A Worcester woman has become the first UK Ambassador of the Camino de Santiago, one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world.
University of Worcester student Summer Green joined a select group of international volunteers who spent two weeks of the summer volunteering on the Camino while completing 40 km of the historic route.
The Camino de Santiago is an historic pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, offering a transformative journey of spiritual reflection, cultural discovery and personal growth.
The third-year student of English Literature and Language is the only person in the United Kingdom to hold the role of UK Ambassador to the Camino de Santiago, and will now raise awareness of the Camino, its cultural significance, heritage and preservation.
The University of Worcester is the only UK university to be a member of the Compostela Group of Universities, a global network that celebrates and promotes the values embodied by this ancient route.
Summer said: “During the programme we’d speak to strangers in the towns to see what they knew about the Camino. Lots of them knew it well, but some didn’t, so we would promote it to them.”
“We were challenged to speak to pilgrims,” she said. “We’d discuss what their journey meant to them. The word ‘pilgrim’ can give you a stereotype of what that person should look like, but it could literally be anyone. We spoke to one woman who was on her second pilgrimage, this time with her young sons.”
The visit was organised by the University of Zaragoza and the Association of Municipalities of the Camino de Santiago and was funded by the Government of Aragon.
“When I saw the opportunity I jumped at it,” said Summer. “I’ve always loved Spain; the language, the music, the culture, the food and the dancing, and I shared these experiences with people from all over the world.”
Summer’s ambassadorial appointment is a further strengthening of the region’s links to the Camino de Santiago which received a major boost last summer when the University of Worcester’s Vice Chancellor Professor David Green, walked the 280 km from Porto to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino Portugues, raising over £62,000 for the University’s scholarship and student hardship funds.
Despite sharing a surname, Summer Green and Professor David Green are not related.
Summer said: “I can imagine that walking that distance was very challenging for David. It’s a mental and physical challenge, and that’s not limited to the walking. Communicating in another language and even managing accommodation is a challenge as well.”
Speaking about the ambassadorship she was given, Summer said she plans to raise awareness of the Camino and what it stands for.
“The whole aim is to champion it to the next generation and make sure more people know about it,” she said.
She continued: “In the future I’ll return and do more of the Camino, the English route starts in Droitwich, so I’m already close to it. I’d like to raise funds for charity in the future, not only for the enjoyment side of it but the challenge also.
The news of Summer’s Ambassadorship reached Professor Green while he was speaking on sustainability at the annual conference of the Compostela Group of Universities
Professor David Green said: “It is wonderful news that a Worcester student is the first UK ambassador for the world-famous Camino de Santiago. Summer’s initiative in securing a place on her exciting summer project in Spain and then becoming the first UK ambassador for the Camino is typical of Worcester students and we are very proud of her achievement. It is this approach which underpins the achievement of Worcester graduates in being Top for Jobs in the entire UK.”
Professor Green added “I look forward to hearing more about Summer’s ambassadorial work, the new links she will forge and the new understanding she will create. Both Hereford and Worcester Cathedral have strong links to the Camino de Santiago and I am sure she will be in great demand.”
Professor Carla Martins, President of the Compostela Group of Universities, said: “It is very rewarding that the initiative has had such an inspiring outcome for a student of one of our member universities. Having both Summer Green and Professor David Green following in the footsteps of Santiago is a source of inspiration for all our member universities.”