Members of 243 Nottinghamshire churches and chapels are taking part in a sponsored ride and stride to raise cash for crumbling buildings of worship in the county.

Organisers of the Nottinghamshire Historic Churches Trust Sponsored Ride and Stride, which takes place on Saturday, September 10, between 10am and 6pm, hope to beat last year’s best ever total for Nottinghamshire of £23,774 raised by participants.

This year churches and chapels in the county of all denominations including Church of England, Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed Church and Catholic, have agreed to take part.  

Each place of worship maps out its own route, taking in an average of five or six other churches and chapels, for sponsored riders and striders, while other participants can choose their own itinerary.

Many of the churches open on the day provide light refreshments and some hold open days.

Four prizes are on offer for those taking part in the event this year. A prize in the form of a cycle will be on available this year for the church or chapel which has the most number of participants. A £100 cheque will be presented to the participant who writes the most entertaining story for publication in a future publication about their Ride and Stride 2011 day. In an effort to encourage more visitors to those places of worship that receive fewer visitors, a points system is again used this year.
It comprises of participants gaining points for every place of worship they visit that has been short-listed for this initiative. The rider or strider who collects the most number of points will receive a cheque for £50, which will be donated to the church or chapel of the winner’s choice. New this year is a voucher for two people to include dinner, bed and breakfast, at one of Nottingham’s most exclusive hotels – Hart’s Hotel and Restaurant – worth around £200. This will be awarded to the church or chapel which produces the highest increase of funds raised compared to the sponsorship collected by that church in 2010.

The event is open to everyone, including dog walkers, wheelchair users and car users, although the latter will not be able to qualify for the prizes. The most notable contributors to the event in 2010 were representatives from St Peter’s Church, Widmerpool with £1,492, St Andrew’s Church, Caunton with £871.50, Southwell Minster with £700, St Cyprian Church, Sneinton with £658, St Martin of Tours Church, Bilborough with £675.50. Many more places of worship contributed generously to the overall amount raised.

Another novelty in 2011 will be the partnership of the Nottinghamshire Sponsored Ride and Stride with JustGiving, the UK’s leading online fundraising website, allowing money to be donated and raised online. Recorders can now create or use their own JustGiving registrations to request donations electronically to the Ride and Stride. More details can be found on www.justgiving.com/nhctrideandstride/raisemoney

More information about the event or how to participate can be obtained by contacting Mike Elliott on 0115 937 6506 or by emailing to elliottnews [at] btconnect [dot] com Further information about the Nottinghamshire Historic Churches Trust can be found on www.nottshistoricchurchtrust.org.uk

Meanwhile, a national website, set up by the National Churches Trust – www.rideandstrideuk.org – is in operation and gives more details about the Ride and Stride in general.

The following downloads are available below:

1. List of Participating Churches 2011

2. Sponsorship Form - Outside 2011

3. Sponsorship Form Inside 2011

4. Competition Leaflet 2011

5. Sponsorship 2010 for Prize

6. JustGiving Leaflet

7. Safety Advice

8. Last Minute List with amendments to the July list