THE annual celebration of King Alfred the Great returns this month.

The event in Hyde will take place on the weekend of October 24-27, staged as usual on the anniversary of Alfred’s death in 899. Dating in its present form from the Hyde Abbey 900th anniversary celebrations in 2010, the occasion has long been commemorated by St Bartholomew’s Church in Hyde.

To start the weekend, Hyde900 welcome Dr Katherine Weikert, senior lecturer in History at the University of Winchester, to deliver this year’s Hyde900 King Alfred Lecture.

Dr Weikert’s lecture The Descendants of the House of Wessex at War will look at a perhaps rather less well known aspect of the Alfredian story, that of the significant role played by two of his granddaughters - an empress and a queen - as powerful political leaders at a time of crisis in mid-12th century England.

A new and innovative audiovisual event follows on Friday evening when Winchester artist Sophie Cunningham Dawe and virtuoso clarinetist Emma Alexandra explore the ‘colour’ of music in a unique ‘sound and light‘ performance ranging from Alfredian plain chant to Debussy.

Displays in Hyde Parish Hall on Saturday include both finds from the popular community digs, and the "Golden Charter” banners recently displayed outside the British Library. The Hyde990 Annual General Meeting will be at 11am, followed by a presentation on the Hyde Abbey Gateway.

Hyde900 chairman Steve Marper said: “While it now seems generally agreed that the status of this important Hyde landmark, a surviving fragment of the Abbey, needs resolution we are not aware that a specific scheme has yet been proposed. We are hoping that this discussion after the AGM might contribute to resolving the issue, by for example revealing public views that might help inform future city and county council plans for the area, both authorities being already aware of the situation of course.”

Saturday evening sees the final event in the Hyde Soldiers series which has commemorated the role of Hyde in the First World War. Hyde resident, General Sir Tony Walker will once again be guest speaker, reflecting this year on both the end of the First World War, and how this sowed the seeds for World War Two.

The rest of the weekend programme includes two guided walks specially devised by Anna Withers, a talk and new play based on Hyde900 research into the 18th and 19th century Bridewell or prison which once stood in Hyde, and the King Alfred Day service in St Bartholomews on Sunday morning

Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden will be in the garden on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons to explain more about this local landmark to visitors, and there is an opportunity to see one of the rare facsimiles of the Abbey’s Liber Vitae, a record of members and friends of a monastery, now held in Hyde.

More details of the weekend programme including booking arrangements are on www.hyde900.org.uk.