MORAY’S HISTORIC PLUSCARDEN Abbey has received a royal seal of approval in its attempts to raise almost £1million towards its restoration fund.
The Abbey requires around five times that amount for restoration on the South Range at the medieval monastery which was founded around the year 1230.
Given the job of finding ways of raising the required funded was retired Gordon Highlander Lt Col David Broadfoot MBE, who came up with the idea of re-enacting the 1230 Pluscarden Pilgrimage between France and Moray.
It was that event that led Valliscaulian monks from Burgandy finally arrive in Moray and found the Abbey – and next year volunteers will cover the 1300 miles along the same route. A minimum of 40 walkers each week will cover around 100 miles – and with each pledging to raise at least £1230 it is hoped that around £1million will be raised.
Now Lt Col Broadfoot has revealed that HRH Princess Michael of Kent is to be the royal patron of the pilgrimage – and that, it is hoped, will further raise the profile of the event taking place between June and September 2017.
Lt Col Broadfoot said: “It was during a 12-hour meeting in Rome before Christmas that myself and others planned the initial route. Huge interest has been expressed and we await with great excitement to see if the uptake will be sufficient to proceed.”
More information on applying to take part in the pilgrimage can be found online.