On September 13th I leave home in Cheshire to go on a 342-mile pilgrimage walk from Corunna, in northern Spain, to Fatima in central Portugal, arriving in time for the centenary celebrations of the last appearance of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children on October 13th. The apparitions took place throughout the summer of 1917 and are considered to be among the most important made by Our Lady, with a message of repentance, the prophecy of another terrible war, and a vision of the Church laid waste.

Yet her message is, as always, one of hope, in that she told us what we need to do. I shan’t go into that just now, as I am expecting to find out more as I go along and to come back better informed. I do wish, however, to raise significant sums for the charities below. You can choose which of the charities you would like to support – just one, or all of them, or any combination inbetween.

The charities - further details of which you will find on my website at www.fatimawalk.org - are these:

Aid to the Church in Need

British Association, Sovereign and Military Order of Malta

Siddington Trust

The Bishop of Shrewsbury's In Mission Fund

St Wulstan's Musical Education Trust

Alive to the World Ltd

Catenian Association Bursary Fund

Family Education Trust

Please leave a message with your donation saying how you would like it split as between these charities - or if you don't, it will be split between them equally.

Thank-you,

David Kirk.