Parishioner walking 700 miles to support Bethlehem charity

Bruce Carter on the road

Source: Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability

Anglican parishioner Bruce Carter, who is part of the serving team at Salisbury Cathedral, is this Lent walking 700 miles from John O'Groats to Salisbury in aid of the charity Action around Bethlehem Children with Disability (ABCD). Bruce Carter is attempting this Hike for Hope to raise money for the rehabilitation of injured and traumatised children in the Gaza Strip.

Leaving John O'Groats on Ash Wednesday, 5 March, Bruce is hoping to make contact with local churches on his way 'back home' to Salisbury, hoping to arrive on Wednesday 16 April.

This will give him time to recover before carrying the Processional Cross into Salisbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday. Along the route he is being offered bed and board by parishioners supporting his pilgrimage, passing through Falkirk, Gretna, Lancaster, Tewkesbury and Cheltenham to name but a few, all with the aim of raising over £25k to support children's rehabilitation services in the Gaza strip.

The UK-based charity was founded nearly 40 years ago and started with a partnership with the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR), one of the two main rehabilitation hospitals in the West Bank. The charity continues to support the BASR via an outreach programme, as well as providing a grant to the Sheepfold, a children's centre in Beit Sahour. The charity has also established five comprehensive rehab Centres in refugee camps across the West Bank, each supporting disabled children and their families in the most challenging of circumstances.

Canon Daniel Burton, currently working as Vicar of Oldham in the Diocese of Manchester, first became a Trustee of ABCD in 2016 and has, in the past few months, taken over as Chair of Trustees. Canon Burton and has been instrumental in the development of the charity in recent years including overseeing the emergency response to the recent crisis in the region. With IDF raids on refugee camps in the region continuing, damage to the infrastructure of many of the charity's centres (in particular, Nur Shams) has rendered services untenable, with the psychological impact on children and young adults incalculable. Due to the generous donations of supporters, ABCD Bethlehem has been able to respond with extra emergency funds of £75 to date. Each of the charities key five centres have received £15k allowing the provision of trauma therapy in addition to the regular rehabilitation programmes, and to deliver food parcels, essential medication and nappies for families who have lost their livelihoods

Bruce Carter, comments: "The idea for a walk came to me when I recalled a book that I had read during Lent one year. The author Trystan Owen Hughes talked about the etymology of the word to 'saunter' and discussed the idea of walking through the world and seeing God's presence all around us. During the recent crisis in the region, I have been hugely affected by listening to the voices of refugees on the radio and reflecting on the distances they have to walk to try to find safety. They don't have a choice, but I do.

"I had planned to take time off work during Lent and thought that if I couldn't go to Palestine then I would use that time to raise money for a charity directly involved in supporting the plight of the Palestinian people. These last two years at Greenbelt festival, my wife Pip and I have befriended volunteers who run a stand for ABCD; and this year I decided that I would use my time to do something positive for this charity."

Canon Daniel Burton said: "I am sad to say that the work of ABCD Bethlehem is more necessary today than at any point in its four-decade long history - and it is likely to be much-needed for the foreseeable future. To help future proof the charity for generations to come, we are currently reviewing our strategic priorities, but we hope to expand our work to more refugee camps and to offer respite facilities for families caring for children with disabilities.

We are grateful to all our supporters to give their time to raise funds for and awareness of our cause. We wish Bruce every success and will be eagerly following every of his journey. We hope this inspires others to Hike for Hope for ABCD!"

If you would like to track Bruce's walking progress, see: https://share.garmin.com/lentenhikeforhope

To support Bruce's Lenten Walk fundraiser please donate here: https://abcdbethlehem.enthuse.com/cf/hike-for-hope2025