A CAMPAIGN to have the treasured Lindisfarne Gospels returned to their spiritual home has taken a step forward.

Culture Minister Alan Howarth has told Berwick MP Alan Beith that the illuminated manuscript could eventually be put on show at its island birthplace.

The priceless tome, penned by the monks of Holy Island, off the north Northumberland coast in the 7th Century, has been kept in London since it was seized by Henry VIII in 1537.

Mr Howarth, responding to a Parliamentary question, said future talks would examine the possibility of the Gospels being taken to Holy Island for a future showing.

The Gospels were displayed at the Laing Gallery in Newcastle earlier this year, when visitor figures were almost double those at their London home.