Churchgoer's pilgrimage from Shoreham to Chichester Cathedral raises nearly £12,000

Mark Potter is an experienced walker and he has taken on the challenge from Shoreham to Chichester three times for his church. This year, there were three of them making the journey from St Mary’s and all were blessed by the curate, Steve Emerson, before they set off.

Mark said: “We had a plan to make the 5.30pm evening prayers at Chichester Cathedral and meet him there. We made it, just. The weather was fantastic – not too hot, not too cold, and stayed dry throughout. We changed our route slightly and instead of going over Chanctonbury Hill, we walked up the River Adur to Steyning and stayed just north of the South Downs until Storrington. This was a nice diversion and didn’t add on any extra time.

"We then climbed up on to the South Downs Way and dropped down into Amberley. In Houghton, we had a quick stop at the George and Dragon and with half a Guinness, toasted the new King. By mid-afternoon, our pace had slowed a bit. I expected this and had planned for it.

"With five miles to go, we were met by two friends who are experienced walkers and they helped us pick up the pace. It was close but we arrived with two minutes spare. Steve and Sue Clay, church warden, met us and we joined Evening Prayers. After this, we were blessed by the Rev Vanessa Baron at the shrine of St Richard of Chichester.”

So far, £5,600 has been raised and Mark’s employer, Legal & General, matched every penny up to £5,000, making a total of £11,600.

Mark said: “This is the third year I’ve taken on this challenge and in total I’ve raised almost £30,000. This has been for the Parish Church Council of St Mary’s to support the life of our community and has included contributions to local foodbanks and the homeless through the Worthing-based charity Turning Tides.

"A huge thanks to everyone for their support. I’m very grateful. It’s still not too late for anyone to sponsor this year’s event.

"I can see all the great work St Mary’s carries out in our community. The pandemic brought financial challenges to so many great causes and the current economic climate is difficult for many. I wanted to help a bit as best I can. To me, combining my faith with my walking boots is an obvious thing to do.”

Visit www.stmarydehaura.org.uk/sponsored-pilgrimage-from-st-mary-de-haura-to-chichester-cathedral-july-2022-target-10000 or pop into the church office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm to make a donation.