Father Paul Martin, of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, and church member Ewan Gordon have walked from the Scottish island of Iona to the town in a bid to raise money for a new £1.35million parish community centre which will be available to use for meetings and private events.

They crossed the finish line at a special reception at The Garth at around 2pm on Wednesday after walking from the Hebrides, through the Highlands of Scotland, and on through Carlisle, Manchester, Birmingham, Warwick and Banbury over four weeks.

Along the way they stayed with parishes, religious communities and at bed and breakfast accommodation, and walked between 18 and 24 miles each day.

Mr Gordon, 36, said: "Whenever we stopped, the people were lovely and the people we stayed with at the bed and breakfasts were very interested in what we were doing.

"Iona was beautiful – it was bleak, but the ocean was the deepest green. It was beautiful and unspoilt. We stayed in a Catholic prayer house which is a special place of pilgrimage for Father Paul and will now be for me in the future. It is a lovely part of the world."
Father Paul said the walk had gone very well.

He said: "All our accommodation was fantastic and people were really kind and welcoming. We never got lost and we were blessed with good weather. It was marvellous and we travelled through some beautiful parts of the country including some areas I did not know very well.

"I would like to think I was able to do it again. I have been encouraged by my level of fitness. Ewan is a walker and a climber and I knew he would cope, but with it being 12 years since I did the last walk, I was curious as to how I would measure up."

Iona is an island with religous significance off the west coast of Scotland. The exact amount raised by the sponsored walk for the community centre project is yet to be worked out.