Come and join us!

There are still places available at this year’s A&B Walking Pilgrimage Reunion, which will take place on the weekend of 17th – 19th April in sunny Northamptonshire.

We welcome pilgrims who have joined us before, but also anybody who would like a “taster” of what a pilgrimage is like.

Further details attached, together with a booking form (invitation / booking form). The closing date for bookings is 31st March.

We look forward to seeing you!

Julian & Claire

The full details are in the  invitation / booking form .  The easiest way to apply is probably to cut and paste the booking form into an email, add your responses and email it to mini26@thepilgrims.org.uk (which automatically redirects to Julian and Claire’s address).  Also please email if you are planning on going on the walk only.   At this event, we hope to share the fun and fellowship of our pilgrimages with past, present and future pilgrims.

Carol’s funeral will be at noon on Tuesday, 3rd February at the RC Cathedral Church of St Michael and St George, Queens Avenue, Aldershot GU11 2BY and afterwards at the neighbouring St Andrews Scottish Garrison Church Hall. There is plenty of parking at the churches. Everyone is welcome. We will say farewell to Carol at the church and then we hope everyone will join us in the church hall to continue to celebrate Carol’s life and share our memories of her.

We’ve learned of the death, on 16th December, of Carol Pritchard (née McMahon). Carol moved to Farnham in the early 70s and was involved in several of Bill Haynes’ youth activities before joining our Pilgrims Way Pilgrimage in 1976 and completing 6 consecutive A&B pilgrimage.

Carol was always keen to catch up with pilgrims, and turned up at several reunions, including the 40-year reunion in Farnham. She was a great singer.

Carol’s funeral will be at the RC Forces Cathedral of St Michael and St George in Aldershot on a date yet to be announced. Everyone who knew Carol will be welcome to attend.

May she rest in peace

Despite the extreme heat in week 1 and some long days in week 2, the 2025 Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope successfully reached Eastbourne on 22 August, having visited every deanery in the Arundel & Brighton Diocese, plus the Cathedral, marking 50 years since our first pilgrimage.

Our hall planners had found us decent accommodation, albeit sometimes with limited facilities. The day planners had found clever routes through suburbia (both in Surrey and the south coast) and led us safely through some lovely countryside – the heathland south of Farnham and the Seven Sisters being most dramatic. We were well supported by our caterers (Penny, Hazel, Bruce & Imelda), by John in the Van, and by Clare and Fr Paul who met us on the road – so important in the heat with the risk of heatstroke. We had a good number of pilgrims, each of whom contributes something unique, and lots of day pilgrims (some from local churches, some past pilgrims). Many people came out to meet us and provide refreshments at church stops. Overall a very good pilgrimage.

So now our attention turns to next year! Gary collected suggestions for routes / destinations which were put up for voting on the rest days. These are:

Aidan
Coordinator (for a few more days)

To mark the significance of this year’s 50th Anniversary pilgrimage we’ve decided to produce a commemorative T-shirt. We need to move quickly to ensure they are delivered before the pilgrimage, so if you’re interested please order today – final deadline is 20th July.

The logo for the t-shirt has been designed for us by the diocese, based on ideas from the pilgrimage team. It features a cross with the anchor of hope, an allusion to the hills we walk over, and orange arrows.

This logo will be printed front centre on white T-shirts.

The printers offer many choices, but we are proposing 3 options (below). Sizes are taken from the printers’ website, and each product is linked to their product description.

• 100% organic cotton T-Shirt in the following sizes: XS 30/32″, S 34/36″, M 38/40″, L 42/44″, XL 46/48″, 2XL 50/52″, 3XL 54/56”, 4XL 58/60”, 5XL 62/64”, 6XL 66/68”
• 100% Polyester Performance T-Shirt in the following sizes: S 34″, M 38″, L 42″, XL 46″, 2XL 50″, 3XL 54″
• 100% Organic Cotton V-neck  WOMENS T-Shirt in the following sizes: XS 8, S 10, M 12, L 14, XL 16, 2XL 18/20

Pricing is dependent on the number of orders, but we hope to keep it down to £15 per shirt, including VAT. Definitely not over £18 without consulting those who’ve ordered.

Ordering: If you would like to order one or more t-shirts, please e-mail t2025@thepilgrims.org.uk quoting your name and the type and size of each shirt. Payment on collection when you join the pilgrimage, but as these are made to order you are making a commitment to pay.

Deadline: In order to receive the shirts before the pilgrimage, we need to place the order on 21 July, so ALL ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 20 JULY.

Our reunion to celebrate 50 years of pilgrimages is underway. You can follow us in our usual diary at www.thepilgrims.org.uk/2025/reunion50.php

The slides shared at the reunion appear below. Enjoy!