A Walk of Witness

London – Gateshead

Having completed the 800 km of the Camino Frances across northern Spain I decided to walk a mere 600km more from London to Gateshead. Glutton for punishment or what? The purpose of this was to support the work of Oasis Community Housing

Background.

I re-discovered the work of Oasis Community Housing earlier in 2023 when my church announced a lent activity Walking a Mile in their Shoes. I hadn’t thought much about what was Aquila Housing Association since I had departed for Cornwall and resigned my position on the committee back in the 80s. I was able to arrange a visit to some of the local projects and to talk with David Smith the CEO and Phil Conn. It was weird to realise I was one of the founders!
I wanted to do something to help beyond that Lent activity though I was happy to do that not least because it helped me with my preparations for walking the Camino. I thought about getting sponsorship for my Camino but there wasn’t a great deal of time and I wanted to concentrate on this being a personal journey. What popped into my head was a walk dedicated to Oasis Community Housing (OCH). I remember the very first activity when we were setting up Aquila Housing Association was a sponsored walk from Rowlands Gill to Swalwell along the Derwent Walk. It’s growth from those humble beginnings perhaps demands a longer walk.

The Purpose

I jotted down some thoughts about why.

I love walking
Raise funds for the charity through sponsorship
Raise awareness of homelessness
Raise awareness of the work of Oasis Community Housing.
Bear witness to the grace of God in blessing this work
Bear witness to the challenge of how to, ” Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people, Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.” Isaiah 58 : 6-7

Why London to Gateshead?

I could have picked any long distance route but because OCH have projects in South London and here in the North-East it seemed like that would be a good idea. Peterborough had to be included too because of a project there. It just felt right. My enthusiasm for the Slow Ways initiative was a great way to work out the route. I decided on a long, low level route, following the general direction of the old Great North Road, A1, and East Coast Main line obviously with some deviations. Once I got to the North-East I did a loop through Sunderland and South Shields before arriving in Gateshead. The route can be accessed here