Westminster to Glasgow via Bentham: a Multi-faith group are walking from London to Glasgow to raise awareness of our climate crisis
On 5th September 2021, up to 40 walkers will set off from London and from Bristol a few days later on a 500-mile journey to the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow and will reach Bentham on Wednesday 6th October.
Local Bentham people will be meeting them at the Big Stone on their walk from Slaidburn, providing an evening meal, coordinated by Christine Bosman (tel: 015242-61466) and floor space for sleeping at the Methodist Church in Station Road, Bentham. A big thank you to the Methodists who have offered their chapel and school room for this programme, the meal and the event following.
All are invited to meet the walkers at an evening event after the meal when we will be sharing stories, reflections and concerns. A ‘Coat of Hopes’ based on a patchwork design will be travelling with the pilgrims and Bentham people will be able to ‘meet’ the coat and contribute embroidered patches. Plus ‘An extremely long scarf’ is being knitted.
Offers of help are welcome for the evening meal and breakfast, please contact Christine Bosman (tel: 015242-61466). For other arrangements, meeting the walkers, preparing the room for the meal and evening event, please contact Timothy Fox (tel: 015242-62575 or email: wenningfoxes@btinternet.com).
The walk has been called ‘Camino to COP’ in reference to pilgrimages made since medieval times. It is inspired by the faith tradition of pilgrimage and great justice marches of the past – such as the Jarrow March in the UK, the Salt March in India and the March on Washington in the US. The aim is to share personal, human stories and inspire others to add their voices to the growing global chorus demanding that governments treat the climate crisis as the emergency that it is. The pilgrimage is also fundraising to empower activist groups in areas most impacted by climate change to join the conversation themselves. People can donate at https://caminotocop.com/donate
This is a walk for everyone. Although led by the Extinction Rebellion interfaith alliance, known as the XR Faith Bridge, people from a variety of backgrounds, of different faiths and none, have felt compelled to participate. People will come and go, and local walkers will join for a day or more. Approximately 15 people are expected to walk the entire route (which is about the length of 6,769 football pitches!) over the course of eight weeks, arriving in Glasgow on the eve of COP, 30th October 2021, but 40 people are expected in Bentham on 6th October.
Details of the whole route can be found at caminotocop.com/route
Donate: https://caminotocop.com/donate/