Former Minister visits Leeds charity
Hilary Benn MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, visited St George’s Crypt in Leeds on 15 February, to be updated on how the Crypt is coping with the recent severe weather.
Mr Benn, who is MP for Leeds Central, is a keen supporter of the Crypt and has kept up to date with its work throughout his time as a serving MP.
The Crypt’s PR and Fundraising Director, Martin Patterson, said: “We are very grateful to our constituency MP, Hilary Benn, who has been a constant supporter and champion of the Crypt throughout all his time as our MP. It will be excellent to meet him again to brief him on the increase in demand for our services in recent months.” The President of the governing body of football, FIFA, visited Mercy Ships volunteers and patients on a personal trip aboard Africa Mercy, the world’s largest charity hospital ship to witness its life-transforming work.
Sepp Blatter was in Conakry, Guinea on the second stop of his four-nation African tour. “I was not only deeply impressed, but also touched by the care Mercy Ships is giving these poor people and how well you are organized. I am touched by the hope and courage given to those you are serving,” President Blatter remarked. The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham and his wife Rosemary joined the Chief Executive of Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Age UK, Mick Tinkler, at a special Valentine’s Day lunch for older people at St Wilfrid’s Church Calverton on Thursday, 14 February.
The lunch was a double celebration – marking the end of National Marriage week and highlighting the Age UK Campaign to end Loneliness, which is being supported by Bishop Paul.
Older Person’s Adviser for the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham, Paul Howard, said: “It’s a distressing fact that over a million people 65 and over in this countr y feel ‘always’ or ‘very’ lonely and over 27,000 older people in Nottinghamshire feel trapped in their own home. Many of our churches are already tackling this problem by running lunch clubs, events and a visiting service for older people in their communities, but we want to do more and we’re appealing to church members to pledge to visit older people who live near them and support this campaign to end loneliness.”