clip_image001

Today, 27 February, the Church commemorates George Herbert, the saintly priest and poet who was a close friend of Nicholas Ferrar and who was prebend of Leighton Bromswold. Together the two friends, with Nicholas’s brother John (and the local craftsmen who did the work), restored Leighton Bromswold church. So it is an appropriate day to send out details of this year’s Little Gidding Pilgrimage, which we hope many of you will be able to join.

The Pilgrimage will be held on Saturday 20 May 2017. This year’s Pilgrimage will be led jointly by Canon Tim Alban Jones and Dr Bridget Nichols. Canon Alban Jones is the Chaplain to the Bishop of Peterborough and is also a residentiary canon of Peterborough Cathedral. Before moving to Peterborough in 2015 he was Vicar of Soham and Warden of Readers in the diocese of Ely. Bridget Nichols was for 18 years Lay Chaplain to successive Bishops of Ely; she writes a weekly column in the Church Times on the Sunday lectionary readings and has been a member of the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England since 2011.

The Pilgrimage will follow the established format and the expected timetable for the day is:

10.30am

Pilgrimage Eucharist at Leighton Bromswold

12 noon

Lunch

1pm

Pilgrimage Walk begins: First Station at Leighton Bromswold

2pm

Second Station at Salome Wood

2.45pm

Third Station at Hamerton

3.45pm

Fourth Station at Steeple Gidding

4.15pm

Fifth Station at the Tomb of Nicholas Ferrar at Little Gidding

4.30pm

Evensong at Little Gidding

5.30pm

Tea at Ferrar House, Little Gidding

Lunch will be available at Leighton Bromswold and Tea at Little Gidding. It greatly helps us if you are able to book Lunch and/or Tea in advance and there is a form on the Pilgrimage leaflet which can be downloaded from our website www.littlegidding.org.uk/pilgrimage. We invite a contribution of £12 per person which enables us to cover the costs of Lunch and Tea and some of the other expenses of the day itself.

The Pilgrimage leaders will give addresses at the two services and short reflections at each of the Stations on the walk.

If you have been on the Pilgrimage before then you will know that it is a mixture of spiritual themes along with a walk through the delightful Huntingdonshire countryside, conversation and food with friends old and new, and a chance to explore some beautiful and historic churches. If you’ve not been before then then you’ll certainly be warmly welcomed.