Archdeacon cycling around all 180+ of his churches
Hugh arriving at Little Paxton church
The Venerable Hugh McCurdy, the Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech is celebrating the 900th year of the Diocese by cycling around all the churches in his archdeaconry this summer - over 180 churches. He is stopping at each church to pray, giving thanks for life of the church and for its future.
In doing this Hugh hopes to raise a substantial amount for Five Talents, the Anglican Charity specialising in micro-finance projects and for the local Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust.
Hugh at Little Paxton church
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!
Hugh’s cycling dates around the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon and Wisbech are:
| May 1st and 2nd | Huntingdon Deanery |
| May 8th | St Neots Deanery |
| June 12th | St Ives Deanery |
| June 17th and 18th | Wisbech Lynn Marshland |
| June 24th and 25th | Fincham and Feltwell Deanery |
| June 29th and 30th | Yaxley Deanery |
| July 3rd and 4th | March Deanery |
| July 10th | Ely Deanery |
Other cyclists are very welcome to join in on any of the routes Hugh is taking. Please contact Hugh if you would like to join him on any part of his cycle ride.
How to sponsor Hugh:
At Justgiving.com: www.justgiving.com/hughmccurdy
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