Outreach at Lion Walk Church is about raising awareness of human need and supporting community projects worldwide. We regularly support projects in our local community and across the world, with funds raised from our lunchtime concerts and from donations from members.
We have been able to undertake fewer activities recently due to Covid-19, but we have continued to support many charities financially. Under normal circumstances, we collect for the Christian Aid door-to-door collections during Christian Aid Week, and through the period of Harvest Thanksgiving, we normally gather in donations for the local Soup Run, and also run a fund-raising Christmas Tree Festival and Christmas services. In 2021, despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, we raised a total of £8996.75 for Commitment for Life, for Christian Aid partners’ work in Bangladesh. We also raised £885.97 at our Christmas Services: this was shared between the Colchester Night Shelter, and Next Chapter.
We normally support one ‘focus charity’ for a one-year period, and then we also donate smaller sums of money to other charities, with a particular focus on those based in our own community or smaller charities. Our 2020 focus charity was Acorn Village, and our current one, which started in May 2021, is The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired, Makeni, Sierra Leone.
Charities supported in June 2022 (total £2000)
- The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired, Makeni, Sierra Leone
- United Reformed Church Covid Appeal
- Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
- Praxis
- Safe Passage
- Church Action on Poverty
- British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal
Charities supported in January/February 2022 (total £3000)
- The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired, Makeni, Sierra Leone
- DEC Afghanistan Appeal
- Practical Action
- Lepra
- Tonga Emergency Appeal
- Andy Cole Fund – Kidney Research UK
- Sightsavers
- Streetchild (Afghanistan)
- Carers UK
- Care4Calais
- Colchester Foodbank
- Barnado’s
Charities supported in November/December 2021 (total £2000)
- The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired
- Different Strokes
- Mobility Trust
- Carers Worldwide
- Care International UK
- Crisis at Christmas
- Church Action for Tax Justice
- Tools for Self-reliance
- Farm Africa
- Refugee Action
- Water Aid
Charities supported in September 2021 (total £1800)
The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired
Education Support
UNHCR emergency support for refugees in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries
Refugee Council support for refugees when they have reached the UK
Refugee Action Colchester support specifically for refugees in the Colchester area
Community 360
RNIB Reading Services
SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity
Alzheimers Society
Railway Children
Carers First Essex
Details of charities supported in May 2021, to a total of £2500.
The Friends of St Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired
Grassroots (Colchester and Tendring Community Trust)
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – coronavirus relief in India
Womankind Worldwide
Benin Christian Support
Mamie Martin Fund – education in North Malawi
Freedom from Torture
CBM UK – The Overseas Disability Charity
UNICEF donation for International Covid Vaccines
Essex and Herts Air Ambulance
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH)
St Helena Hospice
The Rob George Foundation
Here are details of charities supported in February 2021, to a total of £900
Grassroots
Trussell Trust
Seven Rivers Cheshire Home, Great Bromley
Excellent Development
Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity Covid-19 Staff Wellbeing Appeal
Beacon House
Essex and Herts Air Ambulance
Charities supported in November/December 2020, to a total of £900
Friends of St. Joseph’s School, Sierra Leone
Combat Stress
St Helena Hospice
Alcohol Change UK
Next Chapter
Grassroots
Charities supported in September 2020 to a total of £600:
Amnesty International (donated in memory of Stephen Broadhurst)
Essex Carers Support
Five Talents
Freedom from Torture
Suffolk Refugee Support (donated in memory of Stephen Broadhurst)
Tree Aid
UNCHR (UN Refugee Agency)
Charities supported in May 2020, to a total of £1450
Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation
Friends of St Joseph’s School, Sierra Leone
Charities supported in February 2020, to a total of £1000
Malawi Association for Christian Support (MACS)
Anne Robson Trust (Butterfly Volunteers)
Donations made in December 2019, to a total of £1400.
Donations made in March-September 2019:
Homestart Colchester (Focus Charity 2018-19)
The Eagle’s Nest Worship Centre, Kabula
Donations made in December 2018:
Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency)
Donations made in September 2018
Stepping Stones Play and Learn
Felsted Aid for Deprived Children (UK-Aid)
Donations made in May 2018
Samaritans of Colchester, Tendring and Suffolk Borders (Lion Walk Focus Charity)
Trinity Homeless Project (Trinity Methodist Church, Clacton)
Donations made in February 2018
Samaritans of Colchester, Tendring and Suffolk Borders (Lion Walk Focus Charity)
Donations made in December 2017
Samaritans of Colchester, Tendring and Suffolk Borders (Lion Walk Focus Charity)
Affiliations:
Amnesty International – we have having regular presence at their conferences and support activities, such as card signing around Christmas-time.