Celebrate the 45th edition of the London Marathon at the oldest church on the course
A service of thanksgiving and blessing for the 45th London Marathon will take place at All Hallows by the Tower at 18:00 on Saturday 26 April and everyone is welcome.
All Hallows is located next to the Tower of London on Byward Street. You can view the location on Google Maps.
To join the livestream, visit the All Hallows site. Enter the meeting ID 912 4944 7463 and passcode 811816.
All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in the City of London and one of the oldest in the entire capital.
The church was founded by the Saxon Abbey of Barking in 675 and an arch from the original building remains. Beneath the arch is a Roman pavement, discovered in 1926, and evidence of city life on the site for the best part of 2,000 years.
The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, thanks to the efforts of Admiral Penn, but was not so fortunate during the Second World War, when the church was devastated by bombing – only the tower and walls remained.
The late Queen Mother laid a new foundation stone in 1948 and attended a rededication service nine years later. Visit the church today and you can still see the smoke damage from the bombing on some of the inside walls.
All Hallows has also been the church of the London Marathon for many years, offering a sign of hope for participants reaching Mile 23, and there have been a number of marathoners in the staff team and congregation – including the Associate Priest.
On Marathon Day, spectators line the pavement outside All Hallows to support runners taking on the 26.2-mile marathon challenge.
The charity cheer points outside the church also give runners a much-needed boost as they take on the final few miles of this inspiring event.
To follow the action, head to @LondonMarathon on social media channels and watch all the coverage from the 45th edition live on the BBC on Sunday 27 April.