Annual Wirral Viking walk will honour victims of Norway massacre

Jul 26 2011 By Lorna Hughes

AN annual walk from Wirral to Chester to mark the borough’s Viking links will honour the victims of the Norway massacre.

The 14-mile pilgrimage from Neston to St Olave’s church in Chester on Friday will start with a one-minute silence to remember those killed by Anders Behring Breivik.

Prayers will also be offered for Norway at St Olave’s, on Lower Bridge Street, from 3pm.

The walk is made each year to commemorate St Olave, the “Viking saint” and patron saint of Scandinavia.

Organiser Professor Stephen Harding, of Nottingham University, said: “The walk will be used as show of closeness and solidarity with our friends in Norway.”

The walk starts at the church of St Mary and St Helen in Neston at 9.30am.

The church was chosen because it holds a number of stone fragments which once formed part of at least three crosses thought to be erected by the Viking community.

A replica of one of the crosses has been reconstructed and is now on display. 

To take part in the walk e-mail steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk