“Everywhere I’ve been, people are passionate about this heritage”

Standing in front of Nottingham Cathedral’s Blessed Chapel, slightly windswept from the road in from Derby, Jonathan Mayes looked like a man who meant it when he said he was enjoying himself.

The CEO of the Cathedral Music Trust arrived on Friday 17th April alongside three companions: Henry, a regular Trust supporter who joined him for the Peterborough-to-Sheffield leg; Canon Michael Futers, Acting Precentor at Derby Cathedral; and Alex Binns, Derby Cathedral’s Choir Director. The 18-mile ride from Derby was, by Mayes’ standards, a gentle day. He is 50 days into a 3,000-mile cycling pilgrimage across England and Wales, visiting over 100 choirs, raising funds and awareness for the Trust's work supporting choral and organ music across the UK.

Nottingham was stop 115, with around 18 still to go.

He has cycled through South Wales, through Cornwall, ‘as hilly as it gets’, and through weather that has tested him at every turn. But when asked what has stayed with him most, his answer was immediate. ‘I’ve enjoyed meeting the people the most, truly,’ he said. ‘Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been greeted by people who are really passionate about choral music, and passionate about the heritage that they are part of.’ That heritage, he noted, runs five or six hundred years deep, through both the Catholic and Anglican traditions. His pilgrimage is, at its heart, a celebration of how widely that richness is spread across the country. ‘It’s really an attempt to show how widely available great music is.’

Choir Director Dr Peter Siepman welcomed the group and gave them a tour of the Cathedral, including the ongoing Restoring Pugin Project. He spoke of how much the Trust’s support means to the music department and how fitting it felt that a journey built around choral heritage should pass through a building whose own musical story stretches back centuries.

The Trust is aiming to raise £30,000 through the pilgrimage. To follow Jonathan’s route and support the ride, visit cathedralmusictrust.org.uk/choral-adventure-map