Ged makes it to Guildford

Thursday 03 Sep 09

A Jarrow man who pledged to walk over 300 miles to support a North East treasure has accomplished his mission.

Ged Lynn reached his final destination, Guildford Cathedral on Tuesday 1st September, having already championed the Wearmouth-Jarrow World Heritage Site bid in 20 towns and cities on his journey south.

St Paul’s Church in Jarrow and St Peter’s Church in Sunderland form the twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow and is the UK Government’s nomination for World Heritage Site Status in 2010.

Ged said: “This has been, without doubt, the best thing I have ever done. My main aim was to raise awareness of the Wearmouth-Jarrow bid and I’ve spoken to many, many people on the route about the site and its importance.
The combination of the levels of genuine interest in Wearmouth-Jarrow and what I was doing, the kindness and hospitality of strangers and the sun shining most of the time meant that it was a fantastic journey. Arriving in Guildford gave me an incredible sense of achievement, despite my aching feet.”

Ged was welcomed at Guildford Cathedral by cathedral volunteers plus members of the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership including Reverend Bill Braviner, Area Dean of Jarrow. Guildford was chosen as the end of the walk as it houses a carved stone, sent by the people of Jarrow to show gratitude to Sir John Jarvis, a Surrey man and MP for Guildford. He set up a relief fund in Guildford to aid the people of Jarrow when unemployment greatly affected the Tyneside area in 1931 – 1934.

The Rt Rev Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow and Chair of the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership said: “Ged’s enthusiasm and commitment to Wearmouth-Jarrow have been incredibly admirable. The people in the North East realise the site has enormous historical significance and Ged has now given us a huge boost in spreading the word further afield.”

During his walk Ged has been providing regular progress updated via a Twitter page (WHWalk), Facebook page (Ged’s 300 Mile World Heritage Walk) and his blog http://worldheritagewalk.blogspot.com