On a beautiful sunny morning, 30 pilgrims, who had arrived from Malmesbury the night before, joined the congregation of Holy Trinity Church, Bradford on Avon and other local churches on the grassy slope at the foot of the little Saxon Church of St. Laurence to be welcomed by the Right Revd. Peter Hullah, Bishop of Ramsbury. All sang the hymn "With the saints whose stories stir us", words written for this occasion by Rosalind Brown, to the tune of "Regent Square".
The Right Revd. Tim Thornton, Bishop of Sherborne, Archdeacons of Sarum, Wiltshire and Sherborne, Canon W.A. Matthews, Vicar of Holy Trinity with many local clergy and dignitaries were part of the procession which crossed the small street and wound through the churchyard into Holy Trinity Church, singing "Awake, awake, fling off the night." Bishop Tim Thornton preached a sermon encouraging the congregation to be like a verb rather than a noun. Go out and act, as did St. Aldhelm.
After the service the pilgrims and their hosts enjoyed a buffet lunch in the Church Hall before taking a short walk to the Tithe Barn, along the busy canal where Bishop Tim Thornton and other pilgrims stopped to chat with people along the way, demonstrating the teachings of St. Aldhelm. After a joyful day they departed to Sherborne for Evensong and the next leg of their journey.

Ann Holland