26 September 2025
A group of walkers from the Parish of Wanstead spent seven days in July walking from the church door of Christ Church, Wanstead to the doors of Canterbury Cathedral.
The pilgrimage largely followed the route of the ancient Pilgrims’ Way, across the North Downs. Seven clergy and laity from the parish walked the whole distance (80 miles) and about 70 others from the parish joined them at some point along the way, walking, chatting, eating and drinking in local pubs, meeting with congregations of churches along the way, as well as praying and singing hymns.
The team were blessed at the start of the pilgrimage by the Archdeacon of West Ham, The Ven. Mike Power, and were greeted at the end of their journey by The Rt Revd Lynne Cullens, the Bishop of Barking, who led a Eucharist service at St Dunstan’s Church, Canterbury, the ‘pilgrims’ church’. Pupils from Wanstead Church School joined the pilgrims on the first mile of their pilgrimage, and they also came to Canterbury Cathedral for the day, to engage in some learning about St Thomas Becket, and to greet the pilgrims on their arrival.
Fr James Gilder, Rector of Wanstead and co-ordinator of the pilgrimage, said:
“We are pleased to have made it all the way to Canterbury, and really delighted that so many people have joined with us along the way. It has been a fantastic experience for us all; both contemplative and fun, restful and invigorating, and it has cemented old friendships as well as forging new ones.
“The pilgrimage welcomed young and old from our parish alike, and we were pleased that friends from elsewhere joined in too. We even got a mention in the papers! We are already thinking about where to go next time, although I’m not sure my feet can stand this becoming an annual event.”
By completing the pilgrimage, the parish hoped to raise £10,000 towards the Inspire Wanstead project, a scheme to repair Christ Church’s tower and to re-imagine the interior of the church, a figure that has now been exceeded by several thousand pounds.
This article has been taken from the latest edition of WePray, our quarterly prayer diary which brings together our Cycle of Prayer and stories from across our Diocese.