The Parish on Penn Magazine - December 2019

Contrary to usual practice, Caterpillars at
St Bart’s, Penn, don’t usually turn into
Butterflies!... I started St Bart’s “Caterpillars”,
19 years ago, in 2001. It was an off-shoot from
St Bart’s Ramblers, which had begun in 1993,
with 4 of us enjoying a walk together, when
we had time. Ramblers gradually attracted
more people to these monthly rambles
over the years, and in 2000, I compiled and
organised a Millennium Canal Walk, an
additional monthly walk, with 5 mile circular
walks exploring selected stretches of the
Staffs and Worcs Canal. Having got used to 2
organised walks per month, some Ramblers
were disappointed that in 2001, we would
be back to only one walk per month! So,
thinking of my own Dad’s abilities at that
time, I came up with the formula for a new
group – “Caterpillars”! Start with coffee in a
tea shop! Walk no more than 2 miles! Then,
instead of carrying lunch as the Ramblers did,
we would finish with lunch together in a pub,
or garden centre, etc! It was a formula that
has worked very well over the years, and has
been a very useful outreach for the Church.
Each year, we have drawn up a programme
of our monthly walks, tending to go further
St Bart’s “Caterpillars”
St Bart’s Ramblers on the Ingleton Waterfall Walk in Yorkshire.
in the summertime, and exploring more local
areas when the days got shorter. We varied
the day of the week for our walk, so that
everyone, allowing for other commitments,
could come to some, if not all of the walks.
Prior to 2001, the Ramblers all met at our
house, just after Christmas, for our annual
Planning Meeting. However, when we were
joined by the newly formed “Caterpillars”, in
2001, we had to have our Planning Meetings
in the Oak Room, as our house wasn’t big
enough to hold everyone!
A walk in Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge.
16 The Parish of Penn Magazine