Charities supported in 2024
At Harvest time, we brought gifts of food to be passed on to Restos du Coeur. As well as food, cash gifts amounting to 90 euros were given to help buy gifts for “Restos children” at Christmas.
Donations made at our Lent lunches enabled us to send €100 to Bishop Robert's appeal for the Anglican Centre in Rome and €420 to Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees.
Wine sales at shared lunches in February and March raised €100, which was shared between Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees and Restos du Cœur.
Charities supported in 2023
Using our "tithe" from our General Fund, in December we sent the following donations:
€200 to Bishop Robert's Advent Appeal for women in South Asia. Please click here for details.
€250 to our twin parish of Fenoarivo in Madagascar.
€50 to Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees, along with the €150 raised at Harvest.
€250 to the UNICEF appeal for Gaza and €250 to the UNICEF appeal for Armenia.
Just before Christmas Barbara Marsh, who coordinates for us our support for Restos and who buys and wraps Christmas presents for the children, received the letter of thanks (translated from French) opposite.
I would like to express, on behalf of the Restos du Coeur, our gratitude for your amazing generosity for the children of the families enrolled with us. We are deeply moved by your altruism in offering presents to our association. Your involvement shows exceptional compassion for those in need, and it does not go unnoticed.
Children on our books often have to face daily challenges, and your gifts bring a gleam of hope and joy into their lives. The presents are not just material things, but they also represent the affection and support of kind-hearted people like you. We cannot exaggerate how we value what you do, and how much it helps to make a better world. The smiles you will bring to the children's faces will not just show fleeting happiness, but show at the same time that care and consideration can have a lasting effect. Your commitment towards us gives us strength to carry on supporting the children and their families in their daily precarious struggle.
Once more, our heartfelt thanks for your generosity and solidarity shown for those who most need it. Together we make a significant difference in the lives of those in difficulty. All the helpers at Pézenas send you our warmest greetings and best wishes for the coming year.
€113 was given at our Remembrance Day service, helping Sally Wheeldon to send a total of €650 to the British Legion's Poppy Appeal.
In March €481 was sent to Fenoarivo following the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy.
In February:
€250 was sent from our Discretionary Fund for aid in Syria/Turkey following the earthquake.
Barbara, used money given by the congregation to shop for Restos du Coeur Bébés, who sent the thank you letter below (translated from French).
The Pezenas team is very grateful for your help. Thanks to your generous donations, our cupboard is once again filled with hygiene products. We thank you for your support and the trust you place in us, which allows us to improve the daily lives of our poorest families.
Charities supported in 2022
Annual Year-end Donations
At the end of 2022, using our "tithe" from our General Fund, we continued to support Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees and also gave to Bishop Robert's Advent Appeal (to build a toilet block for a school in Kenya) and L'Institut du Cancer de Montpellier. Each received 400 euros.
At our Remembrance service on 6 November,
Sally Wheeldon sold poppies, raising €148 of the total €560 she raised for the British Legion in the year.
At our Harvest Lunch on 2 October, the raffle, organised by Barbara, plus cash donations, raised €370 for Restos du Coeur.
In September, the remaining €250 in our Disasters' Fund was sent to Pakistan via the World Food Programme, following the devastating flooding.
Bobbie's Bookstall, which is at the back of the Temple at each of our services, is currently raising money for the work of Le Croix Rouge in Ukraine. Bobbie brought her books to our Harvest Lunch to raise more money for this good cause. By the end of October €116 had been raised.
Donations from chaplaincy members during Lent and Easter, including donations via Bobbie's bookstall and Carol's sale of her marmalade, raised €537 for Bishop Robert's appeal for aid to people in desperate need due to the invasion of Ukraine. Please click on the USPG logo for details.
€140 was donated at the Confirmation Service on
28 April 2002 for the Bishop's Fund for Ordination Candidates.
In March, €250 from our Disasters' Fund plus €205 donated by members of our congregation was sent to La Croix Rouge for their work with victims of the war in Ukraine.
Charities supported in 2021
From donations by chaplaincy members, Barbara Marsh provided 55 Christmas presents for children of families supported by Restos, plus 40 boxes of chocolates and lots of little pots of food for Restos Bébés. Click on the Restos du Coeur logo to read a thank you letter.
We give a "tithe" from our General Fund at the end of each year. This year €200 has been received by each of the following five charities. Please click on the icons to learn more .
Bishop Robert's European Climate Disaster Relief Appeal
Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees.
Clicking on their logo will take you to their letter of thanks describing their current work.
Médecins Sans Frontières
UNICEF, for aid following the earthquake earlier in the year in Haiti.
World Food Programme, for famine relief in Madagascar.
Harvest At our Harvest service we welcomed a guest preacher, Kevin Conroy from the Church of Ireland.Jenny and Alan Morgan provided sweet and savoury treats and wine after the service. €460 (€360 at this service and €100 in previous weeks) as well as foodstuffs, was donated for the Pézenas branch of Restos du Coeur.
Walks for Life On 30 September, Roger and Delia led a walk which raised €550. This was sent to be divided equally between Cancer Support France-Languedoc and La Ligue Contre le Cancer-Hérault. Click CSF logo for more details.
RIP William Pinnell
William, a founder member of our congregation, died on 19 September. A collection was taken in his memory at our Harvest service, raising €226 to be split between WaterAid and The Prayer Book Society.
In May, the Chaplaincy Council standing committee decided to send to India, in response to the Covid-19 situation there, the €500 designated each year for response to emergency situations in the world. This was sent via the Barnabas Fund.
Lent Donations
Our Lent lunches, which usually raise money for charities, were cancelled for a second year due to Covid-19. Donations were made nonetheless which enabled us to continue our support of Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees and to support Bishop Robert’s Lent Appeal.
€220 was sent to Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees. Click the logo on the right for their website.
£61 (sterling) was sent for Bishop Robert’s appeal.
Click on the logo on the right for a link to the details.
Also arising from our Lent Groups, Carol Gardner gave to the Diocese of Toliara in Madagascar, via the chaplaincy, €130 of the money she raised for charities by making and selling marmalade.
Charities Supported in 2020
Our congregation provides help to Restos du Coeur throughout the year, giving foodstuffs and “treats”, via two members of our congregation who are active volunteers. In 2020, as well as essentials, Christmas presents were given for 95 children and a box of chocolates for each of the 155 families supported locally.
Emergency help
We maintain a contingency fund in order to respond quickly to major disasters. In 2020 this was sent via UNICEF to Beirut following the explosion.
Lent and Harvest
Money is raised each year through Lent lunches and usually at Harvest time. Sadly the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in our Harvest event being cancelled but donations made in Lent 2020 were used to support Bishop Robert’s Lent Appeal to help a school in Kenya and Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees, a charity our chaplaincy has supported since it was founded in 2015.
General Fund tithe
The 10% of our General Fund that we commit each year was used in 2020 to support:
Our local branch of La Ligue Contre le Cancer, whose income had been seriously diminished by lack of fund-raising events during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Languedoc Solidarity with Refugees, continuing our support for this local charity.
Médecins Sans Frontières, continuing our support
Polio-France, due to a personal connection
Bishop Robert's Advent Appeal to feed some of the world's poorest people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Barnabas Fund We gave money to buy goats to enable some of the world's poorest people to become self sufficient.
For more information about the Barnabas Fund, please see Julie's article under Julie Writes here.