On Sunday 21st July a small group from St Matthew’s Church in Burnley are going to set off to walk over 30miles crossing the county boundary into West Yorkshire. The walk is called ‘St Matthew’s to the Monastery’ as the final destination is the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, home to a number of Benedictine monks. The journey is both a pilgrimage and a sponsored walk. On route the group will visit various churches, including sleeping overnight in St Mary’s Church, Todmorden and Halifax Minster. In the churches, and on the road, they will pause to pray and reflect. The group are also aiming to raise £3000 for St Matthew’s in order to fund the ongoing efforts of the church to share the love of God in South West Burnley and beyond.

There are currently 10 people hoping to complete the whole walk. They range in age from teenagers to people in their 60s. Some of them have hiking experience but most have never attempted a long distance walk over consecutive days. They will be joined by others for parts of the trip and will be encouraged by associated events such as an online quiz at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd July (this will be free to join in with on the St Matthew’s Church Facebook Group). The route for the first day of the walk has been planned by Rev’d Kat Gregory-Witham, Associate Priest at St Matthew’s and walk co-ordinator. From Todmorden onwards however the group will join the Paulinus Way, a pilgrimage route following in the footsteps of a monk who shared the Christian faith in northern England in the 7th century.

Excitement about this unusual expedition has been growing over the last few weeks. Leon, one of the youngest walkers says he’s looking forward to “sleeping in different churches”. Another participant, Hannah, when asked if she thought they would manage the distance said, “We’re gonna smash it!”. If you would like to sponsor the group you can do so online at www.justgiving.com/page/stmatthewstothemonastery. Photos and updates of the journey will be shared on the St Matthew’s Church Facebook group - www.facebook.com/groups/stmatthewsburnley/