St Mary’s Griminish parishioners are taking on a walking challenge to raise funds for SCIAF.

The charity’s ‘Big Lent Walk for Water’ will see people across Scotland walk or run over the 40 days of Lent to raise funds for communities that still lack access to safe, clean water.

SCIAF works with local partners in Ethiopia to provide clean, safe water through taps and wells, helping communities break cycles of poverty and illness and supporting healthier, more dignified lives.

Inspired by this mission and the urgent needs of communities in Ethiopia, four members of the Benbecula parish, Mercy, Sarah Jane, Marie, and Chris, have committed to a combined Lenten challenge. Their commitments include six Atlantic swims at Cula Bay, one each week throughout Lent, undertaken as an act of solidarity with those who endure hardship due to lack of clean water. Marie, Mercy, and Chris will each walk 200 kilometres over the course of Lent. Sarah Jane is walking 3 kilometres every day until Easter.

They will be joined by Seonag, Annabelle, Catriona, Gretta, and Calum, who will participate in the walking challenge. Sponsor forms for Gretta and Calum are available in Balivanich Post Office.

To conclude the challenge, the group plans a symbolic Easter ascent of Rueval while carrying buckets of water.

While the wider SCIAF campaign focuses on walking and running, the Benbecula group felt called to extend their efforts by incorporating cold-water immersion as a powerful sign of solidarity. The physical shock of the Atlantic’s cold waters serves as a reminder of the daily struggles faced by those without access to safe water.

Canon Michael Hutson, parish priest at St Mary’s Griminish, said: “The parish is proud to be taking part in all these ventures in support of the poorest of the poor in the world, our brothers and sisters. We also have a Hymnathon at 6.30pm on Wednesday 11 March 2026 at St Mary’s church and there’s a ceilidh in the hall on the same night at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome!”