Pilgrims arrive in London

Pilgrims involved in the 2013 UK Pilgrimage for Peace and Economic Justice arrived in London last weekend

The pilgrims involved in the 2013 UK Pilgrimage for Peace and Economic Justice finally arrived in London last weekend – sixty-two days after leaving Iona.  The journey, which began in Iona off the west coast of Scotland on 19 May, had taken a small group of pilgrims from one end of Britain to the other.  On Friday 19 July, on arriving in London, a group of six walked to Downing Street for a midday appointment to hand over their declaration and a petition. There were television and radio crews from the BBC, ITV and Radio Scotland in attendance.

Then the pilgrims and their supporters went to Friends House on the Euston Road. They were welcomed by the clerk of Meeting for Sufferings and other representatives of the Religious Society of Friends and given hospitality.

On Saturday 20 July a service was held outside St Martin-in-the-Fields church in the centre of London, led by Katherine Hedderly, one of the clergy team of the church. The pilgrims, some of whom had set out from Iona on 19 May, were joined by many supporters. Some had taken part for stages of the pilgrimage. A fifteen-minute vigil was then held at the base of Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square. There were fifty-two people present.

Richard Dyer, of Falkirk, described the event: ‘We all stood in a circle holding hands and thinking about the Pilgrimage, the issues of nuclear weapons and all the people affected by the spending cuts, and what we had achieved – much more than we had expected.’

Andrew Greaves, one of the organisers, described the pilgrimage as ‘extraordinarily timely’ and highlighted the relevance of the themes it was engaging with.

He said: ‘We arrived in London to newspaper coverage of the Trident Alternatives Review and the archbishop of York having talked about the scandal of low pay in this country and the huge number of people living below the poverty line.’

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) launched a report entitled The Real Alternative: What the government’s Trident Alternative Review isn’t telling you in anticipation of the review.

It claims that the ‘government’s failure to consider non-replacement of the system is an abdication of responsibility’ and argues that non-replacement is a ‘credible option, which offers serious strategic and   economic benefits’.

In addition to criticism from political parties, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain have also spoken out on the Trident Alternatives Review. They believe that Trident is ‘unnecessary for our defence and unaffordable in the current climate’.

Roberta Rominger, general secretary of the United Reformed Church, said: ‘Trident is a hangover from the cold war era. Priorities have changed. Spending such vast amounts of money on a weapons system that could never be used takes money away from more productive areas.’

Andrew Greaves stressed that the aim of the Pilgrimage had been achieved ‘beyond our most optimistic hopes’.

He explained: ‘The sheer level of public support that we have met with all along the route has been wonderful. We arrived in Westminister with a fair claim to have a sense of what people in Britain feel about Trident and the effect of welfare cuts. We were carrying a message that had the wholehearted support of many people across the country. We have also been met with such hospitality, generosity and warmth. This has deeply moved the pilgrims.’

He added: ‘Spiritually, the journey was also an inward one for everyone who took part. Every single one of us has come away enriched and re-energised. It was a life changing experience.’

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