Bishop Dave and Bishop Gavin clocked up almost 100 miles while visiting 44 churches on Saturday for the annual Ride + Stride historic churches fundraiser.
Bishop Gavin was joined by a team of five who headed off from Church House in Kidlington, calling in at 16 Oxfordshire churches before meeting Bishop Dave in Watlington for lunch. Bishop Dave took an off-road approach visiting 28 churches on his way to and from Watlington, covering a total of 57 miles for his Buckinghamshire leg of the bike ride.
Bishop Gavin said: “It was great to be part of the team from Church House, cycling through miles of beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, visiting churches and seeing the commitment and devotion with which they are cared for by their local communities. As well as Church of England churches, we called in at Baptist, Roman Catholic and Methodist churches, so it was good to see a slice of the wider Christian family as we supported this very worthwhile cause.”
Ride + Stride is open to walkers as well as horse-riders and cyclists – in fact to anyone using a non-mechanical form of transport. The event raises money for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels of any Christian denomination in the county it is taking place in, with the funds divided between the church of the participant's choice and their local Historic Churches Trust.
At the end of this ride, Bishop Dave said: “This has been an amazing day, just seeing the variety of places and churches in this diocese. I have been in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. I have had five punctures since lunch which has added an hour and a bit on to my ride but it has been an amazing experience and now I’m really looking forward to a cold drink and sitting on my sofa. If you can, please do support the work of the Bucks Historic Trust that keep all our churches open for future generations to enjoy.
You can still sponsor Bishop Gavin and Bishop Dave for their efforts.