Pilgrim arriving in city
WALKERS RAISING CASH FOR VILLAGE CHURCH
RETIRED nurse and health visitor Theresa Farndon aims to arrive at Leicester Cathedral in time for evensong tomorrow.
To get there, she will walk a distance of 36 miles from Derby Cathedral.
She is raising money for All Saints Church in her home village of Yougrave, in the Peak District, as part of the nationwide Pommie Pilgrimage.
Theresa said: “Although I now live in Youlgrave, my connection with Leicester gave me the inspiration to take on this leg of the pilgrimage, linking our beautiful village with south Derbyshire and north Leicestershire by our own footsteps and spreading the word about our ambitious pilgrimage.
“I have worked in Leicestershire as a nurse and health visitor for nearly 35 years and it is a happy coincidence that I will be arriving at Leicester Cathedral on International Nurses Day.
“Nursing has given me a varied and rewarding career, supportive colleagues, and friends.
“This walk will allow me to connect my past, my present and my future.
“I am thrilled to be walking with new friends from the village and the Youlgrave WI – a new community.”
Kate Heath, who founded Pommie Pilgrimage, said: “We really didn’t know where to start with the huge task of modernising our church, so we went for a walk and had a think.”
The pilgrimage walkers will link Youlgrave with all 42 Anglican Cathedrals in England.
They walkers plan to raise £42,000 towards All Saints’ renovations.
The Rev Canon Jane Clay, chairwoman of the Pommie Pilgrimage organising group, said: “Our hope to connect Youlgrave with each cathedral in the country via pilgrimage is a huge challenge and feels like an impossible task, but one step at a time, together, we’ll get there.”
The pilgrims started their walk on Palm Sunday, March 24, and hope to have reached all 42 cathedrals by All Saints’ Day, November1.