Do you enjoy visiting churches? Many do, whatever their faith, or none. Churches are often the most beautiful and serene places in a town or village. They are steeped in history not only available for worship but also open for arts and community events. The slogan of The National Churches Trust is 'Churches are for Everyone'. Friends of Kent Church (FKC) are part of that nationwide Trust. with the aim of helping to keep churches and chapels in good repair and improving facilities by giving grants. St Mary's is a member of FKC and last year we received a generous grant for our Murals Restoration Fund. The annual Ride & Stride event is FKC's main fundraiser. In 2022 £124,564 was raised for Kent churches.

Participants in Ride & Stride are sponsored, and visit as many, or as few churches and chapels in Kent as they wish. Make the most of visiting churches and chapels not seen before and enjoy the refreshments and time to look around. On the day of the event many of the participating churches and chapels are open from 10-6pm, but if a church is not open, participants can still log their arrival on a sign-in sheet outside the church or chapel.
Cycling is the most popular way of travelling from church to church, but participants can walk, run or use public transport, or even go by car, horse, scooter or canoe – whatever you choose, make it a special fun day for a worthy cause.

​Share your progress during the day on social media, tagging our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to let people know how far you have got and encourage others. Click here to download a sponsorship form, and a list of participating churches. For further information send us an email or check out our Facebook page