"Attributed to T. S. Eliot is the quotation: ‘it is the journey not the arrival that matters.’ If so, members of The Ridgeway Project are to be celebrated and congratulated not merely for the funds they raised for charity but for walking, near non-stop, 40 miles of The Ridgeway Path on Saturday 14 June, and for doing so in the best of form.

Setting off from Ivinghoe Beacon at 6.30am, the group of students and staff were in high spirits and made rapid progress to Tring, Princes Risborough, Watlington, Nuffield, and Wallingford, to end at North Stoke in a time of 13 hours 50 minutes. The walkers should be applauded. Yes, 40 miles is a good old distance in one stint. However, the real challenge of the route was that it involved 1,093 meters of ascent. There is not much flat on The Ridgeway!

What was gained? We could say it is excellent to take up advocacy for the outdoors, wilder places and countryside, and to hail the rejuvenating power of our environments. We could say that the day was a wonderful bonding experience, and the camaraderie never to be forgotten. The important thing, though, was that we tested ourselves. Every change is a challenge which makes up who we are. We went through trials on the trail, tests of our own temperaments and capabilities. For us, this was only for one day; but we could reflect that for those we hoped to support by our fundraising such a challenge can be the experience of their every day.

The Ridgeway Walk has now raised over £1,500 for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), which funds pioneering research into heart-related issues whilst also offering training courses and heart screening to the community. This is a charity already well-known to us at The Oratory through its links with Old Oratorian, Morgan Macrae. Please do visit our Just Giving page to learn more - there is also still time to donate to this worthwhile cause: www.justgiving.com/page/oratory-ridgeway-project."

Dr David Moses
Assistant Head (6th Form)