WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO EVESHAM

All the over-night stays on our route to Evesham have now been booked, and a host of route planners are out exploring the route. It promises to he a really attractive route, but with shorter distances and lower hills than last year’s marathon walk to Buckfast. For the first time there are more offers to plan days, than there are days to plan. Apologies to those who offered and who have not been asked to do some exploring. My spies have spotted Michael Sharp skulking in the grounds of Wonersh, and Patrick Reeve lost near Crabtree as evening grew dark  The details to date are

IRELAND IS ON ... JUST

We have just enough applicants to make our Easter pilgrimage to Ireland a viable proposition. So we really would like a few more to join our small crowd. As well as all the places shown on the green sheet we will also visit the Rock of Cashel and Cormac’s Chapel, and pay our diocesan respects. We will also try and visit Lough Derg in Donegal instead of the one on the River Shannon (Spot the deliberate error in the itinerary.) Closing date for applications on this is now extended to 15th February.

WATERY WOKING

Congratulations to Jean and Margaret Nicholls on organising a successful reunion weekend last November, when we were made very welcome at St John the Baptist School. About 80 pilgrims attended and it was a real reunion and meeting of people who had been on many different pilgrimages. An attractive route had been planned much of which lay alongside the River Wey Navigation. Just as we set out in the morning it began to rain, and kept it up for much of the day. An attractive canal side pub had been chosen for the lunch stop which was very crowded and many pilgrims were to be seen eating their sarnies and drinking their beer outside in the rain! But all the water came nowhere near drowning the pilgrim spirit.

CHRISTMAS IN PORTSLADE

Another unofficial reunion event was held at Portslade by way of a Pilgrims Christmas Party on Boxing Day. The party was preceded by a walk over Devil’s Dyke. An enjoyable time was had by all and thanks are due to Patrick Reeve, Julian Martin, Martyn Thornton and others. Sorry if you didn’t get to hear about it!

SOME OTHER PILGRIMAGES

Brother Luke Jolly of Worth Abbey has written to ask for our route from Canterbury to Worth Abbey (The Canterbury Pilgrimage, 1979.) He wants to contact any young men aged 18—25 who would like to join a walk from Canterbury to Worth either via this route, or the North Downs Way, beginning on March 26th and culminating at the Easter Sunday liturgy at the Abbey on 3rd April.

Margaret Archer who has walked on many of our pilgrimages is organising The Challoner Pilgrimage for the Diocese of Portsmouth. Dates are 4th to 9th April and the route is Petersfield, Heyshott, Slindon, Havant, Bishop’s Waltham and Winchester - which should cover quite a lot of ground walked by us. Inclusive cost is £28 and full details can be had from Margaret Archer

Moggy Stephens is organising The South Downs Way Sponsored Walk again to raise funds for the handicapped to go on the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage. Dates are 27th to 31st May and the route is Arundel, Upper Beeding, Patcham, Lewes, Eastbourne. Cost is £8 and each walker should be able to raise at least £50 in sponsorship. Details from Dominic O’Hara.

PILGRIM TRAVELS

Monica McLauchlan has been playing cow girls in Arizona. She visited the 1880’s town of Rawhide where she rode a stage coach, went down a gold mine, saw a gun fight, and ate steak and beans. She says the scenery is fantastic and her neck is behaving!

Jenny Walker has been to the Far East visiting China and Hong Kong after winning a competition organised by Lloyds Bank. She is eager to go abroad again and is thinking of doing voluntary work overseas - anyone know any good opportunities?

Dawn Willson is going to live in Abidjan, West Africa, where her husband has just been appointed as British Ambassador to the Ivory Coast, Upper Volta and Niger. But her address will remain the same!

Father Dick Lear is also in Africa working in the capital of Zaire and is finding life very interesting!

Nearer home Sarah Birch is enjoying life at the University of Limoges. The charming old houses and church contrast with the ultra modern university campus, she says.

One person who isn’t travelling is Moggy Stephens whose round the world trip is postponed until June.   

EDUCATING THE PILGRIMS

Last autumn saw many of our pilgrim family begin tertiary education, so here is how some of them are scattered across the country.

Claire Kelly is at Bristol studying Music.

Margaret Carroll is at Newcastle studying Agricultural Economics.

Alison Phillips is at Exeter studying Law.

Fiona O’Shea is at Lancaster studying Economics and Management.

Fiona Richmond is at Durham studying History.

Elaine Rawlins has begun her SRN training at Guy’s Hospital.

Susan Guy is at Oxford studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Claire Charlier is doing a B.Ed. at Oxford Polytechnic.

Eddie Collard is at Leeds studying English and Drama.

Guy Peters is at Nottingham studying Law.

Anne McFarlane is at Liverpool studying Geography.

Isobelle Munro is doing a B.Ed at Digby Stuart, Roehampton.

Tom McNerney is at Emmanuel College, Cambridge studying Mathematics.

Michael Bloomfield is at the Central London Polytechnic studying Engineering.

Sarah Huber is doing the Art Foundation Course at Brighton Polytechnic.

Jane Sherry is doing a secretarial Course at Worthing College of Further Education.

For next year Hugh Pyle has won an Exhibition at Oxford.

Rosalind Southee will be studying Dentistry at Leeds, and Anne Parsons will be studying Politics and History at Edinburgh.

Mary Russell is at Manchester studying Mathematics.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Debbie Davies is engaged to a lucky man named Des. She wishes it to be known that in the future she will not be playing the field at pilgrimage functions! (She means playing the pond!)

Jean and Mike Simons, along with Mark, are retiring in the spring to a country retreat. And rumour has it that Jean and Mike, along with Peter Madden, have been encountered! (As in Marriage Encounter.)

Bernard Coleman has moved to Derby.

Hannah Brunton, who had to leave the Buckfast Pilgrimage with an injured hip is now 100% fit again.

Eileen Mahony is out and about again after her cycle accident. And there’s lots more but no room .

W.J.H.