On Wednesday 25 June, the whole of Durham Blue Coat C.E Aided Junior School including staff and some parents set off on a pilgrimage from Finchale Priory to Durham Cathedral. In total, a cohort of 280 people walked the route, which is part of one of the Northern Saints Trails and is also the start of the Camino Ingles pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.
Along the way, there were eight ‘pause points’ for prayer and reflection, where they engaged with numerous themes. These included journeying as a pilgrim in life and in faith, care of creation, and focusing on saints such as Cuthbert and Bede.
On the route, the children also collected pilgrim stamps which had been provided by churches and other organisations that supported the event, including the National Trust’s Crook Hall Gardens and the Radisson Hotel.
The Revd Canon Charlie Allen, Canon Chancellor at Durham Cathedral, spent time in the school ahead of the pilgrimage, where she helped the children to write prayers and prepare for the big day. On Wednesday, she started them off at Finchale and was there at the finish, to welcome them to the cathedral and award them their pilgrim tokens.
Canon Charlie said,
A statement from the school said,
“Blue Coat C.E Junior School had a fabulous experience today on our first whole school pilgrimage. The children had a ‘magical’ time. We are delighted to know that we are the first school to have done this and we hope to make it an annual event. Huge thanks to Canon Charlie from Durham Cathedral and Keith Taylor from the Camino Ingles team for their amazing support.”
