A 140-mile walk from Bath to London has raised more than £15,000 to help preserve and reinvigorate Bath’s historic Abbey for future generations.
The seven-day trek was organised in aid of Footprint, the £19.3m development scheme to repair the Abbey’s collapsing floor, install an eco-friendly heating system using Bath’s hot springs and create additional space and improved facilities.
Taking part in the walk from the Abbey to Lambeth Palace – the official residence in London of the Archbishop of Canterbury – were Abbey rector Edward Mason, Footprint director Charles Curnock, Footprint appeal director Laura Brown and church warden emeritus Jeremy Key-Pugh.
They covered the distance at an average of 20 miles a day, taking with them a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, inviting him to Bath Abbey to find out more about the Footprint project.
They were greeted at Lambeth Palace by St Anselm Community manager Estelle Kim-Lim, who accepted the letter on behalf of the Archbishop.
Speaking on their arrival at Lambeth Palace, Edward Mason said: “It’s been a challenging walk and there were times when I wondered if we would make it. Many people encouraged us along the way.
“We were very fortunate to be joined by the mayor, local community and members of our congregation on the first day of our walk and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generous donations we’ve received.”
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, offered his congratulations to the team, saying: “What a wonderful achievement for Edward and his team, and a very worthwhile fundraiser for a building which plays such a valuable part in bringing together communities in our diocese.”
In May last year, the Footprint project received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). In order to unlock the full award of £10m from HLF, the Abbey will need to raise £7.1m of match funding. Combined with other donations and this latest pledge, there is less than £4.5m to raise from a combination of charitable trusts, foundations, private donors and public fundraising events.
In March four Bath-based companies were selected to lead the design-and-build work. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) was reappointed as the lead consultant and architect while Buro Happold and Mann Williams were retained as MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) and structural engineers.
Duncan Ball from Synergy Construction and Property Consultants’ Bath office was chosen to continue in his role as the project’s quantity surveyor, with Paul Grinham from the same company in the newly-created role of Footprint project manager.
To find out more about Footprint or to make a donation visit www.bathabbey.org/footprint or contact Katie McGill on 01225 303314 or KMcgill@bathabbey.org
Pictured from left: Charles Curnock, Jeremy Key-Pugh, Edward Mason and Laura Brown
