In 1956, Dr. Michael Strode took 4 children with special needs from a local school to Lourdes. During the train journey home it was decided that more children from a variety of schools should be given the opportunity to experience such a holiday. In order to do this HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust was created.

The following year the numbers had already started to increase rapidly with 43 children traveling with the charity.

It was not until 1973 that the first group travelled from Yorkshire, which was us, Group 58.

1974 saw the second Yorkshire group form. They were Group 74 from Kirklees.

In 1981, despite our group travelling 8 years previously, the Yorkshire region was officially set up as HCPT started to regionalise the travelling groups.

Now, the trust had grown to mammoth proportions. Around 2000 children now travel and a total of approximately 5000 people making HCPT the largest pilgrimage from the UK & Ireland and possibly the lagest childrens pilgrimage in the world.

HCPT now comprises of over 200 groups, not only from the UK and Ireland, but also from Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, USA and the West Indies.

For more information on the history of HCPT- The Pilgrimage Trust please visit their website.