SENIOR clergymen and churchgoers will retrace the footsteps of a saint today to help raise money to build a new church.

The Bishop of Sherborne, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, and the Venerable Paul Taylor, Archdeacon of Sherborne, will be joined by five other walkers in a 50-mile trek.

Their route will retrace the steps of Saint Aldhelm, who walked from Sherborne Abbey to the coast.

A spokesman for Salisbury Cathedral said the walk is being held to help raise funds to build a new church at Crossways, Dorchester.

The spokesman added: "It is a huge undertaking and couldn't be achieved without the support of the villagers who are providing support vehicles to ensure that provisions are on hand at each stop along the way."

Saint Aldhelm is believed to have been a gifted scholar and clergyman who established a monastery in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, after studying in Canterbury and Rome.