Mark Nash raises £3,000.74 after cycling to 84 Wiltshire churches

Mark Nash has completed an ambitious cycling challenge across Wiltshire, visiting 84 churches in a single day to raise money for the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust and St Leonard's Church in Bulford.

The challenge was part of the Wiltshire Ride and Stride 2026 event, which took place on Saturday 12 September and encourages cyclists, walkers and other participants to visit churches while raising sponsorship for their chosen causes.

Before the event, Mark had set himself the target of cycling to more than 75 churches across Wiltshire, with the fundraising supporting the preservation of the county's historic places of worship.

Mark's challenge has now resulted in a total of £3,000.74 being raised, including Gift Aid and paper sponsorship.

Half of the money raised through Mark's fundraising is going towards St Leonard's Church in Bulford, with the other half supporting the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust and its work helping churches across the county.

The trust provides grants to churches for important repairs, maintenance and preservation work, helping to protect Wiltshire's historic religious buildings for future generations.

Mark's cycling route covered a large part of Wiltshire, starting in the Bourne Valley before travelling towards Salisbury and then continuing up the Wylye Valley towards Warminster and Westbury.

He then crossed the top of Salisbury Plain towards Urchfont before continuing into the Vale of Pewsey and eventually finishing through the Avon Valley.

The journey gave Mark the opportunity to see 84 churches as well as large areas of Wiltshire's countryside, which he described as leaving him with an overwhelming sense of the beauty of the landscape and the churches within it.

The challenge took longer than Mark had originally planned, with some footpaths proving rougher than expected and the route involving fields and stiles.

Along the way, Mark also had an unexpected encounter with some heifers, while the welcome at many of the churches provided much-needed refreshments during the demanding journey.

Mark had originally planned to spend only two minutes at each church, but said this was unrealistic as he enjoyed meeting people and experiencing the hospitality at many of the stops.

By the time he reached St Leonard's Church in Bulford, it was 19:53 and darkness was beginning to fall.

The Wiltshire Ride and Stride event has been running for decades and has raised more than £1.7m for churches across the county, with half of each participant's fundraising going to their chosen church and the other half supporting the work of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust.

Mark is now keen to revisit many of the churches he visited during the challenge and has also expressed an interest in returning to play some of the organs he saw during his journey.

Support Mark's Wiltshire Ride and Stride fundraiser