Supporting Tools With A Mission

Our Efforts to support the charity - Tools With A Mission

Some 21 months ago, we decided to help collect tools and equipment for Tools With A Mission or TWAM based in Ipswich. We had performed a similar exercise in years past through the efforts of Brother Brian, based at Saint John Fishers in Prittlewell. 

Last October, TWAM were present at our very first Community Fayre in 2016 when the public met them, took leaflets and even donated items on the day; a very nice sewing machine was one of the items handed over from memory.

TWAM at our Community Fayre in 2016

To hold an appeal that did not involve asking people for money was a refreshing change for once but not without its challenges. We lobbied several parishes of several denominations and individuals to come forward with items that they no longer required but for some people it was a task for when they got around to it. The logistics of organising a collection within parishes proved challenging also, with clashes with other appeals, clashes with similar projects already in progress and concerns about logistics and where would all items be stored before being collected.

We did receive support from across the Southend Borough though and in particular we had tremendous support from the parish of Saint Saviour's in Westcliff-on-Sea. They are a forward thinking parish brimming with ideas for recycling, helping others and bringing the community together all under the guidance of Revd Lee, so to have their support was both fantastic and reassuring.

Collected tools from Saint Saviours Westcliff-on-Sea

We put a very large sturdy cardboard box into Saint Saviours with a TWAM sign on the side which was overflowing with donations on collection and with other personal collections we simply stored items in our houses in readiness for the removal day. We also had donations of two sewing machines with materials and sewing accessories also from two very generous families from the parish of Saint George and the English Martyrs in Shoeburyness too which filled up an estate car with the seats down.

For our second Community Fayre last month, we made a table display with a sewing machine in the middle and several TWAM leaflets and newsletters to remind people of how they can help, and with the generous help from the parish of Sacred Heart, Southchurch, we were able to store every item collected in the parish garage for TWAM to send a van down from Ipswich to collect.

Tools in the garage waiting to go to TWAM

We hope the items help others less fortunate to grow and manage crops, make a living and support their families and community, and we are hoping to be able to give an idea of where exactly in the world the bulk of the tools collected end up.

Colin the driver in sunny Southend having loaded up at Sacred Heart, Southchurch

To find out more about TWAM visit their website at http://www.twam.uk/ or
follow them on twitter @TWAMGB or
via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toolswithamission

Standing room only in the van back to Ipswich

Vigil for CAFOD's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Thursday 1st September 2016

Last nights' Vigil for CAFOD's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation at Sacred Heart Southchurch highlighted God in all of creation both in the Mass and in the Vigil that followed. It was an absolute pleasure to have Father Krysztof of the Polish Mission leading us throughout the evening and we thank him for his time and support.

We were reminded of the glorious gift of creation, reflected on a passage by Pope Francis from Laudato Si, heard the story of Susana living in the mountains of Bolivia in South America and her struggle to grow crops to feed her family, and we listened to Jesus telling the parable of the mustard seed recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

After carefully chosen prayers of intercession, we were led into Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament and Benediction before closing with a hymn.

Everyone present was invited to take home a pot containing soil and a mustard seed or two as a remember of the events of the evening and by taking care of the seed, helping it to grow and flourish.

A fitting way to end the evening.

VIGIL FOR CAFOD's WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

We invite you to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Thursday 1st September at Sacred Heart Church, Southchurch – Mass starting at 7pm is followed by a vigil to include exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Francis calls us all to celebrate this opportune moment to

“reaffirm [our] personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation, as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” 

The Mass will be led by Father Krystov of the Polish Mission, all are welcome. The service will conclude by 8:30pm.

Coffee morning with a 'bang'er!

Today's coffee morning was a great success so it goes without saying, a BIG thank you to all the parishioners and visitors who came in for coffee, a chat and some decent food at Sacred Heart, Southchurch after the 11am Mass.

