Walking Day

Mention Walking Day to most Wiganers of a certain age and see their faces light up. ‘I loved Walking Day’, they say. Look on Wigan World to see how many photographs there are. People ask why Walking Days stopped and wonder where the banners are. A few churches, we know, proudly keep the tradition alive and Walking Days have taken place this year, but for most churches in Wigan, Walking Day is sadly becoming just a fond memory. What was it all about?

We were brought up to believe that Wigan Walking Days were unique in this country. Manchester had its Whit Walks (and has recently revived them), we’ve read that all the churches walked in one big procession in Warrington. Churches in Oxford and London ‘Beat the Bounds’, the boundary of the parish and Roman Catholic churches in Wigan process to Crown Our Lady and on festivals like Corpus Christi. But Wigan Walking Days were different. In one parish Walking Day even had its own name – ‘Jelly Sunday!’

They took place on Sundays throughout the month of June each year with All Saints, The Parish Church traditionally walking on the last Sunday in the month. Each parish had its own Sunday with, for example, St. Andrew’s, Springfield walking on the first Sunday in June. The roads were closed and the police kept a discreet presence. Everyone belonging to the church walked and other people watched often taking their chairs onto the pavement. It was a formal procession with a given order.

There were brass bands, always one and sometimes two. There was a well established route. People wore special new clothes. Each church had its own beautiful banners, proudly on display in some churches today. The procession was lined up in the correct order by the Walk Marshalls sometimes in the school playground. Before moving off a prayer was said by the vicar and at the end of the walk there was a service, taking place in some parishes in the church building, in others outside the church with the vicar and curate standing on a lorry so they could be seen and heard.

Remember shops weren’t open on Sundays. Sunday afternoons were quiet times when you visited family and to have one real celebration Sunday in the year was quite an event.

Wigan Walking Day in the press

Walking Days were noticed beyond Wigan. A reporter from the Church of England’s national newspaper the ‘Church Times’ visited the town to see a Walking Day in the late 1950s. They were obviously impressed writing:

‘Walking Days are an outstanding feature of church life in Wigan. Each parish ‘walks’ on a different Sunday. The children in their new Walking Day dresses and suits, proudly hold the streamers attached to the banners; young ladies and mothers resplendent in new hats, follow on; while the men staunchly bring up the rear. Add three brass bands playing marching airs, put a crucifer, servers and the choir in front, with two marshals to guide, and policemen to hold up the traffic, and you have some idea of a Wigan Walk’. 

Can you help?

We are collecting memories of Walking Days. We’ve already learnt so much about the organisation and sheer pleasure Walking Days brought to life in Wigan; we now understand about “leading off” on the banners for example. It’s a project we will return to, so have a think and get in touch if you have any stories to tell.

With thanks to Wigan World for the photographs.