Panels from the East window at Ashwicken.
"Love thy neighbour as thyself" Mark 12.31
The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us that we should give to those in need, regardless of whether they are our friends or not. In the parable, Jesus said that a man was traveling to another city. On the road he was attacked by bandits. They stole his clothes and money and beat him, leaving him half dead. A priest came along, saw him, and passed him by. Then a temple attendant walked over, looked at him, and went on. However, a Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, came along, and when he saw the man he felt compassion. Kneeling beside him, the good Samaritan bandaged his wounds and took him on a donkey to an inn. He paid the innkeeper to take care of the man until he recovered.
Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work or choose a service-oriented occupation. We should give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents but also show genuine concern and compassion for everyone in need.
The charities featured on our page, all deserve your help and support. Please support them if you can and tell others.
ONE TO ONE PROJECT, KING'S LYNN
We are a long-established West Norfolk mental health charity - we have been offering free, long-term counselling and mentoring to the community of West Norfolk for over thirty years - and we totally rely on the goodwill of our community and our volunteers to carry out our work. I am working to build up our team of volunteer mentors so that this support can continue. We give full, free training, and also look after our volunteers with supervision, travel expenses and ongoing training opportunities throughout the year.
If you are empathic, reliable and have good communication skills, please get in touch to join our free training course in February/March in King's Lynn. This is very rewarding work, supporting people one to one for an hour a week, and we provide full preparation, ongoing training and assistance within our friendly team. Call 01553 770770, or email jackie121project@aol.com.
www.onetooneproject.com
If you'd like more information about us and our work, please call 01553 770770 or check our web site at http://www.onetooneproject.com/ .
KING'S LYNN FOODBANK
We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry, especially at Christmas. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
We need your help to make this happen.
Your gift of financial support, time, business partnership and food can make a real difference. You can find out more - how you can help or how you can receive help by looking at the web page click here, or contacting King's Lynn Foodbank, at the Red Cross Headquarters, Austin Fields, King's Lynn, PE30 1PH email: info@kingslynn.foodbank.org.uk or tel: 07582 558143.
Click here to learn about the lick here to learn about the REVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD.
SAMARITANS PURSE SHOEBOX
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2017
St Mary's Church, Great Massingham
Each year St Mary's collects shoeboxes with Christmas gifts for children who otherwise might not receive them.
click on the logo to see a short video of the joy these gifts bring or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.uk
It is already time to find a shoebox and start collecting small gifts as boxes should be left in St Mary's, Great Massingham ready for collection in early November. Leaflets with details how to pack your box will be available at the back of Churches. Supportors are "invited" to give a donation for each shoebox filled to cover the cost of collecting and shipping them from the UK to 17 countries. A donation of £5 per box is requested. This may seem a lot after buying items for the gift boxes, but it is essential that the organisation maintains its standards to get the boxes to the correct places. They also provide training to over 9000 Churches and groups who distribute the boxes. More information on the web site above or locally from Margaret Bowes, 01485 520135. Thank you.
Children at Harpley School are helping by combining their efforts to produce shoeboexes this autumn. Why not do the same and make up a box with a friend? Alternatively give a cash donation to sponsor one which may also be gift aided if you ay income tax.
Update. December 2017
Well done! We sent an amazing total of 181 boxes to be delivered to needy children around the world, by our partners and their local churches. The boxes will spread joy & happiness to children living in dreadful conditions mostly due to war, terror, disease and famine. So, that’s 181 extra smiles and laughter. Thank you. Margaret Bowes
Last Year 2016
In 2016, St Mary's Church in Great Massingham launched their appeal for Christmas shoeboxes which last year broke their own record. They sent 132 Christmas boxes to the distribution centre at Peterborough which were then sent off to Albania by Samaritan's Purse Partners Worldwide. Yes, That's 132 happy smiling faces on less fortunate children, They will know someone cared as they opened the beautifully decorated boxes and see the gifts so kindly given and that has given us all a warm feeling. Margaret Bowes thanks everyone for their generous donations, last year, including the children and parents from Great Massingham and Harpley C of E Primary schools. Please help us this year to break that record again.
Find an empty medium sized shoebox and wrap box and lid separately. Print the appropriat boy/girl label and the correct age category. Fill your box with a variety of new gifts that will delight any child. Add your £3 shipping donation and take it to the drop off point in Church. (more details on the web site above or contact Margaret.)
