Below is a photograph of nurses from York who were at Lourdes this year. All but one travelled by coach (St Joseph’s - led by Canon Harney).

Hull Lourdes Sick Fund

This fundraising appeal was launched last September, as reported in the Catholic Voice, as an initiative to celebrate William Wilberforce Bi-Centenary Year. We have now closed our appeal and wish to report that thanks to the generosity of those who supported our appeal, we have been able to obtain 11 wheelchairs and also 18 wheelchair covers.

Two stalwarts from the Middlesbrough Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, south-west France, have retired. They are long-serving spiritual director, Fr Brian Nicholson, of St Augustine’s, Redcar and Paul Griffiths, of Acklam, Middlesbrough, who has led a team of male helpers called brancardiers for ten years.

Paul Griffiths, retiring head Brancardier for the Middlesbrough Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, has kindly written Brancardier Historical Information and this has now been added to the Middlesbrough Lourdes web site.

Read it ‘Brancardier Historical Information’ at www.middlesbroughlourdes.co.uk/brancardier-historical-information