A NINE-day and 100-mile pilgrimage in the diocese of Bristol concludes on Saturday at Bristol Cathedral. Pilgrims set out from Swindon on 15 May and are passing through every deanery as they travel from east to west across the diocese.

A core of five — the Revd Chris Dobson, the Revd Steve Wilkinson, the Revd Lydia Morey, and the Revd Sally Robertson, and the environment and sustainability parish officer, Belinda Martin — have been walking the full 100 miles, joined each day by people from the deaneries and by others doing a virtual pilgrimage. The pilgrimage, “Kingdom Seeds in Local Soil”, is part of the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer movement, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Each of the nine churches or schools visited on the route hosted prayer, reflection, and fellowship, and online participants could follow the pilgrimage on the Polarsteps app.

Speaking on Tuesday, as the pilgrims walked from St Peter’s, Dereham, Mr Dobson, the organiser, was upbeat. They had just heard about the church’s plans to create a mini-pilgrimage for its 70,000 visitors.

“People can encounter the history but also the living church,” he said. “They want to make it a living witness. We’ve been blown away by how much beauty we’ve found and the hospitality we’ve received everywhere.”

The Priest-in-Charge of St Philip’s, Upper Stratton, the Revd Lydia Morey, said: “As we’re walking along, we’re talking to each other and hearing different people’s stories, what we have in common, and can share in our lives.”

The pilgrims carried seeds for sowing. Belinda Martin said: “I’ve seen amazing examples of biodiversity enhancement on the route. It’s been a real inspiration and a humbling experience to see so many different people active in their own unique way.”