For the past five years I have been working on my PhD, through good times and bad. A lot has happened in that time, we lived through a global pandemic, I faced significant housing difficulties, and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. But there were good times too! I've had the experience of working in amazing art historical archives around the country, given papers in a few conferences where I made some great friends, worked on an accademic journal, and founded the smash hit club night, the Church of Italo with my amazing friends.

Throughout all of this, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Brighton, has been a source of support and spiritual nourishment. I started attending church there in 2020, and was warmly welcomed by the congregation from the start. When times have been hard, I've known that the people there would always look out for me, and when times have been good they've been there to help me celebrate my successes! And the church has helped me to hone my spirituality, whilst providing a safe and supportive atmosphere to discuss topics of faith.

During this time, I've barely had a chance to see my brother, Chris! Chris was lucky enough to have moved to New Zealand before the pandemic, and stayed there for a number of years, looking with great interest and amusement at our lockdowns and emergency measures oversees while he worked in the great forests of New Zealand, tackling invasive species and preserving the country's natural landscape. Returning home a few years later, he has worked all over the country on reforestry projects from the South Coast all the way to the northern most point of Scotland. When not to be found in the midst of the natural landscape, he has been working at some of the country's biggest and best music festivals, including Boomtown and Glastonbury. Given both of our, markedly different but equally busy lives, we rarely have the opportunity to see each other, something that the Camino should work to rectify. Taking bets now on how long it will take for us to start arguing!

With my PhD coming to an end (submission deadline: 30th September!), I am planning to do the Camino de Santiago with my brother Christopher, walking the 820km (510 miles) of the Northern Way from Irun in Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostella. We'll be setting off on the first of October, and expect that it will take us five weeks. Walking the Camino has been a dream of mine for many years, and it feels right to do so to give thanks for the completion of my doctorate. And I believe that it is the perfect opportunity to give back to the religious community that has supported me throughout the past four years.

All money that is raised will go towards Saint Nicholas Church, to help them to continue the work that they do. Our parish is one of the leading churches in Brighton for LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and LGBTQ+ issues are at the heart of our mission, not only in the work we do within the parish, welcoming many who have been excluded or marginalised elsewhere, but also on a diocesian and national level, with members of Saint Nicholas advocating year round for a more welcoming and inclusive national church. The money will also help us put on more events with which to reach out to the local community, such as LGBTQ+ film clubs.

Thank for your reading, and please feel free to share this fundraiser as widely as possible!