Ride + Stride – building community while raising funds for church buildings

Saturday 9 September will see people from worshipping communities across the Diocese taking part in Ride + Stride, the Historic Churches Trust’s annual fundraising event. Churches across the Diocese of Gloucester take part in this event each year.

The Revd Tom Keates from Thornbury shares his plans to raise funds and encourage visitors to churches in his benefice.

Ride + Stride is the single largest source of income for many Historic Churches Trusts, enabling them to make grants to places of Christian worship. For the past five years, the Revd Tom Keates and friends from his worshipping community have embarked on a walk around the churches in the Thornbury, Oldbury and Shepperdine benefice to raise funds to support the work of the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust (GHCT).

Tom says, “For five years, I along with a group of friends walk between the four churches in our benefice, a total distance of about 10 miles. We start at about 10am at St Mary’s Shepperdine with a short morning prayer and walk along the Severn to St Arilda’s, Olbury, where we have lunch and a short act of worship. We then walk across the fields to St Mary’s Thornbury, where we have a cup of tea and join those visiting the church for Heritage Open Day. Our final stretch across Thornbury brings us to St Paul’s the Hacket, where we end with evening prayer at about 4pm.”

On why he enjoys taking part in Ride + Stride, Tom says, “I feel it is important to support the work of Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust and appreciate their support in providing grants to keep our churches well maintained for the future. It is also a good opportunity to build community by walking together and on the way meeting those who live and work within our parishes.”

If you would like to sponsor this benefice team, you can do so by visiting their JustGiving page hwww.justgiving.com/page/thomas-keates6

GHCT raises funds and provides grants for churches in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and North Bristol. Visit https://ghct.org.uk for more information about their work.

Thinking of taking part in Ride and Stride this year? Sign up here: Ride+Stride | Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust (ghct.org.uk)