Riders and striders at St Barnabus Church, Inham Nook – Chris Young, Dave Lowe, curate Ryan Mellor, Bob Short, Bill Hall, Jez Barnard and Andy Taylor
Three members of our congregation – Andy Taylor, Bill Hall and Dave Lowe – took part in the Notts Historic Churches Trust annual Ride and Stride event on Saturday, 10 September.
The trusty trio set off from Beeston Methodist Church at 10am, heading for Christ Church, Chilwell – the first of seven churches they visited during the day.
Bill joined Andy and Dave as a rehearsal for the 13-mile walk he’s doing in aid of Cancer Research UK on September 24 in memory of his daughter Jane.
Ride and Stride is a national annual event that takes place every year when people of all ages, from youngsters to those of advancing years, dust off their bikes or get out their walking boots to visit their local churches.
Over the years – thanks to generous sponsorship – significant sums have been raised towards the cost of preserving historic churches and chapels around the country. Even when Covid-19 restrictions were in force in 2020, more than £14,000 was raised in Notts.
Andy, Bill and Dave found a friendly welcome and delicious refreshments at all the churches they visited.
Leaving Christ Church, they strolled along a path near the Nottingham Tram route to reach St Barnabas Church, Inham Nook. Here they also linked up for a photo call with three cyclists from St Barnabas Church, Lenton Abbey – Bob Short, Jez Barnard and Chris Young. Then it was an uphill trek to the 13th century Bramcote Old Church Tower, which was open for heritage weekend, followed by a visit to the nearby St Michael’s Church.
After a lunch break in Wollaton, they rested their feet at St Leonard’s Church and then had a pleasant stroll through Wollaton Park to reach St Barnabus Church, Lenton Abbey before heading home to BMC.
The trio, who completed nearly 12 miles, wish to thank the team of volunteers who kept a presence at BMC throughout the day and welcomed nearly 20 striders and walkers to our church.
Lots of people gave generous sponsorship and once all the cash has been gathered in, we will let you know how much we raised. The money will be shared equally between the Notts Historic Churches Trust and BMC Mission Possible.
We are particularly pleased to be able to support the NHCT as they have recently awarded BMC a grant of about £4,000 towards the cost of repairs to the spire.
Dave Lowe