Midhurst Vicar To Visit 100 Sussex Churches On Motorbike In Five-Day Fundraiser

A Midhurst vicar is swapping the pulpit for a motorbike as he attempts to visit 100 churches across Sussex in just five days.

The Reverend Marcus Collie, Vicar of Midhurst and Rector of All Hallows in Woolbeding, will travel across the Diocese of Chichester on his Suzuki V-Strom as part of an epic fundraising pilgrimage.

He will set off from the 12th-century St Mary's Church in Rye on Monday, August 24, before making his way across Sussex and finishing at Chichester Cathedral five days later.

Marcus plans to pray at each of the 100 churches along the route, with many having previously received grants from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust to help pay for essential repairs and restoration.

The challenge is being carried out under the Ride + Stride initiative, which raises money for local churches and the Sussex Historic Churches Trust.

The official Ride + Stride Day takes place on September 12.

Marcus, who became Vicar of Midhurst and Rector of All Hallows, Woolbeding in 2023, is hoping people will join him for parts of his journey.

He's no stranger to Ride + Stride, having taken part every year since becoming incumbent.

In 2024, he couldn't take part on his bike after breaking his foot — so instead organised a "Ride and Hobble", leading a group of parishioners who use mobility aids on a walk through Midhurst.

Chris Whittick, from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust, described Marcus's pilgrimage as one of the most unusual and ambitious Ride + Stride fundraising efforts the organisation has heard about.