Or how we got to 2026…
In the beginning…
The first Five Church Walk was on 29th April 1984 on an initiative by Molash church parishioners to raise funds for its restoration inviting Chilham, Challock, Boughton Aluph & Godmersham, to join in organizing a sponsored walk. A 24 page A4 size guide (price 25p) provided church & route descriptions plus marked-up O.S. maps, (part was very different from today). So successful was it that a year or so later it became an annual event for all comers on the May Day Bank Holiday.
Apart from the guide book being replaced by putting up red dayglow arrows where required along the way the registration & checking in procedure has remained virtually unchanged. In the earlier years the services of the Raynet amateur radio organization set up masts at each church to radio number details of each walker as they arrived, the idea being that anybody well overdue could be searched for. In fact it gave Raynet good practice for a Cold War disaster; nowadays we have mobile phones, so we’re able to make the procedures less demanding. The Pilgrims Hospices & Kent Air Ambulance also were added for people who wish to support secular charities. Together they now account for about a third of the total distributed, with the rest split among the churches (who also benefit from sales of refreshments to several hundred hungry walkers). The route has had some very large changes down the years; initially much of the northern part between Chilham & Challock was through the Forestry Commission’s King’s Wood, popping up briefly to Molash church. Later nearly all this route switched to orchards & farmland to the north to add variety; nowadays it is a compromise between the two. Challock to Boughton Aluph remains unchanged, but for several years Godmersham dropped out so the North Downs Way was taken on to Chilham. In 2015 Godmersham rejoined with a mile long section up Godmersham Downs kindly allowed by the Estate owner. The variety offered is arguably the best ever.
The popularity of The Five Church Walk is such that we couldn’t stop it if we wanted to, but Forty two years of fundraising which causes so much pleasure proves that it’s well worth doing. Long may it continue!
The Five Church Walk 2015 – Breaking News
Three months ago I reported that I had been speaking to two Godmersham ringers (Kevin & Caroline Old ) about the possibility of Godmersham rejoining the Walk from next May. Theirs was one of the original five churches in 1984, & since then there have been a number of route changes but none so radical as when Godmersham dropped out due I think to lack of helpers.
Overall this shortened the Walk, but it stretched the leg between Boughton Aluph & Chilham. We three met the Godmersham Park Estate Manager who has approved that Five Church Walkers ascend the private path up to Kings Wood near the Soakham Down descent. So the total distance would still be just over 16 miles, & makes Chilham/Godmersham an easy level route for the less physically able or those who only want a shortish walk.
My next step was to collar the two Godmersham church wardens at the reception after Rev Sue Starkings licensing service & they seemed to be very keen, as was Sue when I spoke to her later. I arranged a meeting for them to meet Five Church Walk chairman Martin Hook expecting to have to brief them to enable them to persuade their PCC. But I was amazed to be told that they had already approved the motion, so the splendid news is that Godmersham is back in its rightful place as one of the Five Churches.
The date is the Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 4th May 2015, & the walkers choose to support any or all of the churches on the route and/or Pilgrims Hospices or Kent Air Ambulance. So write this in your new diary as soon as you get it, also in your phone or tablet.
Chris Godfrey
Food history: how it used to be done
We would invite folk from both Crundale and Godmersham to join us for a few hours on a Sunday to make up sandwiches, label them and create a trail mix. The buns needed slicing, buttering and filling. A whole variety of fillings were used ham, tuna cheese, peanut butter only, salads etc. Margarine spreads were used, salad bits added ( cucumber tomato lettuce, salad cream), labels were written to fit what was in the sandwich bags and all were kept in cool boxes with freeze blocks over night. The trail mix or ‘GORP’ as the Americans have it, was a mix of ‘Good old Raisins and Peanuts’ Our trail mix had a big variety of nuts and different dried fruits to tempt those who were after a lighter style of snack. These needed to be mixed together and after the bags had been labelled, they were filled.
Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May 2015 -The Five Church Walk Day – Actual Article written
Sunday – we began straight after our service finished. Kevin Old, our current Five Church Walk Committee Chairman, went with Chris Godfrey, who was our Treasurer at this time, to go learn where all Godmersham red arrows or ‘ Way Markers’ were placed. This years walk was Clockwise, which meant that Godmersham would receive lots of hungry walkers from Chilham first thing. I began to get tables out inside the church and began to unload the car which was loaded to the rafters with sandwich ingredients. I got everything in place for the next days various teams and walkers. By 14:30 the sandwich making table was set up like a production line, ready for the team who arrived at 15:30 to put plastic gloves on, then spread, fill, label and place into bags. An impressive mound had accumulated by 17:00. We tidied up, wiped down and went home.
Monday – by 8:00 in the morning, we had cleaned the toilet area, put out the chairs, food and bunting in their places, well before the first walkers arrived. The Flower Ladies had excelled themselves and the floral displays were stunning. All the volunteers were amazed at the amount of folk who arrived ready for sustenance. We were very grateful to Fiona Sunley who allowed us to create a different route over her land which meant that folk had easier access to the church as the route went right past it, whereas previously it had not which is why Godmersham had dropped out for quite some years. We were thrilled to hear that the Heritage Centre was open throughout the day which enticed more people to stop longer. Many thanks to all who supported us on the day by volunteering, baking and cooking, for those who made the sandwiches from Crundale as well as Godmersham community and to those walkers who bought and ate and drank all that was on offer. Congratulations to Matthew Swan who at the age of 8 walked the whole 16 miles, a valiant effort was made by his brother Daniel who did his best. A vote of thanks should go to Chris and Janet Godfrey for their close support and food details.
Next Years walk will be our Thirtieth Anniversary and will be Anti-Clockwise….
