Every year, our churches Ride + Stride on the second Saturday in September to raise funds for local churches and the Dorset/Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust, and this year was no different!
St Bartholomew’s Way: A group from the St Bartholomew Benefice and The Revd Canon Kate McFarlane took the 22-mile walk along the part of St Bartholomew's Way between Wardour and Charlton.
Simon Chalwin, Churchwarden, and the designer of the route said, "The walk may be seen as a pilgrimage, taking time out of our busy lives: an opportunity to get to know each other better, to reflect on God’s creation, to enjoy and explore our very special churches and the beautiful countryside in which they are set. You can find our routes here. At each church, we shared an appropriate poem or prayer. This one I had seen at St Mary the Virgin Church in Norfolk and felt particularly prevalent during Ride + Stride:
Every time I pass a church, I pay a little visit, so when at last I’m carried in, The Lord won’t ask, “Who is it?”
Purbeck Deanery: The Revd Richard Bartlett, Rural Dean, and his daughter cycled around all 7 Churches in West Purbeck Deanery; his son did all 21 Churches in the Deanery!
A group from the Swanage & Studland Team left St Mark's Herston, collected people from St Aldhelm Benefice at Langton and walked to Corfe, via Worth and Kingston.
Blackmore Vale Deanery: The Revd Dr Helen Williams cycled to one church in each benefice in the Blackmore Vale Deanery (that's 8 different churches spanning across 71km!)
Congratulations to all those involved in this year's Ride+Stride!