Churches across Greater Manchester are asking people to come together to bring a little light into the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children, including victims of child sexual exploitation, this Christmas.
Places of worship across the region – including St Anne’s in Denton, St Martin’s in Sale and St Paul’s in Monton – will be hosting Christingle events throughout December in aid of The Children’s Society.
Families and communities are all welcome to get together for these festive fundraising events to celebrate while the kiddies decorate Christmas oranges with red ribbon, cocktail sticks and sweets.
Everyone is then invited to light a candle to highlight different elements of the Christmas story.
Christingle events, which have been running for 47 years and draw in around a million people each year, are vital to The Children’s Society, who couldn’t make a difference in disadvantaged children’s lives without the support they generate.
The charity’s Greater Manchester Area Director, Rob Jackson, said: “Every child deserves a childhood filled with joy and happiness.
“The support from everyone attending Christingle events across Greater Manchester and all over the country will help us to fight child sexual exploitation and allow us to support even more children who have been seriously affected by it.
“We are thankful for the massive difference that Christingle services make to vulnerable children, year after year.”
This year the charity is hoping to raise £1.4million and every penny will be crucial to their work trying to better the lives and futures of the UK’s young and vulnerable.
Dates and times of Christingles being held in Greater Manchester are listed below:
St Anne’s Church, St Anne’s Rd, Denton, Manchester, 4pm, Sunday 20 December
St Cuthbert’s Church, Miles Platting, Manchester, 4pm, Thursday 24 December
St Martin’s Church, Church Lane, Sale, 4pm, Sunday 13 December
St Peter’s Church, Ashley Road, Hale, 6pm, Thursday 24 December
St Thomas Moorside Church, Glebe Lane, Oldham, 6pm, Saturday 19 December
St Anne’s Lydgate, Stockport Road, Saddleworth, 10.30am, Sunday 13 December
St Paul’s, Egerton Rd, Monton, 10.30am, Sunday 13 December
Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, St John’s Rd, Altrincham, 5.15pm, Thursday 24 December
To find out more about your local Christingles, click here.
Image courtesy of closari, with thanks.
