Bicycling Becomes A Habit

A bicycling monk, who raised funds for the rebuilding of his monastery church by taking to the roads on a vintage folding bike, is set to do it again, but this time in company.

Last year, Fr George Guiver the superior of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield, cycled 122 miles from Monkwearmouth, once home to The Venerable Bede, to Mirfield on a Bickerton folding bike.

Now he has announced that he will undertake another long-distance cycle journey, travelling from Birmingham to Oxford, via Worcester between the 20th to 23rd April.

And this time he will not be alone, instead he will cycle with the community’s novices, and the group will sing or say the Midday Office on each day of trip, in or outside the country churches they pass by.

Because of his dislike of cycling on main roads, Fr George has planned a route which takes him from one city to the other via a network of cycle paths and small country roads.

And well-wishers and fellow adventurers are invited to join the monks for the Offices, which will be held at the Community’s regular time of midday.

The Community are asking anyone who is able to, to consider sponsoring the pedalling priests, as they attempt to raise money to help pay for huge scale renovations to their Victorian home.

Work undertaken so far has seen the landmark monastic church, with its distinctive bronze roof, completely renovated.

But so far there is not enough cash in the kitty to finish paying for the work that has been done, and looking further ahead, the community wants to build a new residential block, which would see the old monastic rooms be turned into flats from which they would get an income.

In total the monks hope to raise £1.7 million to complete the building works, but in the meantime Fr George is looking to raise £10,000 by completing sponsored bike rides. So far he is a third of the way towards his target.