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YOUR GENEROSITY AND THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
I am very aware that year by year people give generously to The Children's
Society at the Christmas collections and carol singing and this year
Helmdon, Syresham, Whitfield and Radstone gave a combined total of
£845.38 and I am very conscious that many people have little
idea of what the society's work involves and where their money goes
to. You will see notices of thanks in each of the churches from the
society, and here is a little bit about what they do.
They operate around 100 projects across England. Their activities
vary, but include work with:
* young runaways and young people who become homeless, to reduce the
risks they face and improve their quality of life
* young offenders to promote justice and provide more effective and
long-lasting solutions to youth crime than prison
* deprived or isolated communities to give the children who live there
a better environment in which to grow up. Young people are involved
in the decisions made about their communities and, in turn, make an
essential contribution to the improvement and regeneration of their
area
* schools to prevent the exclusion of our youngest citizens. By finding
the root causes of disruptive behaviour we help children to overcome
their problems and support teachers and parents in finding alternatives
to exclusion
* children and young people in the public care system, ensuring their
rights are promoted and their voices heard.
The Children's Society works closely with local and central government,
partner organisations and agencies to promote, develop and establish
its work and practices throughout the country. The goal is to make
sure that the rights of children and young people are central to everything
the society does.
Some facts about the work:
- The first children;s home opened in Dulwich, South London, in 1882,
and by 1919 5,000 children were being cared for in 113 homes across
the country.
- Over 100,000 under 16s run away from home each year. One in four
is 11 or younger. 80% of these leave home due to family conflict,
violence or abuse.
- Still running: Children on the streets in the UK, published by The
Children's Society in 1999, was the first large scale survey of young
runaways. Its findings prompted the Government to commission a national
consultation into children running away from home.
- Approximately 5,000 children are involved in prostitution in Britain
at any one time. The Children's Society was the first charity to highlight
their plight in 1999.
- In two years, 1,000 young people on remand in England's prisons
were rescued by The Children's Society National Remand Review Initiative
and given alternative placements, better suited to their needs.
- Legacies account for a third of the Society's voluntary income.
- The Children's Society currently has around 12,000 active volunteers,
working to promote our work and raise vital funds.
- Almost £1 million is raised each year by the Christmas and
Christingle campaign.
John Roberts
FLOWERS IN CHURCH
The church has a rota for providing flowers in the brass vases on
the altar. Some people who used to do this have moved away and there
are some gaps. If you would like to join, at a date important to you,
do sign the list at the back of the church. Take any free date, except
in Lent or Advent, when we leave the altar bare as a token of penitence.
We should like to add other flowers which visitors would see instantly
as they enter. We are not wanting to provide big displays, but only
a low one in a simple vase or bowl for the book cupboard or the font.
If any of you, whether you attend worship or not, would like to enhance
the church in this way, please let me know and I'll make out a rota
so that you can book the dates which suit you or your garden.
Jean Spendlove
MOTHER'S UNION
| March 24th |
10am in Helmdon Church, Kathleen Minnett will
speak on "Joy" |
| April 30th |
8pm Musical Soiree by Annabee in Helmdon Church |
| May 19th |
10am Workshop on Aids and attitudes to it. Helmdon
Church. |
| Please contact Bee Aczel (01295 760816) for any
further information. |
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FRIENDS OF ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH
"Out of the Blue Theatre Co"
Northamptonshire
Production of "Abigail's Party" by Mike Leigh
Tuesday 11th March, 7.30 at the Reading Room
Tickets £5 to include light refreshments
Contact Vanessa Vicars (01295 760477) or
Jane Heaton (01295 760396 ) for tickets
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The Church building for the 21st century or duck or grouse?
The philanthropy of the people of Helmdon continues unabated. Thanks
to a very generous donation from an elderly resident, the Church now
has a new sound system and an induction loop for use with hearing
aids. The system was installed during January by Hilltop Audio of
Nottingham and is so discreet that speakers and wires are very difficult
to spot.
The old boiler continues to blast out hot air making an incredible
din but the sound system ensures that every word of the readings and
sermon can now be heard. Those with hearing aids merely switch them
to the "T" position to take advantage of the loop system
and the sound is crystal clear. This is another really practical addition
to the Church in our quest to upgrade facilities and turn the most
beautiful building in Helmdon into a useful space for the whole community.
Our next major task is to tackle the heating system in order to make
it quieter and more effective. This is likely to be an enormous undertaking
which, if we want it to last for future generations will require investment
in the region of £40,000. We could just replace the existing
hot air system for about half this cost but it would still have the
same drawbacks of noise and heat dissipation as soon as the heat source
is switched off. We are investigating the installation of a radiator
system which could provide background heat to maintain the fabric
of the building in better condition and also provide a comfortable
level of silent heating when the building is in use. But where are
we going to get the money?
The Friends of the Church continue to raise funds for maintaining
the fabric of the Church and will shortly be publishing their 2003
programme; we continue to receive gifts from Helmdon people; we have
raised small amounts from charities and we are considering asking
a professional fundraiser to do further work for us in this direction.
However, with the slump in stock market values, charities and trusts
find that their funds have shrunk and are not able to be as generous
as they might like. Over the next few months we will be putting together
ideas for the future use of the Church building by the community as
a whole. These could include use as an arts and crafts venue, use
by young people, use by the elderly, or even use as a farmers' market.
If you have any suggestions at all to contribute to this process please
get in touch with me, with Carol Brookhouse or with John Roberts.
Morag Underwood Churchwarden
LIFTS TO CHURCH
Please do ring Douglas Hadfield (01295 760679) if you would like a
lift to church, and he will organise it for you.
ADULT CONFIRMATION CLASSES - UNDERSTANDING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
These are taking place at the moment. If any one is interested in
finding out more, please ring John Roberts (01280 850378)
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Ckers - Blue Peter, Bring & Buy Sale
March 1st 2.00pm in the Chapel Schoolroom
Tel: Kathy - 786168 Jane - 760444 or Louise - 760179 for information
or donations
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