North Wales churches take to the beach to walk, pray and clear the way

Churches along the north Wales coast will be meeting on the beach every Monday afternoon this summer to walk, pray and pick up litter.

The weekly journey, called Shore to Shore, will see people walk a section of the beach and coastal path between Talacre and Llandudno, stopping to talk and pray as well as picking up litter. The 25-mile route has been split into six sections, varying in length from three miles to six miles.  The churches are working in collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy / Cadwch Gymru’n Daclus which is providing litter-picking equipment to congregations.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron will join the walkers at the beginning of the first section of the walk, leaving Talacre beach at 1pm on Monday 19 July. Bishop Gregory said: “Shore to Shore is a straightforward and down to earth example of the church seeking to serve its local community and make a difference. We’re encouraging congregations to open their church doors, to leave their building behind and meet the needs of their local community. As we begin the school summer holidays, beaches here will be busier than ever and we hope to do our bit to keep them clean and tidy.”

Shore to Shore has been organised by the Archdeacon of St Asaph and is supported by Church in Wales churches in Prestatyn, Rhyl, Towyn, Pensarn, Abergele, Llanddulas, Colwyn Bay, Rhos on Sea, Craig y Don in Llandudno and Deganwy. Anyone interested in walking is welcome to join Shore to Shore, says Archdeacon Andy Grimwood: “We’d love to see walkers for health, environmental groups, dog walkers, tourists and people who pray join us each Monday afternoon on the beach. People are welcome to walk as little or as much as they wish and details of how to find us are on the Diocese of St Asaph website.

“Anyone not wishing to pray should be able to gather a bit more rubbish until we are all ready to move on.  Those not able to walk are invited to join us at any of the prayer points shown on the map for the day and especially at the end when a prayer van will be on hand to encourage us with water and other spiritual refreshment.”

Shore to Shore is part of a coastal strategy to reinvigorate church-life by the sea in north Wales. Many of the churches are based in large Victorian buildings in need of substantial modernisation. Some of the communities they serve are among the most deprived in Wales and have suffered disproportionately through the Covid pandemic. Last year, St Mary’s Church in Towyn created and distributed hundreds of hygiene hampers to people in need along the coast.  You can find out more about the project at in this film on youtube.

Andy Grimwood added: “Like the Hygiene Hamper scheme, we want Shore to Shore to show people that the church cares about them and their local environment. We want to be visible as Christians and bringing people together to walk, talk and pray, in the safety of an outside space, will remind people that we’re here to serve them.”

You can find details of Shore to Shore on the Diocese of St Asaph website.

The Diocese of St Asaph stretches from Llandudno in north-west Wales across to the Wales/England border and down to Newtown in Powys.  It is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province in the worldwide Anglican Communion.