Completion of the Athelstan Way

Saturday 6 September 2025 will mark the launch of the final 40-mile section of the family-friendly Athelstan Pilgrim Way.

This final section of the walking and cycling pilgrimage route includes 11 churches in the Braydon Brook and Upper Thames benefices, covering a wide area between Malmesbury and Cricklade. 

The Launch event will take place at St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade (SN6 6AT) at 2.30pm on Saturday 6 September, with a talk by the writer, environmentalist and broadcaster, Martin Palmer. Tickets for the event, priced £10.50 (children free) are available online from the Athelstan Pilgrim Way website (https://athelstanpilgrimway.org/) or in person from the Cricklade Town Council offices.

More information is contained in the Press Release here – Press Release

Information about the Athelstan Way Cycle Route can be found here – Cycle Route

Ride & Stride 2024: Presentation of Cups

During pastoral visits in recent weeks the Archdeacon of Sarum, the Venerable Alan Jeans MBE, has presented the trophies awarded after Ride & Stride 2024. He is shown here presenting the Brooke Cup for the Best Achieving Parish to the Churchwarden of St Andrew’s, Wooton Rivers, Richard Bradford; and the Brooke Junior Cup for Under-18s to some of the children who took part from St Michael and All Angels, Shalbourne.  Congratulations to both churches, repeating their successes of previous years.

 

Images of 40th Wiltshire Ride and Stride

Commemorative plaque

A selection of images from the 40th Wiltshire Ride and Stride day, 14th September 2024

The Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire and President of the Trust, Mrs Sarah Troughton, launched the 40th Wiltshire Ride and Stride at 10:00am on Saturday 14th September 2024 at St Mary’s Church, Lydiard Tregoze and presented the first commemorative plaques to St Mary, St Augustine in Even Swindon and St Leonard if Stanton Fitzwarren 

It was a perfect day for riding or striding around Wiltshire and visiting its beautiful churches and chapels

The images below show a small selection of images from the day. More will be added in due course

70th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving

70 years on from the Inaugural Trust Service in Salisbury Cathedral
on 1st June 1954

A magnificent evening service in Malmesbury Abbey on 16th June 2024

Hosted and led by Rev Oliver Ross, Vicar of Malmesbury and attended by the President of the Trust, Mrs Sarah Troughton HM Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, the Duke of Somerset, Bishops of Bristol, Clifton, Swindon and Ramsbury, Rev Nigel Coles, West of England Baptist Association, Rev Robert Jordan, Swindon URC Synod and Rev Jonathan Pye, Methodist Church Regional District, Trustees and Officers of the Trust and Friends of Wiltshire Churches

The Bishop of Bristol preached the Sermon

70th Anniversary Grants

In celebration of the Trust’s 70th Anniversary, Trustees have awarded three additional special 70th Anniversary Grants totalling £100,000 to places of worship selected from church and chapel applications in 2023

Mark Everall, Chairman of Trustees said:
Wiltshire is fortunate to have a wide variety of beautiful churches and chapels of national and international historic and architectural significance that are at the heart of our local communities. As the Trust celebrates its 70th Anniversary of supporting places of worship with much-needed grants to help with repairs and modernisation, Trustees decided that three special grants should be made. Over and above the annual 2023 contribution of the Trust to 40 churches and chapels of all denominations, in its 70th year the Trust has granted an additional £100,000 to help with the most significant applications. 

Photographs Copywright – Brian Woodruffe