Faith features

28 September

We've passed the 950 mile mark and there is real excitement in the air. 

Since then we've enjoyed the New Forest and the Itchen river valley, and now London beckons loud and clear.

We'll be met by supporters for our last mile and as we pass the stock exchange, we'll sing our version of Glory, Glory Alleluia – Gordon, Gordon Cut the Carbon! We'll tell business they have to cut the carbon and not just pretend to do so.

Finally at St.Paul's Cathedral we'll be re-united with our families and rejoice at 1,000 miles well done. 

21 September

Being very British, I'll start with the weather this time. The last two mornings have had a definite chill in the air and we've turned into a bunch of 'hoodies'. Red for women, black for men - all bearing the Christian Aid logo.

Everywhere, the blackberries are in delicious abundance and the trees are beginning to turn colour. On the field paths and country lanes, we've been able to appreciate the amazing beauty of our countryside.

I'm enjoying teaching people to recognise the different trees, but I do wonder, will we have all this to pass onto our grandchildren or will we have failed to take climate change seriously enough?

We reached the 800 mile point this week and finally turned our face toward the end, as we crossed the Severn Bridge.

During the march I've been surprised to see so much glass scattered everywhere on the streets. When walking from Iona to London eight years ago, I saw this in only one city.  Perhaps it's a sad reflection of our new binge drinking epidemic?

In Birmingham, two marchers had to step into stop a pub fight. When I asked Pierre, our marcher from Mali, whether people fight like that in his country, he said most people there are Muslims and don't drink. Is there something missing in our society? 

As climate change bites ever deeper, with more Greenland ice sheets and Himalayan glaciers melting, how can we inspire people to get involved and active for the earth?

7 September

Our entry to Herefordshire was celebrated by the Ledbury town choir dressed in their full regalia, as well as a large group of supporters cheering us on. As we approached the old market place, a jazz band struck up and lifted our tired feet and our spirits.

We spent the night with people from the town at Canon Frome hall. After an extraordinary feast, they performed some songs ending with a brilliant 'cut the carbon' song written especially for us.

The next day, as we approached Hereford, the brass band from St. Johns Methodist church greeted us. The day ended in the cathedral where the Dean spoke about his deep gratitude for our march.

31 August

This week has been very exciting and unusual. We were hosted for two nights by Islamic Relief. Their thoughtful kindness and generosity had anticipated all our needs, and their welcome was proof of their deep gratitude that we were willing to give so much for the sake of the earth.

At the rally, several stalls had been set up - Christian Aid shared a tent with Jubilee Debt Campaign, while alongside, Islamic Relief shared one with the Jewish Coalition for Social Justice. As we are fed constant reports of hatred among the three Abrahamic faiths, I see this as a sign of great hope - that climate disaster can bring us all together.

19 August

Fifty miles before our half-way point on the March, we crossed from Yorkshire to Lancashire with a bizarre cricket match on Saddleworth Moor.

Yesterday was a sad day because Demo, our universally-loved walker from the Philippines, left for home. Climate change is hitting his country very severely with 15 typhoons last year wiping out villages time and again, while rising seal-levels destroyed fishermen's homes and way of life.

In Oldham, Phil Woolas, the new minister for Climate Change, turned back from holiday because he genuinely wanted to meet and listen to us. He was impressed by our knowledge and ideas and said it was harder than being on Question Time!

17 August

This morning we set out from Tynemouth, the great port entrance to Newcastle which felt strangely exciting.

A ferry took us over the river to Gateshead where we were met by fantastic drummers and danced their rhythms in the square.

A police escort took us over the beautiful millennium footbridge up to a civic reception where the Sheriff and a local councilor supported us with a message of urgent action to cut carbon emissions. 

After a wonderful Filipino meal we had a party where everyone borrowed clothes to impersonate another walker. It was so funny; we were almost paralysed with laughter.

7 August

"Oh I do like to be beside the seaside", which is just as well because we've been enjoying long stretches of the coast from Southern Scotland to Northern England.

I was sad to leave Scotland behind having lived there for some years, but also happy to see England welcoming me back.

It's been a hard week because many of the mileages have been undercounted and reached the 20's, so I'm tired and have sore feet.

At the same time our extra laughter, songs and friendships have compensated to keep us in good spirits and we've passed the 250-mile-mark, a quarter of the whole.

3 August

Having walked 150 of our 1000 miles, I've survived 3 painful blisters, so hopefully my feet are safely hardened for the rest of the way.

This week has been an easier one with shorter mileages along the Firth of Forth to Dunbar which felt rather special.

Our lovely hosts already knew a bit about global warming and really wanted to hear our overseas walkers' stories about the terrible affects it's already having on their lives.

Last night we celebrated Risolat's 18th birthday in great style with silly games, Scottish and Latin-American music, energetic dancing and wild cheering as each did a solo turn in the middle of our circle.

Introduction

I'm a sixty eight year old granny from near Hereford, and I've volunteered to walk 1,000 miles for Christian Aid this summer.

Some of my friends think I'm crazy, the others say brave; for myself, it feels like something that just has to be done.

When climate scientists say we have a ten year window left to avert unchangeable disasters, and we know it's already devastating lives amongst the poorest of the world, then alarm bells need to be rung globally.

The Jubilee 2000 campaign, with its human chain round Birmingham, began a completely new attitude to poor country debt and world finance.

I'm hoping that this march, as it criss-crosses our nation, will gain enough media attention and popular support to set a similar global demand for our politicians to be bold enough to take all the necessary actions.