We give time, energy and money to help good causes here and overseas.
St Michael and All Angels Church and members of its congregation support three chosen charities each year – by raising money, volunteering and promoting their causes.
Our charities for 2026 are The Upper Room, McCabe Educational Trust (MET) and The Mulberry Centre, which has been selected as our new charity for three years. Read: ‘Bedford Park to Host The Mulberry Centre’s Anniversary Concert‘ – ChiswickW4.com
We support them throughout the year particularly on Green Days weekend in the Bedford Park Festival and in our Advent & Christmas Charity Appeal, when we raised money singing carols at Turnham Green station.
– We also support a Lent charity. In 2026, this was The Upper Room. In 2025 it was Pipal Tree, which works in Nepal to support women and children’s welfare and delivers rewilding projects in Kathmandu and elsewhere.
– At our Harvest Thanksgiving family service in October we collect food and other gifts to donate to The Upper Room and St Mary’s Convent & Nursing Home.
– We also give strong support to Christian Aid Week, through collections in church and online, and to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. In 2025, individuals from St Michael & All Angels led the revival of the Poppy Appeal in Chiswick, including a fortnight of collections at Turnham Green tube station, helping the Chiswick branch raise over £30,000. The Poppy Appeal has thanked its 2025 volunteers in this video.
Our three charities for 2026
The Upper Room is a front-line charity working with socially and economically disadvantaged people in West London. It works with people who are experiencing homelessness – including those at risk of homelessness. Providing 26,000 meals a year, as well as clothing and toiletries, The Upper Room offers a safe and warm environment in the short-term, while providing support to help people rebuild their lives in the long-term. We host some of The Upper Room Spring Lectures in St Michael & All Angels Church – speakers have included Dame Darcey Bussell, Clare Balding, Michael Frayn, Jeremy Paxman, Dame Sheila Hancock, Jeremy Vine, Robert Fox and Jan Ravens. Now retitled ‘An Evening with…’, the latest one was with the BBC’s health editor Hugh Pym in St Michael & All Angels Church on Thursday April 16th 2026.
The McCabe Educational Trust (MET) has worked for many years in the Holy Land supporting a range of projects, including a school for the blind, an orphanage and the princess Basma Hospital in Jerusalem, which is also active on the ground in Gaza. The charity has a strong Christian ethos but works with the Muslim and Christian communities in Palestine alike. MET was initially financed by McCabe Travel (a company which organizes pilgrimages in the region) but is now fully independent and receives funding from individual supporters, as well as a wide range of institutional donors.
Our newest charity, The Mulberry Centre was founded in 2001 by one of our congregation, Jane Kelly. It offers free emotional, psychological and practical support to anyone affected by cancer – including patients, carers and those who have been bereaved. More than 15,000 people have used its services, which range from counselling and complementary therapies to information sessions and wellbeing activities. Its volunteer team, now more than 140 strong, received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021.
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- Through our Chiswick Book Festival each year we support reading and arts charities. See details here.