OG UPDATE – JANUARY 2021

THANK YOUS RECEIVED FOR GIFTS IN 2020

Use the green links below to view the thank you letters from each charity.

From HMP Send – for £1000 raised by Shelagh Godwin (sponsored walk) for phone cards for inmates. Thanks to the funds raised, some 200 female prisoners had extra time talking to their family and loved ones on Christmas Day. The message of Christ’s love went with the tokens.

On behalf of the trustees, thank you so much for your generous gift of £1,000 for phone cards at HMP Send this Christmas. The trustees had already decided that we wanted to increase the usual phone card value this year and your wonderful gift has substantially provided for that. It has been a hard year for Lesley and her chaplains at Send but we give thanks that all their efforts have gone a long way in maintaining morale and that the place has remained Covid free. The provision of phone cards is such a practical way of supporting the wellbeing of the prisoners and we are most grateful to you and your donors from Busbridge&Hambledon church. Please pass on our grateful thanks.

With every blessing for Christmas and the New Year,

Les Smith

Treasurer
The Nazareth Way CIO

Thank you from A Rocha – £1000

Please pass our thanks on to the Outward Giving committee – and to the youth group for choosing us as your nominated charity.

Work has continued this year at our Wolf Fields nature reserve in Southall to maintain our orchard, allotment, beehive, wildflower meadow, pond area and sensory garden. Over the summer we were pleased to welcome back socially distanced work parties to the reserve. With the help of our volunteers we have finished our new art installation area, including a Noah’s ark and olive prayer tree. At our Foxearth Meadows nature reserve in north Essex, we saw a 200% increase in visitors during the spring lockdown period, with many people discovering the reserve for the first time. Over 500 species have now been recorded at the reserve and we were excited to have Reed Warblers breeding successfully at the site in the summer. We have now scheduled separate Supporter and Church Demonstration Days at our reserves for the following dates in 2021: Church Demonstration Day at Wolf Fields on 24 April, Supporter Day at Foxearth Meadows on 8 May, Supporter Day at Wolf Fields on 22 May, Church Demonstration Day at Foxearth Meadows on 10 July.

Thank you from Guildford Besom – £500

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have had to adapt how we operate in line with government guidelines but we have been grateful that we have been able to continue to support local homes in need. In particular we have helped people in urgent need of food and unable to get out themselves or struggling with finances.

We have also helped several previously homeless people who have been rehoused by the council during the crisis with starter packs of kitchen items, furniture and other household items for their otherwise empty new homes. As you can imagine, this has been hugely appreciated by the people we have been able to help so far. Your support to enable us to continue in our work of helping local Churches to help those most in need in their local Community is very much appreciated.

Thank you from Five Talents – £500

Thank you from Salcet – £1000

Thank you from Elam Ministries – telephone call.