As I write this only a few more days to go before the boxes are collected and taken to the depot at Peterborough for onward journeys worldwide. Thank you for your huge generosity so far we have approximately 160 boxes,( actually 174 up from 136 in 2015) beautifully wrapped and packed full of surprises, gifts, puzzles and love. Thank you also to those who gave donations towards the shipping and work of Samaritan's Purse. Thank you to those who gave a Saturday morning to cover and fill more boxes in St Mary's church, spurred on by cake and coffee! There are lots of stories on the website, see what happens to a box and the joy of a child receiving their box. A small shoebox can have a great impact, what goes into a box is fun but what comes out is eternal. www.samaritans-purse.co.uk. Thank you. Margaret Bowes 18/11/2016
The photo shows just some of the Christmas boxes before they were collected for sending abroad. photo. © Margaret Bowes.
This report from Samaritans Purse dated Feb. 1st 2017.
THANK YOU for bringing Good News and Great Joy to a child in Central Asia. Your kindness means that one more precious child experienced the joy of opening a very special gift and the hope that comes from knowing that someone, somewhere, cared enough to pack it especially for them. Thanks to the generosity of individuals like you, all over the United Kingdom, 882,647 children, in 17 countries, received a gift to remember!
From your living room table, to your nearest Drop Off Point, off to the warehouse and sent travelling overseas by ship, lorry, camel or plane -- your shoebox has made a very special journey to reach the hands of a delighted child. To find out more about hard-to-reach countries and to be inspired by stories and photos, click here.
West Norfolk Befriending is based in Kings Lynn and aims to reduce social isolation by providing a link to the outside world. We match isolated older people with trained, and CRB checked volunteer befrienders who will visit on a regular basis.
We help clients enhance their quality of life & maintain independence. It reduces isolation and improves their physical and mental wellbeing.
Volunteer Befrienders visit clients in their own homes on a regular basis, whilst working under the guidance of West Norfolk Befriending.
All befrienders are DBS checked, provided with induction training and two references are taken up before any introductions are made. They receive on-going training and support
We recruit our volunteers from all walks of life, all backgrounds and all ages.
We welcome enquiries from potential volunteers and people wanting to know more.
http://www.wnbefriending.org.uk/index.html or email : info@wnbefriending.org.uk or tel: 01553 763500.
Megan’s Challenge is a Gayton based charity that has done a great deal for other local charities over the last few years.
It was established after our gorgeous daughter Megan tragically drowned while on holiday in Gran Canaria in October 2010.
Although we think of Megan every minute of every day, we could not let her name and gorgeous smile be forgotten.
When we think of her now we try to channel all of our thoughts and emotions into raising money for local charities in Megan’s name – undertaking a series of testing challenges, from climbing mountains to arctic dog-sledding and recently, the second 10k Fun Run/Walk held around Gayton.
Megan’s Challenge has been such a success thanks to the huge support and kind donations we’ve received, and we hope you find the stories of our challenges and hopes for the future interesting.
It’s great to be able to support local charities while keeping Megan’s memory alive, and we’d like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us so far.
There is a great deal more that you can see by clicking on here. http://www.meganschallenge.co.uk/
For more than 70 years, Christian Aid has fought poverty, strengthened the poor, and turned hope into action. It's work is founded on Christian faith, inspired by hope and acts to change an unjust world through charity – a practical love and care for our neighbours.
Christian Aid works globally for profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality.
We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes. http://www.christianaid.org.uk
DEMENTIA ADVENTURE
Memory problems? YOU'RE NOT ALONE!
Quite a few people in our villages have been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's and no doubt others are worried about the possibility.
Dementia Adventure is locally based and get together every couple of weeks and do lots of different things, but often involving eating and drinking at some point! It's all very informal and people turn up as and when they can.
Recently we have been to Trues Yard in King's Lynn and Ware Hall in Wells next the Sea, followed by a pub lunch in both cases.
Coming up soon, we have invited a Consultant Psychiatrist to come and answer our questions about dementia and we are going to the bird reserve at Cley for a guided walk. We are planning to go on a seal trip from Blakeney when the weather gets a bit warmer, a picnic in the walled garden at Houghton and a barbecue, amongst other things.
The group has been active for a couple of years now and it is good to share experiences with
others who really understand as well as having a lot of fun and making new friends.
If you or a loved one are affected and would like to socialise informally or become part of a support group, please phone Lesley on 01485 601220 at any time. If I'm out I will
ring you back!
You could also join a "Chillout Art" group session for carers on Monday mornings. Call Lesley.
This group has received funding from the Carers Agency Partnership on behalf of Norfolk County Council