Baptist minister breaks bus record 

A Northampton based Baptist minister has broken the world record for travelling from Land’s End to John O’Groats by local bus services

 
Chris Matthewman, minister of Kislingbury and Upton Baptist Church, started his trip on Thursday 9 August, catching the 7:19am bus from Land’s End. He came into John O’ Groats at 13:35 pm on the number 77 bus from Wick five days later, breaking the previous record by over four hours.
 
Chris, dressed as ‘Where’s Wally’, undertook this epic bus marathon, in order to raise funds for LAMPS, a Christian arts and theatre collective that Chris helped to found.
 
'I've been training my whole life for this. My father did not drive, nor his father before him and although I have flirted with the idea of getting behind the wheel and at times it would be useful, I just like taking the bus. I like the space and time it gives me. Time to think, to read, to write, to listen to music or a talk. To ponder and to pray.
 
'I have both written and acted for LAMPS productions and the arts in general mean a lot to me, but raising funds for this type of work is never easy, so I was happy to do my bit.'



Over the course of the five days, Chris travelled over 1000 road miles and caught a total of 33 buses, travelling though Devon and Cornwall up through Gloucestershire the Midlands, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, The Lake District up to the Scottish borders and beyond.
 
He states, 'I am glad that I broke the record and I am happy that this has raised some money.

'I have been blown away by the goodwill of strangers and the generosity, banter and support of friends old and new.'
 

The Just Giving page for Chris’s cross Britain quest is still open https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wallybusmarathon
 
And you can find out more about LAMPS and their current touring Christmas and Easter productions, by going to www.lampscollective.com