(From our Istanbul correspondent!) It is not unusual at this time of year to think of Turkey – in our case, though, it is the inventiveness of our great supporter Liz Dudley.

Liz (aka Rev’d Elizabeth Dudley, Vicar of Christchurch and St Mary’s, Frome) did not let the matter of her honeymoon get in the way of supporting Somerset Churches Trust’s Ride+Stride 2020. If she could manage to negotiate getting married in the year of lockdowns and restrictions, the mere matter of being in Istanbul over the R+S weekend was not going to deflect her from fundraising. And, what a magnificent achievement as her efforts raised over £800! With arctic temperatures in Somerset in January, she can think back to September in 30C heat as she and husband Rob visited 10 of Istanbul’s churches in one day (face masks must have been a trial).

Liz said “Christianity is the minority faith which has faced persecution previously and is beginning to feel it once more. It made me very aware of the enormous privilege and even complacency in England with the prominence and acceptance of our buildings in our communities something that we take so much for granted that we often see our buildings as burdens rather than treasures.”