A new 80-mile walking trail will connect North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and Hull, bringing together powerful stories of freedom, faith and social change.
Epworth Old Rectory has been awarded £5,000 through North Lincolnshire Council’s Cultural Futures programme for The Equiano Way.
The trail will centre on the life and legacy of Olaudah Equiano, the formerly enslaved African writer, abolitionist and campaigner whose autobiography helped expose the brutality of slavery and influence the movement for abolition.
It will also explore his connection to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who is understood to have been reading Equiano’s book shortly before his death.
By linking Equiano’s story with Wesley, the Pilgrim Fathers and Salim C. Wilson, the project will create a new cultural and educational route through landscapes shaped by faith, migration, reform and resistance.
Supported by interpretation, artworks, digital resources and school materials, the trail is planned to launch in 2027 as a shared experience for walkers, visitors, schools and communities.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “The Equiano Way is a powerful project because it connects our landscapes with stories that changed the world.
“Olaudah Equiano’s life and words helped challenge one of history’s greatest injustices. To link that story with John Wesley, Epworth and the wider history of faith, reform and social change gives North Lincolnshire a remarkable opportunity to help people understand that national and international history is rooted in local places.”
At the launch, ward members Cllrs Caroline Finch and Tim Mitchell met organisers.
Cllr Mitchell said: “This is what Cultural Futures is about: helping communities tell important stories, opening up heritage in new ways and encouraging people to get out, explore and take pride in the places around them.
“The Equiano Way will give people the chance to walk, reflect and learn as they travel through places connected by ideas of freedom, faith and justice.”
