Friends of The Walks

Thanks to the FoW volunteers who joined The Walks management team  on Friday 25^th April to commence our ‘Wildflower Trial’. We have sown two types of UK native wildflower mix (one suited to shady conditions, the other to sunnier positions) at several locations around The Walks.
We have also planted ‘seed bombs’ (mixtures of wildflower seed in clay pellets) and plant seedlings that we grew ourselves. We have recorded what we planted where.
It has been a very dry spring so far and the ground was hard. We can hope for rain! Some of the seeds may not germinate this year. We hope that by monitoring the sites we can get a better of idea of what techniques, seed types, and conditions will give us the best and most cost-effective establishment results.

On Wednesday 16 April, King’s Lynn welcomed the Northern and Midland legs of the Pilgrim Cross Easter pilgrimage to Walsingham. The Northern group had walked 112 miles from Nottingham, while the Midland group covered 114 miles from Leicester.
Before the official groups arrived, a separate band of pilgrims made their way to the chapel, having journeyed all the way from Manchester. Camping along the way, they retraced the footsteps of 16th-century pilgrims and were delighted to visit the Red Mount Chapel for the first time. After their stop, they continued on, to spend the night camping at Sandringham.
Each group of Pilgrim Cross walkers, typically 25 to 30 people, includes a diverse mix of ages, ranging from early 20s to over 65. For seven days, they carry a large wooden cross weighing approximately 30kg as they make their way to the Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham, arriving there on Good Friday. Along their journey, the groups pause at the Red Mount Chapel in King’s Lynn for a short rest and reflection.
Due to the ferry being out of use this year, the pilgrims arrived on foot from West Lynn via the Cut Bridge. The Nottingham group was the first to reach The Walks and the Red Mount Chapel, where they received a warm welcome from the Borough Mayor, Cllr Paul Bland, along with members of the Friends of The Walks, who offered much appreciated refreshments to the weary travellers.
The 15th-century Red Mount Chapel was originally built as a rest stop for pilgrims making their way to Walsingham, who arrived in King’s Lynn either on foot via the ferry or by ship from the continent. At its peak, Walsingham was the second most popular pilgrimage destination in England, after Canterbury.
Although pilgrimages were banned by Henry VIII during the Reformation in 1537, it remains fitting that today’s modern pilgrims continue this ancient tradition, visiting the historic Red Mount on their journey.
Pilgrim Cross aims to blend traditional and contemporary elements of pilgrimage, including poetry and music beyond the bounds of conventional church services. After enjoying their refreshments, the groups gathered in the upper chapel for a short service with hymns—concluding, most appropriately, with a spirited rendition of John Bunyan’s classic, To Be a Pilgrim.

Arriving with the cross

Mayor greets the pilgrims

Group prayer

A big thanks to all who came along to help spread bark mulch around the younger trees in The Walks. We managed to get around 50 trees mulched over two morning sessions and hopefully that will put those trees in good stead for the future. Thanks to The Walks staff, David and Nick, for setting us up with mulch and tools and directing operations. We hope this and similar jobs might be an annual task in future – so if you would like to come and help – get in touch and give us your contact details.

The Solar System artwork, first created by Carolyn Ash in 2013, has recently been cleaned, repaired and embellished with a new floral bedding display. Thanks to Chris and The Walks management team for working on this over the winter.