Annual Pentecost Walk of Witness

Photo: Kirsty Rigg

A Walk of Witness

Churches in Littleborough will come together on Sunday, May 27, for the annual Pentecost Walk of Witness, leaving from St Andrew's at Dearnley at 1.30pm to arrive at Hare Hill Park for a combined service at 2.00pm, led by the Rev Paul Martin, chairman of Bolton and Rochdale Methodist District.

Stuart Carmichael, of St Andrew's, looks back at the history of the Whit Walks and sets the scene for Sunday's event.

--------

The Whit Walks have been a massive part of community life in this part of Lancashire for a century and a half at least. Some walks take place on the Friday before or after Whit Sunday but Littleborough’s is always on the Sunday and many people people go to follow the bands around Saddleworth on the Friday for their parade and band contest.

Whit Friday was traditionally the time when people wore new clothes, and the walk became an opportunity to show off these clothes. The wearing of new clothes originates from the past practice of newly baptised members being received into the church at Whitsun. The new clothes, often white, were symbolic of a new start.

The Pentecost Walk of Witness by Littleborough Churches Together was revived in the 1980’s by the fledgling LCT, a grouping of the Christian churches in Littleborough: Holy Trinity, St. Andrew’s, St.Barnabas’, Wardle Village Church, Dearnley Methodist church, Smallbridge Methodist Church, Smithy Bridge Methodist Church, Greenhill Methodist Church, Littleborough United Reformed Church, St.James, St.Mary’s RC, and Branches Christian Fellowship.

It has taken place every year since come tempest or sunshine led by one of the local brass bands, usually from Wardle. Church banners used to be paraded, some of them massive embroideries dating from the early 20th Century but in latter years this has been largely discontinued as some churches didn’t have banners.

Parishioners young and old, from babes in buggies to 86 year olds will walk the mile and a half from St.Andrew’s, Dearnley, following the band to St.Mary’s where other groups will join in and thence to Hare Hill Park where the band will lead us in hymns.

The short service will be led by one of the local clergy; a speaker is invited to talk to the gathered crowd about the importance of using our gifts in the spirit of God for the whole community, the purpose of Whitsuntide, the common name for Pentecost, being to commemorate the giving of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples to enable them to spread the good news of everlasting life.

After the talk Branches Christian Fellowship organise a puppet show and games for the children in the park. This is always an extremely popular part of the proceedings.

If the weather is bad the event will takes place this year in Littleborough United Reformed Church on Victoria Street – but the band and the gathered throng will still be walking there!