UNLOCK Urban - How you can support the work of Unlock

Supporting Unlock

Supporting Unlock - London Walk

The 30th Unlock London Walk will take place on the 20th of April 2013.

Around 600 people turned out in wet weather to support the 29th Unlock London Walk, which took place in Willesden on Saturday the 28th of April 2012

walk 29 2012 map side >>

walk 29 2012 cover sheet >>

walk sponsor form >>

walk 29 quiz >>

route church factsheets >>

NEW! You can now collect your sponsorship or make a donation on line via Virgin Giving.

Virgin Giving instructions >>

New colours and sizes of Unlock T shirts are now available from the Unlock Office, plus, for the first time, Unlock baseball caps.

We visited new territory in 2012 in north-west London. Willesden was an ancient Anglo-Saxon village, known then as Willesdune, or Wellesdone in the Domesday Book, meaning “The hill of the spring”. It all sounds very romantic, and was indeed a rural village until the coming of the railways. Today there is little to remind us of Willesdune, but a great deal of the 21st century with its global migrations. The churches reflect that cosmopolitan mix which is London today, but there is one that connects us with its early history. You may recognise many a name that begins with “Our Lady of...”, but I will be surprised if you know about “Our Lady of Willesden”! But that is the name of a Roman Catholic church and shrine which is likely to be one of the host churches on the walk. During the 14th-16th centuries, it was a very popular shrine much visited by pilgrims, until it was despoiled during the Reformation troubles featured in our 2011 walk about the King James Bible. Other host churches will include Pentecostals, an Elim bi-lingual group, and an inter-faith, ecumenical centre. Yet again the churches will reveal to walkers the astonishing ways that Christians in a changing urban world respond to Christ’s call.

Please note that the churches on the walk route write their own factsheets, so their views are not necessarily representative of Unlock's views, but they do reflect the rich variety of ways in which people live out their faith and Ministry. The majority of Unlock's Funding is raised by an annual sponsored walk held in London each spring. These started in 1983 and have taken place every year since. Each year they raise thousands of pounds for Unlock's work. Anything from 600 to 900 walkers take part. The route usually includes urban churches and religious centres, a range of urban landscapes and housing, heritage locations and places of interest, places of rest and refreshment, and a place where walkers can encounter some of Unlock's work. Each year we need several types of people to get involved: -
1	walkers - do the walk and collect sponsorship
2	sponsors - sponsor walkers
3	Unlock promoters - people who will pronote Unlock's work in thier churches and encourage support.
4	church walk leaders - recruit and co-ordinate a group of walkers from their own church(es) and liaise with the national office on their behalf.
5	volunteers who will represent Unlock at the churches on the walk route (see below) Volunteers wanted>>
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Help wanted

Volunteers wanted>>

Volunteers are needed to represent Unlock at the churches on the route of the Unlock walk on Saturday April 28th 2012. Volunteers will be fully briefed and be provided with an Unlock staff T shirt. You can still be sponsored for the hours you spend staffing the walk. If you would like to support Unlock in this way please contact the Unlock national office.

Funds raised

2011 walk income topped £28,000! This is a fantastic result and will enable us to continue to develop our work with the Bible in urban communities in the UK. Thanks to everyone who walked, helped, sponsored walkers, opened their churches, and so on. It is really encouraging to have such committed and generous supporters!

2010 (27th) walk income has topped £26k. This beats the income from any of the last 8 years appart from 2007. This is a fabulous and generous effort and a great encouragement to us. THANK YOU!

The 2009 walk raised £22,500 - not sufficient to fund Unlock's ongoing work.

The 2008 walk raised £25, 403.63 -

Not quite as good as 2007 but a great result nevertheless.

Well done everyone and thank you very much for your support.

Unlock London Walk History

We are very grateful to all those who support Unlock through our London walk. Your contributions make our work possible.

As well as raising up to 50% of the money that we need to fund our work each year, our sponsored walk is intended to raise the awareness of Christians from often more affluent areas of the UK to the potential (and problems) of urban churches.

The walk's circular route visits several church checkpoints, representing a variety of denominations. Members of each church community are encouraged to be available to welcome walkers and a factsheet is provided.

We hope that as a result of each walk, practical links will be forged between urban and suburban churches.

Magazine articles about Unlock walks from 1999 t0 2009 by Geoff Coggins of St Andrew's, Sidcup. >>

The 2010 (27th) Unlock London Walk, 'Twin Stories', took place on April 24th 2010.

Unlock walkers outside brick built church a bed of red and yellow tulips

Unlock walkers outside St Paul's Church.

very tall rust coloured tower blocks reflected in the Thames

World's End Estate viewed from across the Thames

2007 Unlock London Walk

Over 700 people supported Unlock's work by taking part in the (24th) Unlock London Walk, which took place on Saturday the 21st of April 2007 in Bermondsey and the Isle of Dogs.

a group of smiling unlock walkers standing at a pedestrian crossing