The weather was definitely unkind on 14 September; but our noble Riders, Striders and Welcomers were undeterred in spite of getting wet. Headed by the Bishop of Dorchester and the OHCT Chairman, Basil Eastwood, who cycled up some steep hills in the Henley area, 800 St/Riders and 135 Welcomers raised the magnificent total of £127,344 which is close to a record; and in the OHCT Fiftieth Anniversary year we hope to do even better.
More and more people are realising what fun Ride & Stride Day can be, and they are not confined to riding and striding only. Tony Crabtree arranged a bell-ringing outing starting at Burford. Mary Hughes walked her dog, Charlie. Most unusual, a Strictly Come Dancing Sweepstake was organised by St Mary’s, Black Bourton. The most senior, Tony Moore (aged 86), cycled to 20 churches. Luke Saxell (aged 1) took part in the Crawl, Toddle or Walk for under-5s at St Giles, Standlake. John Griffin, of the Quaker Meeting House, Wallingford, went to 58 churches. Jo Appleford (aged 9) of St Mary’s, Wootton called in at 40. Chris Brennan visited one church in each of the six counties adjoining Oxfordshire, covering 199.4km. Caroline Dalton of Wheatley went to London and walked to 20 churches between Battersea and St Mary-le-Strand, and the St/Riders of Chadlington were waved off by the Prime Minister! Just a few among many achievements, and not enough space to record them here, but they can be found on the Ride & Stride pages of the website.
Very many thanks to the Area and Church Organisers who work so hard, and also to the St/Ride team: Jeanette Thomas (Administrator), Alison Shaw (Press & Publicity), David Miles (Database manager), Chris Brennan and George Russell. Their hard work, wisdom and experience have been invaluable.