The great outdoors

THE good news is that Ride and Stride 2020 is going ahead on Saturday. Last year it raised more than £20,000 for the Berkshire Historic Churches Trust and we would welcome your support again this year.

Given the current restrictions, entrance to churches may be more limited than usual and toilets and refreshments will not be on offer.

Ride and Stride is a nationwide church-crawl where you can visit as many (or as few) churches on the day between 10am and 6pm as you can. You can walk, run, cycle, ride or drive, following your own route and enjoy visiting some of our county’s fabulous churches.

Ride and Stride is open to all participants – young and old. The money you raise is divided equally between the church of your choice and the Berkshire Historic Churches Trust.

Any Christian church can apply to the trust for financial help to maintain or improve the church building.

Each year the trust awards thousands of pounds worth of grants.

Ride and Stride is just one way in which the trust raises money to help them.

The money you raise helps to save historic churches, chapels and meeting houses for future generations by helping to fund urgent repairs and the installation of modern facilities.

Borough churches taking part include St Nicolas and St Peter’s, both in Earley, Emmanuel in Woodley, St Catherine’s in Bearwood, St Nicholas in Hurst, St James in Ruscombe, St Mary The Virgin in Twyford, the Twyford URC, St Mary’s in Wargrave, St Mary’s in Winnersh, St Bartholomew’s in Arborfield, St James in Barkham and also in Finchampstead, All Saints, Corpus Christi, the Quakers, the Methodist Church, St Paul’s, the Baptist church all in Wokingham.

In Crowthorne, churches taking part are St John the Baptist and the Methodist Church.

The Berkshire Historic Churches Trust helps

the churches of Royal Berkshire