We can now announce our Missions for 2015. These are the four charities that we will be supporting with our fundraising events throughout the year, including Table Top Sales and our Summer and Christmas Fayres.

Our first fundraising event is our Table Top Sale this Saturday (14th February 10:30am-12:30pm).

Please come along and support our events and raise money for these good causes.

International Mission: Development Pamoja

Development Pamoja is an Irish charity working with disadvantaged rural communities near Nakuru, Kenya. Pamoja means “together” in Swahilli, so Development Pamoja literally means “development together”.

They work with the community to create opportunities for people to improve their own lives and in turn help build a sustainable local economy. (They do not usually give free handouts as they believe they lead to a reliance on aid and are damaging to local economies.) Their objective is to foster a greater sense of collective responsibility which helps to build a better society for all.

Development Pamoja promise that 100% of all money donated goes directly to Kenya. All work in Ireland is done on a voluntary basis and expenses in Kenya are kept to an absolute minimum.

For more information, check out the website for Development Pamoja →.

National Mission: Ataxia UK

‘Ataxia’ means ‘lack of order’. People with ataxia have problems with movement, balance, and speech. Over 10,000 people in the UK have a form of ataxia. There is currently no cure.

Ataxia UK works across the whole of the UK. They aim to support everyone affected by ataxia; people with the condition, their families, carers and friends. They help people to live with ataxia by providing a range of services that are not available anywhere else. They also fund research into developing safe, effective treatments. Their ultimate goal is to find a cure for the ataxias.

For more information, check out the website for Ataxia UK →

Local Mission: New Hope

New Hope exists to serve individuals who are homeless or vulnerably-housed through the provision of accommodation and opportunities to transform lives. Founded upon Christian values, which are at the core of their work, they support people regardless of faith, class, disability, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

New Hope provide seven accommodation services with up to 60 beds every night (an emergency transition service and night shelter, a damp house, a dry house, and four move-on hostels), five support services (street outreach, a 24/7 emergency homelessness advice line, a drop-in, a mental health worker, and a tenancy sustainment team) and two development services (a community market garden and an employment training scheme.) They support more than 600 people every year through these services.

For more information, check out the website for New Hope →

Home Mission: ASCEND

ASCEND is our very own Mission working right in the heart of our community. They’re all about moving people forward, challenging their perceived barriers to education and training; providing people with more choice and control over their lives. Thanks to ASCEND, many local people now have the confidence, self-esteem and skills to find a route to employment, some for the first time in their lives. ASCEND also works with young people aged 16 to 25 and has set up the Dig Deep Allotment Project with Farming for All CIC and Step Up with Herts Mind Network.

For more information, check out the website for ASCEND →

We raised a grand total of £1,692.50 for our Missions in 2014 which were:

International charity: Ethiopiaid →

National charity:  Crohn’s and Colitis UK →

Local charity:  ASCEND →

The total will be shared equally between these three charities with each receiving £564.16.

In addition, we raised £109.35 at our Christingle Service for The Children’s Society →.

Thank you to everyone who helped organise and support our fundraising events over the last year.