Lenten Appeal, Church of Our Lady and St Edmund, Abingdon

This Lent, our parish is raising funds to support Friends of the Holy Land and also Helen & Douglas House hospice for children locally.

Friends of the Holy Land (FHL), formed in 2009, is a non-political Christian Charity. Our mission is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the Holy Land. At the beginning of the 20th century, Christians made up roughly 29% of the overall population of the Holy Land. Today they account for less than 2%. 

The focus of our work is providing practical help directly to the most needy and vulnerable of our Christian brothers and sisters through a balance of funding immediate relief of emergency needs and practical small projects to help create a sustainable future in the Holy Land, most importantly to give them HOPE. Our work is ecumenical - the beneficiaries of our work come from all Christian communities. 

Helen & Douglas House helps local families cope with the challenges of looking after a terminally ill baby or child who will die prematurely. It is a homely place for local children, living with life-limiting and terminal conditions, and their families. It provides care in a warm, loving environment. They support families from surrounding counties, and also care for babies and children up to the age of 18 through the outreach service. The hospice is filled with laughter, whilst also being a peaceful place where families can create happy memories in their last days, weeks, months, or years together.

Please give generously.