The proceeds from today is to be spread across our charity funds and to help with our operating costs and we are supporting Missio, Nazareth House and B.E.E.F. (Brentwood Ecclesiastical Education Fund) for the training of new priests. We raised over £160. Thank you again to all who supported including our chairman Liam and his wife Sandy who were the first in and last to leave as they often are.

The teas and coffees, sausages in baguettes, and cheese baguettes proved very popular with a queue for the food stretching half way down the length of the hall at one point. Knights member for nearly sixty years and retired master chef Brian Dillon was asked to look after the sausages and cook some onions, and for something as simple as onions drew many a favourable customer comment saying that the onions were perfect. Just goes to show that if you know what you are doing then whatever you do you do it to the best of your ability.

We had thirteen prizes for the raffle, nine members in attendance, and every kind of relish, sauce and pickle you could think of to put in the baguettes. It had even stopped raining by the time we had cleared up and left to head home, and yes, the sausages sold out!

Knights of Saint Columba Southend-on-Sea 192 - Coffee Morning at Sacred Heart Hall, Southchurch

Sunday 31st January, after the 11.00am Mass at Sacred Heart. Sausage baguettes or a ploughman's for only £1.50 each. Fantastic raffle prizes. Proceeds to KSC, Missio, Nazareth House and B.E.E.F. (Brentwood Ecclesiastical Education Fund) - charities supported by your local Knights during 2016. Your support is much appreciated! 

KSC192 See A Way to Support Vision Aid Overseas

Supporting Vision Aid Overseas

Following an appeal at our quarterly countywide meeting, the Knights from Southend-on-Sea agreed to support a collection of used spectacles for the charity Vision Aid Overseas; a charity that were supported both nationwide and locally by the Knights back in 2009 to 2011 as our then current National Action Project.

Vision Aid Overseas runs a nationwide spectacle collection scheme which operates to raise money for Vision Aid Overseas. Recycled spectacles are not sent overseas and Vision Aid Overseas ensure spectacles are recycled in an environmentally-friendly way and income generated from recycling is used to support their programmes overseas.

With posters provided by the charity we prepared collection boxes all nicely packaged and labelled up and quickly asked a handful of different Catholic and Anglican parishes around the borough of Southend-on-Sea for support for a collection in their respective churches and parishes. The response we received was amazing especially considering we were limited in the amount of boxes and posters we had available to spread around.

Collections took place in the Catholic parishes of Our Lady of Lourdes in Leigh-on-Sea, Saint Helens in Westcliff, Sacred Heart in Southchurch and Saint John Fishers in Prittlewell along with the Anglican parishes of Saint James the Great in Leigh-on-Sea, and Saint Lukes in Prittlewell. With the two deliveries of spectacles taken to Williams Opticians in Elm Road, Leigh-on-Sea, in total we collected close to 300 pairs of used spectacles for Williams Opticians to pass on to the charity and they were very accommodating and supportive of the whole appeal. This was a fantastic way for many people in the Southend area to come together to show Christian unity and solidarity for those less fortunate.

First batch collected in October - almost 70 pairs

We could have opted to take the collections to a national chain of opticians who also work with Vision Aid but locally Williams Opticians have a great reputation. We asked them about their work with the charity and they responded, "Williams Opticians are pleased to continue their association with Vision Aid  Overseas. It is a worth while cause offering those less fortunate the chance of sight, something that we take for granted. This donation of 230 pairs goes together with hundreds already collected in the past."

Handing over our second batch to the owner of Williams Opticians - Paul Gallivan

The collection took place over a number of weeks in the run up to Advent, but in many of the parishes, the support has kept coming even after the posters and boxes had been removed which goes to show the charity that can be found around Southend-on-Sea especially at a time when most people were pre-occupied with their Christmas celebrations and preparations.

Vision Aid overseas can be found on the internet at www.visionaidoverseas.org

Williams Opticians can be visited in person at 90 Elm Rd, Leigh-on-Sea SS9 1SJ and
online at www.williamsopticians.com