Article by the Norfolk Churches Trust
The long-range forecast for Saturday, 13th September, is warm and sunny, perfect for people in Norfolk to take the time to visit as many churches, chapels and meeting houses as they can in a day and raise funds for the Norfolk Churches Trust, a charity whose mission is to support communities who love their church/chapel buildings and need advice and grants to restore and conserve them to keep them open for everyone to enjoy and learn from. As you all know they are the centres of real community.
Please help the Norfolk Churches Trust to raise funds by getting your church ready to receive participants. We know it is increasingly difficult to find people to be in the church during the day but as long as the church is unlocked, the paperwork including the signing in form is visible and perhaps a cheery note of welcome is on a table all is set for providing a great day out for the hundreds of people who take part in this event every year. Their participation is crucial to the Norfolk Churches Trust being able to give grants to you, the parishes of Norfolk.
Last year the event was well supported and showed a recorded increase in participation of 151 people. Molly and Polly Mason visited 52 churches, closely followed by Ruth Vaughan who visited 51 and then Callum Ringer, Kathryn Cossey and Julia Peart who each visited 50 churches. Over £120,000 was raised by over 580 participants. In total 286 places of worship throughout the county benefitted directly from the money raised that day and many more benefitted from the sponsorship money given to the Trust through grants that we were able to make due to the money raised on that day.
The most visited church in 2024 was in Norwich – St George’s, Tombland, which hosted 56 visitors. Thirteen arrived on bicycle, one by car and 42 on foot. They really did witness a Bike Ride, Walk and Drive. The most visited rural church was the small church of St Mary’s, Barningham Winter which sits in a Humphry Repton landscape in North Norfolk. This quiet church welcomed 55 people, not surprisingly none by foot, all were on bicycles, including a peloton of 14 who were very grateful for the refreshments.
A very important part of the event are the photographs that people send in of their day. They are automatically entered into the photographic competition. The winners for 2024 were Julia Hoskins who reflected so beautifully the much needed cool of the porch of St Andrews, Blickling in her photograph. David Mullender who recorded the unusual flint and brick chequerboard tower of All Saints Church, Wheatacre and the community spirit of the day that was captured by Angela Clarke and her Bike Ride team at St Mary’s, South Wooton.
The other competitions that were run on the day were fiercely fought for too. The Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate, awarded to the participant who raises the most amount of money was won last year by the Revd Canon Mark Dimond. He raised £1,923.20 for his church of St Margaret’s, King’s Lynn Minster. He is already raising another campaign for the ride this year. There is also the opportunity to win a £1,000 for your place of worship, by being the most improved fundraising church. Last year this prize went to St Mary the Virgin, Hillington, who raised £1,651. They were overwhelmed by their win. Do encourage your parish to take part because this prize can really boost fundraising for a specific project or supplement general church funds.
NEW THIS YEAR
Tall Salle, The Trunch Bunch and Between the Lines are not new Norfolk bands, they are suggested routes that have been designed to guide participants around the lanes of Norfolk to interesting churches and villages. This is a new introduction for the event and there are 10 routes in all with more in the pipeline. For information about these routes and another intended for walking visit the Bike Ride, Walk & Drive pages on the Trust’s website www.norfolkchurchestrust.org.uk .
For more information about the Norfolk Churches Trust Bike Ride email the team on info@norfolkchurchesrust.org.uk
DATE: Saturday, 13th September
TIME: 9am – 5pm
WHERE: CHURCHES, CHAPELS & MEETING HOUSES THROUGHOUT NORFOLK
PURPOSE: To raise money for your parish church and essential funds for grants given by the Norfolk Churches Trust to churches/chapels/places of worship for their conservation and repair so that they can be used by the community.