LEICESTERSHIRE
HI S T ORI C CHURCHE S T RUS T
County Co-ordinator David Knowles DL
djpk34@hotmail.com 01509 268354
N E W S - S P R I N G 2015
RIDE+STRIDE 2014 took place in fine,
Delighted we were this year that High
even sunny, weather in most places in
Sheriff, Richard Clowes, volunteered
the City and County. The total raised
with two friends to cycle a 60 mile
was £42,240 (£4,440 more than in
route visiting a church or chapel in
2013) a great result from all
each of the County’s Local Authority
participants, including a record
Districts. Starting from Illston on the
amount from welcomers. The
Hill, they visited Gaddesby, Rothley,
Trustees express their very grateful
Mount St Bernard’s Abbey, Thornton,
thanks to all who continue to support
Thurlaston, Wigston, and Leicester
the event.
Cathedral, being sponsored through
The outstanding fund-raising of 2014
was again by Market Harborough Our
Lady of Victories Roman Catholic
Church. Of their £1,884 indefatigable
Parish Priest, Fr Owen O’Neill was
again the star, raising £1,180 , only to
be beaten by Sue Spriggs, despite
restricted mobility, with the wonderful
sum of £1,315.30, the total for
Arnesby St Peter. Runners-up were
Broomleys St David’s with £1,040
(amazingly £1,000 from welcomers
alone!) and £913.75 (£200 increase
from 2013) from regular high-scorers,
Cosby St Michael & All Angels.
JustGiving for over £500. Our
congratulations and thanks are readily
extended to them.
2014 marked the 25th Anniversary of
RIDE+STRIDE in Leicestershire and 50 years
since the start of Leicestershire Historic
Churches Trust. In a project inspired by Area
R+S Organiser for NW Leicestershire, Eileen
Hodgkinson, 50 cycle wheels were decorated
to reflect aspects of Ride+Stride. The wheels
lined the churchyard path at Sweptone St
Peter as R+S Day happily coincided with the
church’s Harvest Festival. Some of the wheels
were hung for a week in St James the Greater,
Leicester leading up to the Trust’s special
Anniversaries’ Service on 28 September. A
selection of wheels also formed a 10 feet x 8
feet two-dimensional Christmas Tree brightly
lit against the west doors of Loughborough
Parish Church of All Saints with Holy Trinity for
the church’s annual Christmas Tree Festival.
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Promotional summer gatherings were held in
various churches of the County, and the
homes of Lord & Lady Crawshaw and Richard
& Diana Brooks with presentations on
Ride+Stride and the financial support the
Trust gives to aid churches, chapels and
meeting houses in their never-ending need to
keep up with expensive repairs and
maintenance.
This year :
The special year ended on Sunday 28
September at St. James the Greater Parish
Church, London Road, Leicester in a wellattended thanksgiving service of Choral
Evensong in the presence of the LordLieutenant and guest preacher, prominent
Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus, the Rt Revd
Thomas MacMahon, a Vice-President of the
National Churches Trust.
RIDE+STRIDE & OPEN CHURCHES’ DAY
SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2015
Jennie Minkley, long-time
Local Organiser, Heather
St John wrote to say that
Joe Reid has cycled for 23
of Leicestershire’s 25
years in Ride+Stride.
Congratulations, Joe!
Bob Davies cycled to each
church in the Anglican
Two Rivers’ Mission
Group meeting “ friendly
people dispensing tea &
cakes”. He raised £217.
Ann Evans, Twycross St
James cycled a very
creditable 70 miles in
support of her excellent
sponsorship of £500.
Mavis Ward, Blaby
Methodist was delighted
to have two sponsored
cyclists from her church,
first time for many years.
She enjoyed welcoming
28 visitors –as last year –
although with longer gaps
between callers, but “as
always an enjoyable
experience.”
Bottesford St Mary’s
Laura Marsh again
organised a parish walk
with Muston St John: 16
walkers, 2 cyclists, a
wheelchair, a dog and a
3yr old on her tricycle.
How about your church
organising a communal
walk, charging an entry
fee instead of usual
sponsorship ? Christine
Carter, Waltham St Mary
did just that running two
walks: an eight mile
circular touring three
churches and a one mile
children’s walk/scavenger
hunt. Messy church
afternoon and tea and
cake followed with the
church open all day for
visitors. Participants paid
£5 adults, £2 children
(max £12). “An excellent
day! “ reported Christine.
Break-down! Marion
Driver and Wendy
Layton, Anstey St Mary,
took the bus to
Loughborough to visit six
churches. On the return
the bus broke down
outside St Paul’s
Woodhouse Eaves, so
added another church
visit whilst awaiting the
replacement bus!
