The Reception Centre was honoured to welcome the Road to Peace Penniless Pilgrimage  into Glastonbury. Having walked from London to Glastonbury, without money and placing themselves at the kindness of the world around them, the pilgrimage has been a physical prayer, in celebration of the  Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday and his advocacy for Global Peace and Happiness. 

 Dubbed the ‘Glastonbury Tales’, it was a modern re-telling of an ancient story – a re-dedication of the pilgrim pathways that were for millennia walked in peace and contemplation by untold thousands of people.

Greeted at the centre, the group was offered a Glastonbury Unity Candle to take with them on their journey before being escorted alongside the main candle in its lantern to the Glastonbury Peace Pole. 

 The inspiration behind the Anthem was to create a community song that reflected the uniqueness, beauty, sacredness and spirituality of Glastonbury and Avalon, and a song that could bring the town together.
 In 2013, Morgana West, co-founder and manager at Glastonbury Reception Centre and Sanctuary, had a recurring dream about creating a new song for Glastonbury and asked her friend, Dr Lynne Sedgmore CBE to produce the lyrics.

For inspiration Lynne meditated, read Blake's song Jerusalem, and walked through all parts of Glastonbury. Over three days the verses and chorus flowed, centred on the powerful theme of Unity through Diversity, as promoted by Glastonbury Reception Centre.

Both Morgana and Ananda O'Kelly helped to further develop the words. The music took longer via a classical version, followed by a guitar version until its culmination into a choral score written by Sally Pullinger for the Avalonian Free State Choir.

 Sung for the very first time by the Avalonian Free State Choir and members of the Glastonbury Community, it was first launched at Glastonbury Frost Fayre on November 29th 2014.