What is our Aim?
The project will create a pilgrimage pathway for the public in Kilmacolm Old Kirk’s woodland glebe- an area of about 3 acres.
Kilmacolm Old Kirk is the ancient medieval parish church of the village of Kilmacolm and has been serving the village inhabitants since the twelfth century at least – and probably even longer than that.
The plan is to create a pathway in the church’s woodland area with points of interest for reflection and meditation within the beautiful woodland setting.
The woodland will be restored to its natural state and traditional Scottish woodland plants will be planted there. There will an ecological theme to the pathway very much centered on care for creation. The founding legend of the village of Kilmacolm is that the great ancient saints of the West of Scotland -St Mungo and St Columba – met and exchanged pastoral staffs by the banks of the Gill burn which runs through the area
The various points for reflection on the path will tell the story of Kilmacolm and its spiritual and historical journey.
We see the project as a resource for people of all faiths and none.
We would invite people to follow up their walk with a visit to the nearby Murray Chapel situated within the Old Kirk on which site Christian worship has taken place since the 12th Century.
With this project we are not replicating The Knapps, the Moss or the cycle track. We very much hope this will become a place for quiet reflection where nature and spirituality meet.
How can you help?
We are hoping that local groups will volunteer to help develop some of the points for reflection along the way. (already the Scouts have volunteered to make and install bird boxes for example.)
To date many groups have declared an interest and now that work has started we would hope that this interest will develop into practical help. More details will follow. WATCH THIS SPACE
We also need help with publicity and fundraising.
How much will it cost?
The estimate for the entire project is around £90,000.
How much have we raised?
We have been concentrating on contacting various grant awarding bodies to date and below is a summary of where we were at end of 2018.
Grant income £31,382: Events run by social committee £2,364: Other donations £3,340
What progress are we making?
In order to apply for grants we required to engage an architect to convert our ideas into a plan in order to appoint a contractor to commence the basic work.
We have cleared some unwanted vegetation and are just about to start with the foundations for the basic paths
What is the next stage?
We are still contacting various potential funding bodies and are approaching some local businesses who may operate a Community Social Responsibility fund.
We hope to raise our profile by means of facebook, twitter and the web site, to encourage individual donations and support.
If you are interested in this exciting project and can offer help in any way please get in touch.
Please look at our publicity posters and print them off.
For The Pilgrim’s Pathway Project_A4 version or the The Pilgrim’s Pathway Project_A5 version