Cyclist Bob Davies,
Thurmaston St Michael
visited the 12 churches in
the new Anglican Mission
partnership. He much
enjoyed the ride,
hospitable churches,
refreshments and £217
sponsorship.
2014 saw the launch of a
Leicestershire page of
JustGiving for on-line
fund-raising. More
information to be given in
2015
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WELCOMER/RECORDERS
Encouragement for
sponsoring Welcomers
for their hours on duty
has borne fruit in the last
few years. This year
Broomleys, St David’s
astounded us by seven of
their members raising
£1,000. What a brilliant
contribution. Our thanks
and congratulations go
to each one of them.
Welcomers from St Mary
in the Elms, Woodhouse
achieved a creditable
£375. Mrs R Ward and
Mrs E Yates (both
Desford Free Church)
were sponsored for £150
and Sheila Langton,
Newtown Linford All
Saints also achieved
£150. Well done!
Welcomer Pauline
Pagett, Wigston URC
raised £117, M.Butcher,
Sharnford Methodist
£108, and William
Leeson, Woodhouse
Eaves, St Leonard £100.
In total some 83
welcomers raised
approximately £2832. In
2013 64 welcomers
raised £2050. Who said
Ride+Stride was
flagging!!
Villagers at Plungar St
Helen continued their
long-standing support of
R+S by raising £747,
sponsoring cyclists Adam
Goodwin and Simon
Jenkinson round 24
churches.
Arnesby Baptist’s Ted
Bentley and Ruth B cycled
54 miles to visit 43
churches for £108. Ted
suggests,” a list of least
visited churches to
encourage more visitors”.
Such a list previously did
not encourage visitors,
but who’s to say it
shouldn’t be tried again?
Jean Burnard, Emmanuel
Loughborough, a “firsttimer” was enthusiastic:
”what a wonderful day I
had walking with St Mary
in Charnwood friends,
Mary & Richard Harries,
R+S stalwarts. We bussed
to Waltham and walked
via Chadwell, Scalford, &
Holwell to Ab Kettleby,
calling in Loughborough
at St Mary RC Ashby
Road. Hearing what
some churches are going
through to maintain their
buildings and encourage
their congregations in
their faith was a real eyeopener.”
Indefatigable Ride+Stride
fund-raiser, Beatrice
Harris, Holwell St Leonard
raised £523 in her
church’s £621. So
thankful, as ever, to
villagers for support,
cream teas were served
to appreciative R+S folk
including pony riders and
an Austrian lady with a
love of British churches.
Beatrice walked from
Wartnaby to Ab Kettleby
before her turn serving
the cream teas.
Frank Thornewell, Barrow
on Soar Methodist cycled
for the umpteenth time
on R+S Day visiting 34
Soar Valley and
Loughborough churches.
His late 80’s years don’t
stop his enthusiasm,
although for a year or
two he has succumbed to
a little help from
electrification of his cycle.
He exemplifies the longterm commitment of
many to R+S. Frank is
also one of the volunteer
team with his Barrow
church friends, John
Thursby and Don Mitchell
who man the printing
machines at TEAMPRINT,
Loughborough Churches’
Partnership printing
project, regularly
commissioned to print
R+S paperwork.
Kirby Muxloe All Saints’
Ann & Gregory Sowman
raised £108.75 cycling
around Norfolk churches,
reminding us that those
sponsored for R+S can
choose routes in any of
the 35 or so R+S English
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Counties, or across
County boundaries. One
Leicestershire participant
has often cycled in
Wiltshire.
Jenny Barradell of
St Thomas S.Wigston
raised £250 & John
Coleman, Hoby All Saints
£200, both touring 32
churches, whilst keen
cyclist Alan Leafe, St
Mary RC Loughborough
covered 33 churches for
his £343.50.
Swepstone St Peter and
Wymeswold St Mary
fixed Teddy Bears’ zip
wires from their towers
to increase funds for
R+S Day. “Great event;
we will repeat it”
reported delighted
Michael Burden from
Wymeswold.
Friar Lane & Braunstone
Baptist’s Local Organiser,
David Norman reported
19 cyclists taking part: “a
record”, he says,
“unsponsored cyclists
sponsored others. A great
day again. Thanks for
organising.” David’s
personal sponsorship of
£303 was enhanced from
other cyclists to £517.
Only four R+S visitors
signed in at St Bart’s Kirby
Muxloe, but Paula
Walton was pleased “lots
of people saw the Open
Church sign and popped
in. A happy day was had
by our volunteers”.
32 walkers joined Jan’s
Amble at Thringstone St
Andrew raising £102 at
50p minimum donation
per entrant.
25 years of Ride+Stride
this year for Market
Harborough St
Dionysious’ Megan
Rabetts. She and three
friends raised £200 on
their ten-church route,
passing Thorpe Langton’s
ex-telephone box turned
into a library!
