We reached Dover at about 4.30pm and the ferry journey was at 6pm. It was a bit choppy and some people felt it but I was ok. Couldn't walk straight though!

We arrived in Calais at approx 7.45pm French time and played Connect 4, cards and Cluedo in the evening with some of our lot and some of the Uni group. Went past Paris (but not through, darn!) at about 12.15am and think I saw the Eiffel Tower but not sure! Hope I did! It's 12.45am now and we're on wind down time though some people are still pretty chatty. So ends day 1!

12:45am: Got to Lourdes at 11:15am and the memories have started to come back very quickly! Doesn't seem 2 seconds since we were here a year ago. Had lunch first in the hotel restaurant (or one of the many; the hotel's really big and posh!) then got unpacked in our rooms. Some of our group and the Cathedral and Uni groups and I went down to the Grotto at 3.30pm with Marcia and Fr. Morrough (our group leaders), Fr Simon (the Cathedral group leader; he was ours last year) and Fr Kieran (another Cathedral group leader and the Chaplain to the youth group volunteers).

We had mass in the hotel conference room at 5pm with the 3 priests. In the evening we went to the New Orleans bar, which all of Salford go to every night and everyone calls Miam Miams because it used to be called that. Me, Keeley, Charlotte and Tara are in a different group to the rest of our group so we're on different shifts to them. Our first shift tomorrow is entertainment duty at 9.15am (taking pilgrims shopping/for a look round Lourdes and the Domaine (the large enclosed area where the grotto and all the basilicas etc. are) then we've got Torchlight Procession duty at 8pm, with Helpers' training in the Hotel Solitude and the opening mass of the pilgrimage in between. Best get some sleep then! We're getting up for breakfast at 7.30am.

We stayed at the hospital after bringing Nicola back at 10:45am for the hospital pilgrims' introduction, then had lunch and went as a group down to the Hotel Solitude for the youth groups' introduction and training. The Hotel Solitude is very posh and massive and that's where the last night party's always held. That should be good on Thursday!

We had the opening mass of the pilgrimage in the Rosary Basilica. Singing the 'Ave Maria' at the opening mass definitely signals the start of the pilgrimage!

We were next on duty for the Torchlight Procession, which Salford are always involved in on the first night. We made our way to the hospital (the Accueil Marie St. Frai) after tea to pick up our pilgrims; mine was Connie in a wheelchair. We gathered as a diocese behind our diocesan banners under the arches surrounding Rosary Square and the procession began at 9pm with the Rosary being spoken in several languages, as it always is. We processed around Rosary Square and down to the Rosary Basilica steps where we dropped off our pilgrims, and because they're always at the front we got a decent view too! The Torchlight Procession is always special and impressive and tonight wasn't an exception.

Then it was back to the hospital with Connie and I stayed there until 10.55pm talking to her and another pilgrim, Gwen. The Uni group were on shift there till 11pm also. Time went very quickly and I only just realised in time that we were meeting at Miam Miams at 11pm! So I shot down there and we stayed til 1am. I also saw Alana there which was a surprise!! Alana was with our group last year studying pilgrimages as part of her Oxford University course and was my room-mate.

Overall Saturday was been an eventful and enjoyable day: Hope it continues!

Again in the afternoon we were on hotel pushing and pulling duty but this time to the Blessed Sacrament Procession, which took place from the Podium near St. Bernadette's Chapel, over the River Gave bridge, under the arches, down the Esplanade, round the Breton Calvary statue and into the Underground Basilica. This is the service that gains the most miraculous healings. In the service, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and then the sick are blessed with it. About half the basilica was full and the capacity is 20000 so lots of people were there!

Our next shift was hospital pushing and pulling at 8pm as there was an entertainment and social evening for the hospital pilgrims in the Hotel Solitude. Nearly all the youth groups were there and the room and balconies were full. There were several people singing (including some of the hospital pilgrims!), ballet dancing, break dancing and stand up comedy acts, all provided by Salford volunteers. It went on until about 11pm. It was a late night but it's worth it!

Straight after the service, all of Salford gathered on the Rosary Basilica steps for the diocesan photos and unbelievably it started to rain a bit! Not much though which is good. As I write this on Tuesday it's really sunny: we should have had it today! It was Shrewsbury's diocesan photo today - jealousy!

The photo taking was followed by our shift which was lunchtime feeding and serving duty from 11.20am-1.15pm in the hospital. I was also on kitchen duty for a time too. In the dining room I was helping at the table with a pilgrim called Catherine and she remembered me from last year which was nice. Last year I took her down in the voitures (sick pilgrim transport carriages) quite a lot.

Immediately after our shift we got the coach for the Green Lake. The Green Lake was really fun: we went in the pool where we had a team game of water 'netball', water pistol fights as me and Madeline from the Cathedral group had brought two water pistols each, and rides on the flumes. Some of the group had peddle boat rides on the lake and some played cricket too. We got back from the Green Lake at about 5.30pm, then spent the evening at Miam Mians and the Grotto, as I went down with some of the Uni group from about 11.30pm-12am. The Grotto's always best at night as it's illuminated and incredibly calm and peaceful. The rest of the Domaine was really peaceful too, and the full moon and stars were out so it was very tranquil.

So ends Monday and it's been one of the best days yet!

We were free until dinner at 7pm then we were on rope duty from 8.20pm onwards for the 2nd Torchlight Procession, which Salford were leading to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Salford pilgrimages to Lourdes. The Torchlight Processions really are one of the most inspiring events in Lourdes.

For the rest of the evening we spent quite a lot of time talking to Albert, who's a hospital pilgrim due to being paralysed from the waist down. Albert's great, very chatty and popular, and he knows an incredible amount of Salford volunteers! I also met and chatted to some Mount Carmel Deanery youth volunteers: Shauna, Martin and Matt who are all lovely.

