Burnley church's Lenten soup lunches helping communities devastated by climate change

Parishioners from St John the Baptist’s RC Church in Burnley have held their annual Lenten soup lunches - each Friday during Lent people in the local community have enjoyed a simple meal and donated money to fund the work of CAFOD across the world. A fantastic £920 was raised.

A dedicated group from St John's parish made delicious soup with bread, followed by cheese and crackers, which was served in the parish hall with the final lunch taking place on Good Friday after the ecumenical “Witness” service at St Andrew’s, Duke Bar.

The Lenten soup lunches have been an annual fund-raiser for around 30 years and have raised thousands of pounds for CAFOD's development work across the globe. Warburtons bakery in Burnley kindly donated the bread again this year.

The funds raised by people in Burnley will help CAFOD – the Catholic development charity – to reach more people around the world facing the devastating effects of climate change.

CAFOD volunteer and one of the organisers at St John’s, Anne Marie Coppock, said: “The Lenten soup lunches are such a great way of bringing people together and raising a fantastic amount of money for CAFOD’s work.

"I'm delighted that we as a parish, the Catholic communities in Burnley East, and our fellow Christian churches in the area, who joined us on Good Friday, are able to help in some way those impoverished communities facing the worst effects of climate change. I also wish to thank Warburtons for supplying the bread each week.”

The money will go to teaching people new farming skills, providing hardy seeds, which will grow despite droughts. As well as teaching communities new skills like mechanics and tailoring to ensure that if unpredictable weather hits they are able to survive.

CAFOD’s local representative in Lancashire, Simon Holleron, added: “It is amazing to see our local community rallying together to help our global sisters and brothers. The generosity from parishioners at St John’s and other parishes in the east of Burnley is a lifeline for women, men and children all over the world. Thank you so much for your compassion this Lent.”

Climate change is the single biggest threat to reducing poverty. Whether it is floods destroying homes or unpredictable seasons leading to failed harvests, climate change is undoing years of our work together to improve people’s lives.

Donate to CAFOD’s Lent Appeal at cafod.org.uk/lent