Leicester Cathedral’s
Walks’ Organiser, Mick
Mcquade led twelve
sponsored walkers bent
on fun and fellowship to
Leicester University
Chaplaincy and ten City
churches back to the
Cathedral. The covered
Methodist, Baptist,
Serbian Othodox,
Unitarian and Anglican
faiths, in addition to a
fascinating visit to the
Jain Centre. They
recommend the Museum
devoted to Leicester-born
missionary Willim Carey
at the Central Baptist
Church in Charles Street.
Mick plans similarly for
2015, but to encourage
ministers at the churches
to provide ten church
members to walk, with
the aim of growing to a
100-strong party.
Excellent! Good luck!
From Knighton, St Mary
Mrs Flick Titley wrote to
say how much, again, she
and her granddaughters
18yrs & 15yrs enjoyed
R+S Day. The girls like
best the churches with
2nd-hand book stalls. “It
was quite difficult to get
them out of Oadby URC
and Leicester’s Great
Meeting until they had
looked into every shelf
and box. We waded
through confetti on
several occasions – must
the day for weddings.”
It was with great sadness
that news came of the
death in October of Joan
Mosk, Peckleton St Mary
Magdelene. Joan’s many
years of encouraging
continuous high levels of
sponsorship for her
cycling participation in
Ride+Stide was
legendary. She was a
tremendous supporter,
and deserves our
appreciation. She will be
greatly missed.
BBC Leicester were again
supportive with publicity,
interviews with Sue
Spriggs and David
Knowles being broadcast
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on Sunday 7th and Friday
9th September.
preservation for future
generations.”
Maggie Osborne,
Glenfield Methodist.
The Harborough Mail,
Hinckley
Times,
Loughborough Echo, and
Leicester Mercury carried
items
publicising
Ride+Stride,
the
Harborough Mail items
inititiated by Hopwoods,
PR agents for Andrew
Granger & Co, Land and
Property specialists, the
main
sponsors
for
Ride+Stride in 2014.
Senior partner Rupert
Harrison
said,
“Preserving churches and
historic
buildings
is
essential to keeping our
countryside’s character.
Leicestershire
Historic
Churches Trust works
hard
to
maintain
churches and needs all
the help it can get. We
are delighted to make our
contribution.
Longevity is often seen in
Ride+Stride. This year the
trustees
particularly
extend their thanks to
Mrs Joan Gamble who at
90 years of age retired as
Local Organiser for Kilby
St Mary & Kilby URC.
Mr Chris Stephens, MBE
gave his usual upbeat
report on the churches
he oversees for the
Churches Conservation
Trust: Leicester’s All
Saints’ Highcross
Street,Stretton en le Field
St Michael, Garthorpe St
Mary, Stapleford St Mary
Magdelene, and from
2015,Withcote Chapel.
County
Co-ordinator,
David
Knowles
DL,
marking ten years coordinating the event said,
“Ride+Stride links directly
to the rising tide of
interest by young and old
to support and safeguard
Britain’s
exceptional
heritage, not least of
Christian buildings. The
event focusses on their
discovery,
history,
education,
enjoyment,
financial support, and
Richard & Mary Harries, St
Mary in Charnwood
Nanpantan had a slight
hiccough. A wedding due
at Holwell St Leonard had
been
transferred
to
Scalford St Eglwin so a
sojourn in the pub had to
fill time waiting for the
church to re-open!
The
trustees
of
the
Leicestershire
Historic
Churches Trust (Chairman,
Janet Arthur) are very
thankful for the support of
the NATIONAL CHURCHES
TRUST (Chair, Luke March
DL)
in
promoting
Ride+Stride nationally.
All Saints’ Cadeby was
undergoing restoration,
supported by a Leics
Historic Churches Trust
grant, and thus by
Ride+Stride. Visitors
enjoyed refreshments
outside and read
information on the work
in hand.
“Only eight visitors this
year, but we will open
again next year!, said
BEAR backs Ride+Stride!
Adventurer, writer and
Chief Scout, Bear Grylls is
a new supporter of
Ride+Stride. Arriving by
helicopter in Southwark
Diocese to visit a Scout
Centre, he said, “Many
historic churches are
battling to survive. Roofs
leak, ancient timbers rot
and medieval stonework
crumbles. You can help
by joining the Ride+Stride
adventure.
LEICESTERSHIRE
HISTORIC CHURCHES
TRUST founded1964
GRANTS SECRETARY
Vicki Dolphin
vicki.dolphin.lhct
@gmail.com
CHAIRMAN, Janet Arthur
chairman@lhct.org.uk
Registered Charity No.233476
LHCT & Ride+Stride
website:
www.lhct.org.uk
DJK/Spring 2015
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