“TO my mind the best pilgrims are not necessarily those who travel the greatest distances, but those who build into their lives smaller, almost everyday journeys to help others. They are the very fabric of civilised life. They are the true 21st century pilgrims.”

Modest words for a man who had just finished a 1,300-mile trek to help a Hereford special needs charity when he wrote them, especially when you consider some of the things he encountered along the way.

Clifford resident Peter Shackleton left Herefordshire with friends Andy Johnson and Karen Stout last May to walk to Rome in aid of the St Owen’s Centre on Symonds Street.

But with funds for a muchneeded minibus still short on his return, Peter decided to publish his account of the adventure in a new book called Roam to Rome as a way of raising more.

In it the 60-year-old explains how, with no campsite to hand, they were forced to bed down in a church porch near Winchester one night, how they had to practically break their way into France after finding the passport control cabin unmanned and the joys of trying to sleep in an Italian parish hall while a children’s party was in full swing next door.

He also gives an insight into a couple better known for promoting county books – Andy and Karen run Logaston Press at Almeley – rather than featuring in them, through a series of photos that illustrate the journey.

Roam to Rome is available at the St Owen’s Centre itself and Hereford Cathedral bookshop.

To help with the minibus appeal, visit fasoc.co.uk.