Ride & Stride is a nationwide event that happens every September, this year on Saturday, 11th September 2021. Thousands of people will be sponsored to travel from church to church by walking, cycling or other means of transport. I plan to visit ten historic Gloucestershire churches on foot. In my case, the funds raised will be split between the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust and updating our church in Stow: St Edward's.

St Edward’s is a special building. The site has been a place of worship for over 1,000 years, holding a central place in the town's history and the story of the English Civil War 1642-1646. The building has been extended and adapted in most generations to meet the changing needs of its worshippers and community. We hope now to update the building for the challenges of the 21st Century:

• to incorporate modern audiovisual and internet facilities for worshippers and the community;
• to accommodate all styles of worship;
• to provide a space that meets the needs of local communities; and
• to offer an even better and more informative experience as visitors start to return to the Cotswolds.

We would like to pass on this precious gift from our rich past, revitalized and renewed for the future. Please help us do so!

This year's 20-mile walking route covers ten historic churches: 

• St Edward's, Stow-on-the-Wold (12th Century)
• St Paul, Broadwell (12th Century)
• St James, Longborough (12th Century)
• St Nicholas, Condicote (12th Century)
• St Mary's, Upper Swell (12th Century)
• St Mary's, Lower Swell (12th Century)
• St. Mary, Lower Slaughter (13th Century)
• St Peter, Upper Slaughter (12th Century)
• St Lawrence, Bourton-on-the-Water (14th Century)
• St Lawrence, Wyck Rissington (12th Century)

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