Catholic Medical Quartery Vol 76 (1) February 2026
Editorial
Making the impossible impossible once more
The demise of the Across
charity.
In our
last issue we launched an appeal to support the Across Charity. Across ran
Jumbulances to and from Lourdes and elsewhere. They had done this since
1975 and were founded as result of the withdrawal of hospital trains to
and from Lourdes. Many thousands of groups have travelled and many graces
channelled as a result of those pilgrimages.
So it is with huge regret that we learnt that the Across has ceased trading. Fundraising has become much harder for charities since the CoVID pandemic. Raising several hundred thousand pounds a year became too hard. Great charities need money to support their work and Across is no exception.
Across
made the
impossible possible. Severely disabled people, like my wife, safely taken
to and from Lourdes with full nursing care and medical assistance. With
Across’ demise, the impossible has become impossible once more.
The demise of Across is a huge regret. Thank God for all the wonderful work it did over 53 years. And pray that some sort of solution for the very sick may yet be found. The sick need Lourdes and Our Lady of Lourdes. They also need to be able to get there safely.