|PIC1|The Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry in western Ireland is to raise funds for a clean water project in Ethiopia by running the London Marathon on April 26.
Dr Richard Henderson is running on behalf of the Church of Ireland’s Bishops’ Appeal, which will put the money raised towards a Christian Aid-run project providing clean water to desert communities in Ethiopia.
“Water is vital to life and a primary right of all people. I may be hoping to run a marathon but there are people in the world who have to walk its equivalent mileage in order to get daily supplies of water,” he said.
“Providing clean water locally provides a basic need but also frees people up to obtain an education, till the land, and look after animals.
“Water is also of central symbolic importance to both the Christian and Jewish faiths – it purifies and nourishes. It is time we talked about hydrotheology!”
Bishop Henderson has been in training for the annual marathon, which takes runners on a route of just over 26 miles across London’s streets. He admits the run will be challenging.
“I’m not naturally sporty, so it’s a bit of a departure for me, but I’ve been training hard and ran 19 miles last week,” he said. “I’m still conscious and perpendicular, so I’m looking forward to the marathon itself – I think!”
On the web:
To sponsor Bishop Henderson’s marathon run, visit www.mycharity.ie
-
The story of St Patrick’s Day
-
'Sad news' as House of Lords approves abortion up to birth
-
Disestablishing Church of England 'will not be a priority' at next election, says Green Party
-
Archbishop of Canterbury will be attending abortion vote in Lords on Wednesday
-
The little-known story of the woman who rescued Mothering Sunday
-
Archbishop of Canterbury to embark on historic six-day pilgrimage
Most Popular
News
Scotland’s assisted suicide vote: a temporary victory?
It will be interesting to see if the Scottish government goes down the route of investing in quality palliative care, or whether Liam McArthur's defeated assisted suicide bill is simply resurrected in another form.
Nick Timothy stands by criticism of Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square
Shadow justice minister Nick Timothy is standing by claims that a mass Islamic prayer in Trafalgar Square was “a declaration of domination” that should never be repeated.
Britain’s culture of giving is becoming more 'fragile' as donations fall
A major new report from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has raised fresh concerns about the state of charitable giving in the UK, showing that total public donations fell sharply in 2025 as fewer people gave and average gifts became smaller.
UK urged to press Nigeria on violence against Christians during historic Tinubu visit
A coalition of Christian and human rights organisations has called on the UK government to use President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Britain to press for stronger protections for Christians and other vulnerable communities in Nigeria, amid continuing concern over deadly attacks and weak accountability.