Displaying items by tag: fundraising

Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, was arrested, questioned for eleven hours and then released pending further investigation into the SNP’s fundraising and finances. Searches were carried out at a number of addresses including his home and SNP offices. The inquiry was launched after complaints about the SNP’s handling of £600,000 in donations raised by the party, ostensibly to campaign for and hold a second independence referendum. It is alleged that the money was used instead to help with the party’s day-to-day running costs. As the investigation is ongoing the police are unable to comment further. A report will be sent to the Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service. On 19 March Murrell resigned after misleading the media about party membership numbers. He had been chief executive since 1999 and was responsible for running the SNP. On 1 April the SNP decided to review its governance and transparency. See

Corey Brooks, founder of New Beginnings Church, is a leading voice in the fight against the violence gripping Chicago's poorest neighbourhoods. He camped on a makeshift rooftop for 365 days, raising over $20m for a new community centre. He said, ‘We talk about trying to remove violence, trying to remove poverty; this community centre will help people change their lives. Giving them a place to accept responsibility, start trying to do things for themselves and get on their feet. It's going to be a great place, teaching trades and business, giving counselling, a place for transformation.’ He braved wet, windy, cold nights and big storms; his mother died of cancer and his daughter welcomed a baby. He continued camping through it all.

Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged under 35 in the UK. ‘However bad you feel, this will pass. You are not alone, things will look different tomorrow.’ That is what Pete would have said to his only child, Jamie, if he had been able to read his suicide note before he died. Jamie was one of 1,621 young people under 35 who took their own lives in 2019. After Pete had struggled to cope with his death for two years, he read about three fathers going through the same thing. Known as the ‘Three Dads’, Andy, Mike and Tim walked 300 miles, in memory of their three daughters, to raise £3,000 for suicide prevention charity Papyrus. They eventually raised over £800,000. Over 200 school children commit suicide every year. They say we are doing nothing to equip young people with understanding and skills that could allow them to save themselves.

Tobias Weller, 11, from Sheffield, who has cerebral palsy and autism, is to receive the British Empire Medal (BEM). He began raising money for charity when he was 9, inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore’s example. He used his walker to complete a 70-day marathon challenge, raising £100,000 for charity. He completed his latest challenge - an Ironman - in September and has raised over £157,000 for Paces School, where he is a student, and the Children's Hospital Charity. Tobias is the youngest-ever recipient of the BEM, and indeed on the honours list. He said, ‘I'm chuffed to bits to be the youngest recipient of such an incredible honour’.

From Belarus and Portugal to Sri Lanka and Suriname, Bible Societies are facing financial collapse in countries hardest-hit by the pandemic. Two thirds of Bible Societies around the world now face significant survival challenges: 20% risk immediate closure. However, we can thank God for $4.1 million given to them by a global Solidarity Fund, to provide finances for staff salaries, Bible translations, and continued work on essential outreach projects.

Justin Bieber has teamed up with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir to record a Christmas single, a remix of the star's single Holy, which reached number seven in October. The charity collaboration comes five years after the two acts were locked in a battle for the Christmas number one. Bieber said, ‘I was honoured to meet everyone from the choir and I'm really happy that they got their number one.’ Their new charity single is aiming for Christmas number one, with proceeds to be split between NHS Charities Together, which represents more than 230 NHS charities, and the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Charity. An immunisation clinical coordinator said, ‘The message that holding someone is such a special thing that it's almost a holy experience is so resonant with current difficulties and personal challenges.’

Captain Sir Tom Moore raised £33m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday. Now in the second lockdown, he has launched a new campaign to get people walking to help support those who feel ‘lonely and frightened’ during the lockdown. His daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said the family had been ‘given an incredible gift of a voice and platform to do powerfully positive things’. Sir Tom said, ‘We are in a difficult situation, but we'll get through it if we all join together.’ The challenge encourages people to log their walking on social media using the hashtag #WalkWithTom over the next week. He hopes to raise money for his foundation, which aims to combat loneliness and support those facing bereavement. Pray that this initiative will raise not only money but also public awareness of lockdown loneliness that leads to ill health. See also the next article, on mental health challenges.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has launched Together in Unity to support Anglican communities suffering from the pandemic. The unprecedented and devastating effect of coronavirus on global communities already impacted by conflict, natural disaster, and famine means they are ill-equipped to implement even the most basic hygiene and sanitation measures. Hospitals and clinics are without critical supplies, and lockdown measures have brought wages down to zero. Funds raised through the UK appeal will be distributed to coronavirus-response projects. Also, in the UK people have been making thousands of scrubs and walking miles to raise money for Hospitals. But Asian Christian hospitals have no such support and no government funding. People walk for days or travel on hot overcrowded trains to clinics, but lockdown and widespread fear of the virus has led many people to skip treatments at missionary clinics and hospitals that depend on income from routine treatments to pay staff. See

99-year-old Captain Tom Moore pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden just after hip surgery - and just before his 100th birthday (on 30 April) - to raise money for the NHS. He captured the hearts of the nation and raised over £28million for hospital sleep pods and ‘wobble rooms’ where staff can release emotions after a traumatic experience. Wellbeing packs for staff, described as ‘Hug Boxes’, provide mental health support for staff and volunteers involved in dealing with the pandemic. Electronic tablets will be available for patients in isolation, enabling contact with families. The money raised will go to NHS Charities Together. Later in the year Captain Tom will be awarded a Pride Of Britain Award at an awards ceremony.

Despite having to cancel their annual gala and fundraising dinners, IJM were still able to meet their fundraising target - enough to fund 30 rescues! Please continue to pray for them as they adjust to a new remote working situation, and for their summer festivals team as they work out how to move forward in the light of the cancellation of New Wine - their most important connection-building opportunity of the year - and many other festivals across the UK. Pray for victims of trafficking in the UK as new social distancing laws come into force. The changes in socialising in the UK mean that there will be many people trapped in potentially dangerous situations, and fewer eyes and ears of people around to spot the signs of trafficking in the usual hotspots (nail bars, car washes, etc). As churches are also closed, a key point of contact for vulnerable and potentially trafficked people has been sealed off.