Father Gorton completes epic challenge for Caritas
A parish priest from Bolton has completed a huge challenge this summer, raising funds to help people locally who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and disadvantage.
Father Chris Gorton, from the Parish of St Cuthbert in Bolton, has run the Camino de Santiago in aid of our charity. The feat saw him take on a distance of 924 kilometres, which is the equivalent of running from Manchester to Dundee and back again.
He was also joined by Bishop John Arnold, who is chair of our charity, during the last week of the challenge. The Bishop walked several stages of the Camino, finishing on 23 October too.
Local school children also joined in spirit by taking on their own challenges, running or walking a set distance each day he was running to help raise awareness and much-needed funds.
The challenge is part of our Every Step campaign which is asking people to consider taking on their own challenge – whether physical or mental – that pushes them out of their comfort zone.
Patrick O’Dowd, our director, said: “Our services have seen a huge rise in demand during the cost-of-living crisis and as a charity every penny raised through challenges like this really does make a difference to the lives of local individuals and families at a time they need it most.
“We’ve been watching Father Chris’ progress closely and have been in awe of his grit and determination. I’d like to thank him for deciding to support Caritas in this way and for the amazing effort that he has endured both in training beforehand and on the Camino itself.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming him back soon and congratulating him in person – and in the meantime hope he can put his feet up and have a well deserved rest!”
To find out more about the Every Step campaign and Father Chris’ challenge, or to sign up to take on a challenge of your own this year or for 2025, visit our Every Step page now: www.caritassalford.org.uk/everystep
There’s still time to sponsor Father Chris too via his JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/fr-chris-camino
To find out more about our services or to get help and support, visit the ‘how we help’ section of our website here: www.caritassalford.org.uk/how-we-help/