Archdeacon cycles around all 181 of his churches

Hugh with Colin Bedford and his vintage and classic bikes at Wimblington St Peter

The Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech, the Ven Hugh McCurdy, has completed a 483-mile charity cycle ride during which he visited every church in his Archdeaconry as part of our Diocese’s 900th anniversary celebrations.

Hugh McCurdy, a keen cyclist, decided to combine his ecclesiastical duties with a keep-fit fundraising challenge. As Archdeacon, he is responsible for the care of clergy and church communities in the north and west of Ely Diocese - an area that covers North Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and West Norfolk.

During his 13-day trek, he stopped at all 181 churches where local people turned out to greet him and join him in prayer. “It was a wonderful experience and a great privilege to meet and pray with so many enthusiastic volunteers,” said Archdeacon McCurdy after completing his cycle ride. “It’s good to finish, and I’m feeling physically much fitter.”

He has already raised over £3,500 from sponsorship and aims to break the £4,000 barrier. The money will go to Five Talents which supports micro-finance initiatives in developing countries and the local Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trusts which give financial help towards church repairs.

Photos of the churches and people Hugh visited on his cycle

Click on the Deanery to see photos from the churches Hugh visited.

[If you spot any unlabelled or incorrectly labelled ones please let me know. Also ff you have any photos of Hugh's cycle that you would like included with these please do send them to me (electronically if possible). Many thanks - Val Robson (Communications Officer and Webmaster)]

• Huntingdon Deanery 1st and 2nd May 2009
• St Neots Deanery 8th May 2009 - sadly no photos as Hugh didn't have his camera on him this day
• St Ives Deanery 12th June 2009
• Wisbech Lynn Marshland Deanery 17th and 18th June 2009
• Fincham and Feltwell Deanery 24th and 25th June 2009
• Yaxley Deanery 29th June 2009
• March Deanery 3rd July 2009
• Ely Deanery 10th July 2009

Ode to Hugh

Here is a poem from Alan (Canon Missioner) and Annie Hargrave, capturing some of the highs and lows of Hugh's epic cycle ride!

Archdeacon Hugh

Archdeacon Hugh
In lycra
Some biker

Archdeacon Hugh
Legs pumping
Heart thumping

Archdeacon Hugh
Burns miles
All smiles

Archdeacon Hugh
Power bars
Passes cars

Archdeacon Hugh
Down hills
Big thrills

Archdeacon Hugh
Stops to pray
Slight delay

Archdeacon Hugh
Church teas?
Yes please!

Archdeacon Hugh
Hard pews
No loos

Archdeacon Hugh
Bladder weak
Hedge leak

Archdeacon Hugh
Speed King
Sore ring

Archdeacon Hugh
Good cause
Loud applause

Archdeacon Hugh
Well done
My son!

Alan and Annie Hargrave

Hugh's previous big cycles

Hugh is a keen cyclist and, together with Alan Hargrave (Canon Missioner at the Cathedral) and Alan’s wife Annie they raised about £3000 in 2006 for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity in the London to Cambridge Bike Ride.

Hugh with Alan and Annie Hargrave at start of C2C cycle in 2008

In 2008 Hugh, again with Alan and Annie, completed the gruelling Coast to Coast Cycle across the north of England in just 3 days.

They started in Workington and cycled through the Lake District National Park on the first day. The second day was spent cycling over the Peak District via Tan Hill and then along Swaledale. They stayed overnight in Richmond before touching on the North York Moors on the final day, finishing in Whitby.

Whitby is not the usual finishing destination for the renown C2C route but was chosen as being an attractive place to celebrate their momentous achievement. It also meant the route was longer, totalling 162 miles. Hugh reached a top speed of 40.7 miles per hour coming down from Tan Hill!

Charities being supported:

Five Talents exists to:

• Fight Poverty
• Create Jobs
• Transform Lives

They do this by supporting micro-finance initiatives in developing countries - providing loan capital and training for entrepreneurs.

The Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust was founded in June 1983. It's main aim is to provide financial assistance to the parishes of Cambridgeshire, when they undertake repair projects affecting the fabric, fixtures, furniture and ornaments of their historic churches and chapels.

Related Links

• To sponsor Hugh online at Justgiving
• Five Talents Anglican Charity specialising in micro-finance projects
• Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust
• Coast to Coast Cycle (C2C)
• London to Cambridge Bike Ride