THE late Ernest Armstrong, North-West Durham MP and Northern League president, used frequently to tell the joke - in truth he seemed to carry it round in his bait box - about the bare headed chap getting seriously soaked on the Roker End at Sunderland football ground.

His cap's folded carefully in his raincoat pocket. "What do you not wear your cap for?" asks his mate (thus breaking one of the great rules of grammar by ending a sentence with a preposition.)

"What?" he says. "You don't think I'm going to get my best cap wet?"

We were reminded of the story - Ernie would have been pleased - half way through all-age worship at St Mary's parish church in Richmond last Sunday and shall return to caps and things quite shortly. Heady stuff, anyway.

Since tomorrow is Advent Sunday, the start of the Church of England's year, last Sunday may effectively have been New Year's Eve. These days, it's officially the feast of Christ the King.

"The crowning of the year," said Canon Richard Cooper, St Mary's rector, rather neatly. It proved as close to a party, a thoroughly joyous occasion, as Sunday service is likely to get. As ever, we crashed it with permission.

They've had "all-age worship" once a month for 14 years, accompanied by the Upbeat Orchestra and by a song group called Anacrusis - around 50, many of them youngsters, altogether.

Canon Cooper tells the congregation that anacrusis is a musical term which also means upbeat. "It's the equivalent of the Two Ronnies, upbeat and upbeat."

Carol Gedye, the music teacher who leads them, says they wanted to reinvigorate the family service, to make it more accessible.

"People have got used to it; most of them love it. The feedback's very positive and the numbers attending on all-age Sunday are the highest in the month."

The handsome church was originally Norman, rectors listed from 1250, tower (from which the bells peal a bright November welcome) dating back to 1399.

The folk are welcoming, too, the song group rehearsing in Swahili. A friendly sidesman addresses all comers as "Young man", or whatever.

"Everyone's young to me," he says.

Around 150 are present, the service starting on the stroke of ten with a little overture from Anacrusis, Carol clearly a dab hand on the piano. They're applauded, as well they might be.

Organist and choir have a Sunday off, though a full team of robed servers remains. It's ancient and modern, all-age and timeless, but with the newish Common Worship liturgy and a real, thoughtful vibrancy about it. Manifestly a happy New Year.

We scamper breathlessly through Make Way For the King of Kings, are allowed to sit for the Gospel - "special dispensation," says the Rev Allan Reed, as if for old soldiers on church parade - hear the Green Howards prayer, as St Mary's congregations do every Sunday.

Mr Reed, 74, was born in Middlesbrough, did national service at Catterick, gained a degree at Oxford, was ordained in 1959, left the full time ministry after 14 years to become a teacher - "I was concerned that there was a cycle of deprivation which went from generation to generation" - and became a headmaster in Manchester, preaching at weekends.

Now he's retired to Richmond - "a lovely place to live" - and has clearly lost none of his ability to communicate with children.

They've gathered around for his little address. He talks of his own schooldays - "many, many years ago" - of spelling tests and timeless times tables and how the teacher would urge them to put on their thinking caps.

He produces what may best be described as a Victorian smoking cap of the sort worn by Professor Screwtop in The Beano. "As soon as I put it on," he says, "I could feel my brains warming up."

The bairns are warming up, too. "Time was when everyone wore a cap," says Allan, and from a half-hidden bag produces yet more.

There's an army officer's cap, a scout's beret, a bowler, something that may have been worn by an elephant trapper and finally a silver crown, which prompts a little homily about the problems of being a member of the royal family.

"Prince Charles and Prince Philip will never know the joy of sticking their hands in their pockets and jiggling their coins about. They aren't allowed to.

"If the Queen has an itch, she isn't allowed to scratch it. They have to give up things..." They might have applauded Mr Reed, too.

The kids read the intercessions. There's still an offertory procession but to the distinctly upbeat tune of When I Needed a Neighbour. The communion hymn is We Are Walking In the Light of God, which is where the Swahili comes in. It's done wonderfully well.

Mr Reed says afterwards that some people might have been uncomfortable with all-age worship - "the older you get, the less you like change" - and that there's still a "traditional" service at 8am.

He also supposes that, to attract yet more young people, they may have to introduce a shorter, possibly non-Eucharistic, service. This one's 75 minutes.

It's exhilarating, for all that. Crowning the year? Capping it all.

* "All-age worship" at St Mary's, Richmond, is on the third Sunday of the month at 10am. Anacrusis and the Upbeat Orchestra join other Richmond churches in "Rumours of Angels" at Richmond Middle School at 5pm on Sunday, December 11.

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