CHRISTMAS CHARITY AUCTION On 4 December in the Wallingford Town Hall at 3:00pm (viewing from 2.30pm) there will be a grand Christmas Charity Auction of Gifts and Promises, to be opened by the Mayor of Wallingford, Bernard Stone.

The Charity auction is the final fund raising event in a 12 month appeal that has been raising money to support baby feeding centres in the Sudan. We cordially invite you to support our appeal by coming to the auction and bidding for great offers such as one week sailing holiday in the Caribbean, or the use of a house for one week in the French Pyrenees, a holiday weekend at Portland Island, meals in various restaurants, and lots of other goods as well as time donated most generously by many shops and individuals in and around Wallingford.

Since last November parishioners of St John’s Catholic Church in Wallingford and English Martyrs in Didcot have been running an appeal called ‘Feed My Lambs’ to raise money for the Baby Feeding Centres established in 2002 by the St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales) (SVP) and set up in response to the terrible scenes of malnutrition and starvation faced by children caught up in the civil war that has dominated the Sudan for decades. The SVP operates 17 baby feeding centres in and around Khartoum, feeding up to 12,000 little ones daily. The cost of feeding a baby for a year and giving them a chance of life is £35, less than a pair of shoes or a meal out. So far the appeal has raised £6,135, thus helping to save the lives of 175 children.

The SVP is an international Christian voluntary organisation whose main work is helping people who need support and assistance, wherever they are from, or whatever their religion or beliefs. Locally we visit the sick, the lonely and vulnerable and try and help the poor. The SVP has a permanent presence in places like India, Haiti and the Sudan where they run projects such as medical training, schools, vocational training workshops providing skill training for young people and adults and of course the baby feeding centres.

We look forward to seeing you at our auction on December 4th.

For more information about the SVP visit their website www.svp.org.uk Mary Hill President of the St John’s, Wallingford, Conference Based on information supplied by Mary Hill.