINITY, the parish church of this year’s City of Culture, Kingston upon Hull, will be formally elevated to the status of a minster this weekend.

The open-air ceremony, led by the Archbishop of York, will be the highlight of a three-day weekend of mission to the port city by Dr Sentamu. It will range from a fish-and-chip lunch to blessing a memorial to the 6000 Hull trawlermen lost at sea over the past century.

The programme includes visits to three academy schools, for question-and-answer sessions with pupils and staff, and a Talent Night this evening at St Cuthbert’s.

Tomorrow, after joining morning prayer at All Saints’, Hessle, on the edge of the city, Dr Sentamu will board a small boat to lead a flotilla of about 20 vessels four miles down the Humber estuary into Hull Marina. He will carry with him a lantern lit at All Saints’, which he will use later in the day to light a special candle at the minster-making service.

Once ashore, Dr Sentamu will walk the short distance to the trawlermen’s memorial, The Last Trip. The recently installed sculpture includes 90 polished-steel replicas of ships’ bows — one for each vessel lost at sea — and lists the name of every seaman’s function on board.

After lunching at a fish restaurant, Dr Sentamu is due to join a crowd in the square in front of Holy Trinity for an afternoon of activities, including live music and performances, before the service at 3 p.m. in which the Grade I listed church will be dedicated as Hull Minster.