What a blessing it was to have near-perfect weather for our long-awaited Launch Day! 50+ pilgrims were met at 10am, greeted and briefed at St Andrew’s, Kirkby Malzeard, by walk leaders in hi-vis jackets, before a prayer was offered and we set off – either north-bound on Fishers’ Way or south-bound on Curlew Way. Both routes are of a similar length (7 miles). So the pilgrims returned to St Andrew’s at around 3pm, after visiting churches en route and stopping at designated pause and ponder points. The church was decorated with both bunting and table cloths bearing the Yorkshire Rose. A marvellous celebration cake iced by local resident, Christine Brigg, took pride of place, flanked by a sumptuous spread of cakes, traybakes and Yorkshire parkin (all funded by Visit North Yorkshire).

+Anna, Bishop of Ripon, welcomed pilgrims, invited dignitaries and other visitors, alike, before leading a short Thanksgiving service for 90+ folk attending the afternoon celebrations. A small brass consort, led by Andy Nicholson, of Barnard Castle Band, played beforehand and accompanied the hymns. Speeches followed, with Revd Andrew Cromarty, Fountains Ways Planning Team Lead, thanking God, the Planning Team, our generous benefactors, and all who had prayed for and contributed towards the pilgrimage project and its launch. Tony Watson, Head of Commerce and Tourism at North Yorkshire Council (our primary sponsor), offered strong endorsement, and spoke of projects like ours acting as vital ‘connective tissue’ between the far-flung, high-profile visitor destinations. Tom Ramsden DLL, spoke on behalf of Johanna Ropner, the Lord Lieutenant, and of their shared enthusiasm in supporting pilgrimage. +Anna finished with an inaugural prayer of blessing upon the Fountains Ways pilgrimage routes, before we moved on to enjoy the wonderful reception together – with grateful thanks, also, to Lindsay Atkinson, the other wonderful caterers, and their team of volunteers.

It had been a great community celebration, a day blessed with glorious sunshine and a lovely atmosphere of thanksgiving. Our long-term prayer is that thousands of pilgrims will encounter God in fresh ways as they step inside our churches and come to enjoy these beautiful, thought-provoking pilgrimage routes.

For more details of all the routes please follow the link: Fountains Ways - Fountains Benefice