Yet another day gone... Where's it going?!

We were on duty again at 2.30pm to take the hospital pilgrims to the Reconciliation Service, which was held this year in St. Bernadette's Chapel. This is a very moving service; it was last year too in the Rosary Basilica. The service isn't a mass, it's a liturgy with the main feature as reconciliation. Priests are stationed around the chapel and there is the opportunity to go to personal confession. Whilst this is going on, readings are read, hymns are sung and one mystery of the Rosary is recited.

Tomorrow is last full official day of the pilgrimage which has come scarily quickly but it's sure to be an eventful day.

11.47am: We've just come back from returning the hotel pilgrims to their hotels after going to the Stations of the Cross service. There are 2 types of Stations in Lourdes: Lower Stations and Upper Stations. The Upper Stations, which consist of elaborate bronze statue scenes, ascend up the Espélugues mountain away from the Domaine, and the Lower Stations are next to the River Gave in the Domaine. We were at the Lower Stations as we had wheelchairs. The Stations service itself in Lourdes is an opportunity for extended personal reflection and reconciliation with God, and quite emotive due to it being a service shared with sick pilgrims in the beautiful surroundings of the Domaine.

6.15pm: We've now just returned from taking the hotel pilgrims to their hotels from the Closing Mass of the pilgrimage which was held in the Rosary Basilica. This service ended the week on a high, with the most magnificent basilica as the setting, great hymns (including 'Star of the Sea' and the 'Ave Maria') which everyone sung wonderfully; and best of all a great atmosphere, especially when the long service awards were given. There was much applause for these. Lewis, Mark, Tara, Charlotte, Sinead and Marcia in our group all got 3 years' service medals. When we left the basilica with the wheelchairs, many of the youth groups had formed 2 lines on either side of the entrance right down the base of the steps to applaud the sick and wheelchair-bound pilgrims as they left, which is what traditionally happens after the closing mass. It's certainly a great way to end it!

The next and last event of the pilgrimage is of course the Last Night Party which we're getting ready for after dinner. The theme this year is the Roaring 20s so there should be some good costumes. Can't wait!

Just got back form the Last Night Party, stayed chatting for a bit downstairs in the hotel lounge too. The party was really good! The costumes and atmosphere were great; it's great to end the pilgrimage on a high. In the morning, the hospital pilgrims are leaving at 8.30am so we're waving them off then, then we'll be having our own group closing mass. Most people are leaving tomorrow so it's lucky that we've got an extra day (we're leaving on Saturday morning). I'll try and get a bit of sleep now, not much as we're up again at 7am, but the less sleep the better in a way: it adds to the spirit of it all!

6.40pm: I'm beginning to feel a little sad that we're leaving tomorrow. Lots of memories from the last day last year are coming back. It's with these memories and from looking back over all that's happened this week that I can truly appreciate the beauty of Lourdes and how it touches you, even when you don't realise it. We're all going down to the Grotto at 10pm tonight so it'll be good to spend some quiet time there in reflection. I'm sure that it will be as memorable as last year was too.

11.55pm: 5 minutes to go on the last day. We've just got back from the Domaine although our group leader's still there to place the petitions we brought with us into the Grotto's petition box. There were more people at the Grotto tonight as a mass was being celebrated there in Italian. When we went down to the Domaine we went firstly to the Grotto but then some of us went our separate ways: either to spend some quiet time at the Grotto or to light a candle at the candle stands. We've got a mass for the journey with Fathers Simon, Morrough and Kieran in the hotel conference room at 8am. I hope that when we get back, the effects of Lourdes will still remain and will remain so months into the future.

9.30am: We're just leaving Lourdes now and the Pyrenees mountains are visible above Lourdes. Bye Lourdes, thanks for a great week, and I'm sure I'll see you again!

2.05pm: At 11.15am we picked up another driver from Toulouse airport and Fr. Simon announced it by saying, 'We've got a Brierfielder on board!' It's 477km to Paris now.

12.30am: We've just reached passport control at Calais and we're getting the 1am ferry. Bye France!

1.35am: We're now leaving Dover. It was better last year leaving Dover as we'd got a 3am ferry and the sun was rising over the sea but it's still picturesque at this time.

5am: Dawn's breaking just now and people are actually asleep! We didn't have that going to Lourdes! Nothing else to report as we're in a boring part of the country, aka the M1. I'm going to attempt sleeping again, bye!

7.15am: We're back earlier than expected and dropped off the Salford Cathedral and Manchester Met University groups at 6.50am. It's actually sunny in Lancashire!

8.45am: We arrived at St. John's and had from 8am-8.25am. It's been a good 11 days even though I'd prefer to be back over there; everyone's worked hard, played hard and got an incredible lot out of the experience both spiritually and socially. We've had the opportunity to work with sick pilgrims, some of whom we met and worked with last year (and the year before, for some people) and members of other Lourdes youth groups. We've had the opportunity to build our faith and relationship with God in a way only Lourdes can bring about, and of which meeting and working with the sick pilgrims enhances.

Although I've found Lourdes better this year, as it wasn't completely new being my 2nd time and I knew what to expect, I've found that I've still learnt a lot: about myself, about my faith and about other people.

Thank you to the Lourdes committee team who have been amazing in organising all the aspects of the pilgrimage; thank you to Marcia and Fr. Morrough who have helped us through fundraising and been great team leaders; thank you to Kathryn Thompson, who, although she couldn't go to Lourdes this year due to other commitments, led us through fundraising brilliantly; thank you to all my group and to everyone I met in other Lourdes youth groups for a great time; and thank you Lourdes: I know I'll see you again!