Christian Aid at 80 Part 3 - Westminster Abbey

I was not expecting a personal invitation to a service at Westminster Abbey but when the email arrived in March this year I didn’t hesitate to accept.
Tickets were not limited only to those who were invited so my holiday companion, Christine and I secured one each straight away.
In April train journeys were organised and in early May four nights accommodation at the President Hotel, Guildford Street, London was booked.
On Monday 9th of June I set out for Durham Station on foot,(I was already preparing for my Walk the Wall Challenge) to catch the 10.40 train to Kings Cross. My good friend and travelling companion Christine joined the same train at Darlington. Less than three hours later we were in the Capital City and already feeling the heat.
Christine was very supportive of my training schedule and readily agreed that we would walk as much as possible during our free days and we explored many of the usual tourist hot spots on foot. Buckingham Palace, the Royal Parks, Princess Diana’s Fountain, St Paul’s Cathedral Covent Garden and the Millennium Bridge, enjoying plenty of refreshment stops along the way
On Thursday 12 June we made our way to Westminster Abbey and after meeting up with my daughter, Helen, we were directed into a long queue snaking around the building.
Once inside the size and splendour of the Abbey was overwhelming, but I was struck by how welcoming it felt. Along with many other Christian Aid supporters and organisers we were an ordinary humble crowd transported for a brief time into a place of splendour with countless historic and even royal connections.
From the children’s choir performing outside to the Kingdom Choir enhancing worship I felt privileged to share in the experience.
The story of Christian Aid’s 80 years from it’s first appeal in aid of post war poverty around the World immediately after VE Day through to the present day was outlined and posters from various campaigns through the years.
For highlights from the service follow the link to the Christian Aid website (below) and read the message from Rev Jerry Pillay, General Council Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Take time, also, to read the poem The Unstoppable Power of Hope by Storm Cecile.
An hour after the service started we were filing out, blinking in the sunshine as we returned to “normality” after such a surreal experience.
For lunch the three of us dined on Street Food in the grounds of St Thomas’ Hospital and then we enjoyed a steady stroll along the river to the on the South Bank past the National Theatre and  OXO Tower (where ice cream might have been consumed!) to Bankside Pier and a Water Taxi journey back to Westminster.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Helen and return to our hotel.
The following day, before catching our train home, we explored London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Park, a haven for wildlife and weary travellers near Kings Cross.
The final leg of my journey was the walk home from Durham Station on a lovely June evening.

Christian Aid Website - Highlights of the Westminster Abbey service

Next week Day 1 of my Walk the Wall Challenge.

Jean