Charity Giving
Throughout the year, people at St Michael & All Angels devote considerable time and energy to charitable work. We’re very grateful to all those who help us raise money for a range of charities, at home and overseas. A list of charities we've supported in recent years can be found on the Links page.
Bedford Park Festival
Bedford Park Festival names Musequality as its charity for 2008
This year's Bedford Park Festival will help raise funds for Musequality, the local charity set up last year by violinist David Juritz, leader of the London Mozart Players. Musequality aims to change young lives in the developing world by funding community music projects, with choirs, orchestras and bands.
Lent
Our Lent charity this year was USPG - Anglicans in World Mission - and its Lent Appeal, focussing on the Church of Bangladesh (right). We raised £2,239.71 for USPG, through Lent lunches and collections in our Lent Jar in the church.
Christmas
At Christmas, we raised money for people in need, through our Advent Calendar & Christmas Appeal. The 24 pictures were painted by local artists, including this one by Alfred Daniels (below right).
Four charities benefitted from the 2007 Christmas Appeal: the LAMB health project in Bangladesh; the Christian school in Ramallah, Palestine; the MicroLoan Foundation, a Chiswick-based charity which funds start-up businesses in Malawi; and Hanworth Action for Youth in west London.
The 24 pictures from the Advent Calendar were sold through a silent auction, with a third of the proceeds generously donated by the artists to the appeal. It closed on Friday January 4th: you can see the final bids here.
The Christmas Appeal also received the collections from our four main Christmas services, after some costs, and from carol-singing at Turnham Green tube station (right). At Christmas we also sell Cards for Good Causes in the church.
Other times of the year
In January, we hold a Quiz Supper for Christian Aid - this year's was on Saturday January 19th and raised £1,800 for the charity. We also hold a major collection during Christian Aid Week in May, and respond to specific appeals, such as those after the floods in Africa.
In June last year, at the Bedford Park Festival, which is organised by St Michael’s, we raised £7,500 for Unicef and £2,000 for the Upper Room, which supports the needy in west London (further sums were raised for the repainting of St Michael's). The Upper Room also receives the retiring collections from the Bach Cantatas concerts on Sunday evenings in the church.
At our Harvest Thanksgiving in October, we distributed food and other goods to the Upper Room, St Mary’s Convent and Hounslow Welcare, with generous support from Orchard House School and Chiswick & Bedford Park School.
Sums raised for charity at St Michael & All Angels in 2007
In 2007, we raised £26,887, spread across almost a dozen separate charities (see below). In addition, at the Festival we raised over £19,000 for the repair and redecoration of St Michael's. The Charities Group is led by Carol Douglas. If you'd like to help in any way, please contact her via the Parish Office.
Charity giving in 2007 |
£ |
WELCARE |
3184 |
INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE TRUST (IRT) Lent Appeal |
2362 |
UPPER ROOM including Bach Cantata donations |
2494
2000 |
| UNICEF - 'UNITED FOR CHILDREN, UNITE AGAINST AIDS' Bedford Park Festival proceeds |
7500 |
| CHRISTIAN AID Quiz supper and tube station collection |
2706 |
| ADVENT APPEAL (includes collections at Christmas Services, after some church expenses) |
|
| Lamb Project Bangladesh | 1660 |
| Micro Loan Foundation | 1660 |
| Christian School, Ramallah | 1660 |
| Hounslow Action for Youth | 1660 |
| TOTAL FOR 2007 |
26,887 |
In addition, over £19,000 was raised for the repair and redecoration of St Michael & All Angels Church, more than £10,000 for St Michael & All Angels Trust Fund and £646.78 for the Bishop's Discretionary Trust.
Links to these charities' websites are on the Links page.