Angela Dickinson first travelled to Lourdes in 1980 following her involvement in the youth service.

Angela said: “My neighbour had been to Lourdes and spoke to my mum about it; she then told me I simply had to go.

“I loved my first pilgrimage and following that, going to Lourdes became part of my youth.”

Angela met her husband Paul, also a teacher, through the youth service and going to Lourdes then became part of their shared story.

She added: “Paul’s first pilgrimage was 1981 and he enjoyed it as much as I did and we became part of the larger Lourdes family. One year we went with two friends, and they got engaged there and Paul’s cousin also got engaged during the pilgrimage, so it holds some very happy memories for us.

“The journey to Lourdes was long – we used to stop overnight on the way. Some places weren’t the best for sleeping, so we just stayed up all night talking! We were the first youth group to stay a hotel in Lourdes which felt special.

“We worked hard when we were there, I remember there being lots of sick pilgrims, so we wheeled them down to the Blessed Sacrament and then ran back up the hill to collect the next person.

“We also had lots of freedom, sometimes we used to go to the grotto at midnight – it was so peaceful at that time, and it was nice to have a moment of calm after a busy day.

“Reconciliation was a particular highlight of the week, it was always very emotional, and it brought you back to the reason why we were there in the first place.

“I remember always feeling so welcome, wearing our red t-shirts- we were so recognisable.  It was very special to be part of the Liverpool pilgrimage.”

The experience of Lourdes would have a profound effect on Paul, who went on to organise pilgrimages for his students for many years.

Angela explained: “Paul wanted his students to experience Lourdes the way we did. He did this in the two Catholic schools he worked in - Archbishop Beck Catholic College and then Cardinal Heenan Catholic School, organising pilgrimages for the students each year in June. At Archbishop Beck the pilgrimages continued from the early 1990s to 2020s.”

Angela and Paul had two children and the pilgrimage also became a key part of their lives. She added: “We always spoke to our children about our time in Lourdes, so we were delighted when they both joined the youth pilgrimage. It then became something so special for them.”

The last time Angela and Paul went to Lourdes was a memorable trip in 2013. She added: “We drove to Lourdes and had a problem with our car, so we had to stay for an extra two weeks. Some people would call this a mishap; I would call it a story!”