YOUNGSTERS from across East Lancashire spent a night locked in Blackburn’s historic cathedral.

School children aged 11 to 15-years-old, spent 12 hours enjoying a night of fun, laughter, worship and justice organised by the Diocesan Board of Education.

The Sanctuary 2015: Light in the Darkness, the third annual all-night lock in, ran from 7pm Saturday until 7am Sunday, with teens playing games, music, table football, and trying their hand at arts and crafts.

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The youngsters bounced down an inflatable slide, played giant games of Jenga, and scored goals in a small football cage at 2am.

They wrote songs, and shot films, and listened to religious leaders, including Barry Mason from Youth 4 Christ, who talked to them about thinking about light in darkness, as well as joining in service of worship.

Meg Raybould, north west intern for Christian Aid, ran workshops on gender equality and climate change.

The newly consecrated Bishop of Burnley, the Right Reverend Philip North also attended, as did the Bishop of Blackburn, Julian Henderson.

A spokesman said: “The vision for Sanctuary is to do just what is said above to bring young people together from all over the North West to worship God together and to have a great time exploring what the gospel of Jesus Christ means for teenagers today.

“It’s just not about one night each year, we are passionate about seeing young people taking the light of Jesus back into their schools, churches, villages, towns and cities and turning them on their head with the love and light of Jesus.”

The event ran from 7pm until 7am and cost £12 each.