A group of church ministers are planning to walk 1.5 million steps in the month of May to fundraise for some of the poorest communities in the world.

The clergy, who come from the Church of England, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, will each pledge to complete 300,000 steps in return for sponsorship through relief organisation Christian Aid.

The money raised will go to supporting those who will be most at-risk during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Kingston Christian Aid group chair Ray Charlton said: “Last year the churches raised a staggering £15,000.

“A year on and the world looks quite different, but the need to help our global neighbours is as urgent as ever.

“Imagine the predicament of trying to cope with coronavirus without proper sanitation, failing water supplies, and poor health services. Three billion people - 40% of the world’s population - do not have access to soap and water in the home, making protecting your family’s health very difficult, especially in crowded conditions.

“We are calling the challenge ‘Walk for a Whole World’, because we want wholeness for people, the chance to thrive and not merely survive, wherever they are in the world. Let’s stand together with our neighbours, both near and far. We would love to reach £10,000.”

Christian Aid has launched a global response to the coronavirus outbreak, reaching 17 countries across the globe and working alongside the most vulnerable people of all faiths and none. In Myanmar, local partners have distributed soap to 30,000 people and delivered 2,000 surgical masks to frontline staff.

Christian Aid’s church engagement officer for South London, Peggy Amoako, said: “In times of crisis the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised are at the greatest risk. The health care systems in the countries we work in can barely cope with their everyday caseloads let alone a pandemic – Sierra Leone for example does not have a single ICU bed.
 
“Here in our county we are seeing fantastic examples of coronavirus bringing people together, of neighbours across London and the South East helping those who are vulnerable.
 
“Christian Aid Week might not be a community celebration in the usual sense, but this challenge shows us how community can still thrive in different ways.
 
“Please support Kingston’s ministers if you can so we can help more desperately vulnerable people protect themselves.”