Churchwarden Peter Williams shares his experience of the Dorset Historic Churches Trust Ride + Stride event.
"I have participated in Dorset Historic Churches Trust (DHCT)’s Ride & Stride for the past decade and each time it has been an enjoyable and inspirational experience.
I am one of those competitive types, such that each year I try for a new personal best in terms of the number of churches that I visit on my annual Ride & Stride bicycle journey.
I am now up to 45 churches, which is my personal best from last year; the downside is that this year I’ll be pushing myself even harder to try and beat that total!
However, it doesn’t have to be like this - there are other ways to have an enjoyable Ride & Stride and there are many walkers, horse riders and cyclists who find that a ‘less is more’ approach is equally rewarding, particularly for those who make it a family affair.
Irrespective of how one approaches Ride & Stride, which is being held on Saturday 11th September this year, it offers a fulfilling experience. DHCT is a worthy recipient of charitable donations/ sponsorship as it is an invaluable source of grants for hard-pressed PCCs endeavouring to conserve Dorset’s wonderful churches and chapels.
Visiting churches as part of DCHT’s Ride & Stride event is always a pleasure. The majority of churches around the county are manned by willing volunteers who frequently and very generously offer cakes, biscuits and drinks to participants, which is great for carbohydrate loading! The churches are also a joy to see, even if my viewings are a bit rushed…
I do hope that together we can make this year’s Ride & Stride an enjoyable event for participants and the volunteers manning churches and chapels – and let’s see if we can beat last year’s total (another PB!) for the amount raised for DHCT."