Charitable Giving in 2014

Giving to good causes is a major and vital part of the life and work of St Michael and All Angels. Many people give very generously and many devote much time and effort to raising funds and supporting charities.

Set out below are the sums raised for a range of charitable causes in 2014.

The Three Charities: St Michael’s supports three charities at any one time. In 2014 the charities were: The Upper Room, a centre for the homeless and disadvantaged in West London; Hamlin Fistula UK, providing medical expertise and services for women in Ethiopia; and The Mulberry Centre, a drop-in centre in Isleworth offering support to those affected by a cancer diagnosis.
Scroll down to see more about them.
The money was raised through the Lent Appeal (lunches, a quiz night and donations at Easter services); a percentage of the profits from the Bedford Park Festival; a “Charities Sunday”; and an Advent Appeal (carol singing, an Advent lunch; sponsorship income from the Advent Calendar pictures; and collections at Christmas services). Each charity received £7,176 in 2014, making a total of £21,527.
Christian Aid: St Michael’s takes part in the annual Christian Aid appeal and in 2014 donated £1,574. An emergency appeal for Gaza and Iraq in August also raised £1,023.
Chiswick Book Festival: Three reading-related charities are supported from the profits of the annual Book Festival: InterAct Stroke Support, RNIB Talking Books and the Letterbox Club (part of the Booktrust). £5,400 was raised in 2014.

Good causes are supported in all sorts of other ways. For example:

The three charities also collect money (£2,395 in 2014) through activities on their stands at St Michael’s annual Green Day.
Substantial sums are raised (involving a great deal of work) through the Cards for Good Causes shop in St Michael’s. 70% of the proceeds go to some 30 charities.
Over the three years that St Michael’s supported Hamlin Fistula, members of the congregation knitted no fewer than 110 blankets for the charity in Ethiopia.
St Michael’s supports the annual British Legion Poppy Appeal.
St Michael’s also gives more (£7,000 in 2014) to the London Diocese each year than the standard cost of a parish. This helps to support parishes with fewer resources.

This suggests that the total identifiable sum which St Michael’s gave to good causes in 2014 was some £39,000. Thank you everyone for your generosity!

St Michael & All Angels' Charities for 2014

supported in our Lent Appeal, Quiz Supper,, the Bedford Park Festival and Advent Calendar & Christmas Appeal

St Michael & All Angels devoted its charitable activity, throughout the year, to three charities:

The Upper Room (right) A centre for the homeless and disadvantaged in West London, which provides meals and assistance with the search for employment and housing. We have a longstanding relationship with the Upper Room, and several members of St Michael's are volunteers, helping to cook, serve and clear up. If you would like to join them, please contact the Parish Office on 020 8994 1380.

$Description: D:\2 AAFH Patients\IMG_0057[1].JPG$ Hamlin Fistula UK, a charity which provides medical expertise, curative surgery and preventative midwifery services in Ethiopia to women suffering from birth injuries. As well as raising money, we are again encouraging people to knit blankets for the women receiving treatment there (right).
You can download the pattern here.

and The Mulberry Centre, a drop-in centre in Isleworth, offering information and support to anyone affected by a diagnosis of cancer. It provides a holistic approach within a non-medical and welcoming environment. Based at the West Middlesex University Hospital but funded entirely from charitable donations, the centre was established in 2001 and became an independent charity in 2005.

Chiswick Book Festival charities for 2014

St Michael & All Angels also runs - and hosts - the Chiswick Book Festival every September. Like the Bedford Park Festival it is a non-profit-making, community event. It raises money for the three charities below, all related to reading:

RNIB Talking Books Service and Books for Children
InterAct Reading Service, which supports Stroke patients
The Letterbox Club, in the Book Trust, sending book parcels to children in care

In 2014 it is giving £1,700 to each of these charities, and to St Michael & All Angels for its Organ and Parish Rooms Appeal.