More than £600 was raised in two hours for Christian Aid at a coffee morning in Dumfries on Saturday.
Organised by the Dumfries and District Christian Aid Committee, it proved a fundraising success after three years waiting for its return due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event, which cost £3.50 for tea or coffee, a refill and home baking provided by the charity’s supporters – was held in The Usual Place community café with a theme of “Hands Across the World”.
Supported by members of the town’s churches, it marks the start of Christian Aid Week 2023, which raises awareness and funding for the charity’s development projects and emergency relief for people in great need.
This year’s focus is on farmers in Malawi, where food, fuel, fertiliser and school fees have doubled in price in the last 12 months. The hard-working farmers there are seeing their harvests fail as the climate crisis brings increasingly erratic weather. Many families are having to choose which of their children they can afford to send to school.
Christian Aid works through local partners and has been using pigeon peas to transform lives. This is a small seed which is drought-resistant, soil-revitalising and high-protein and, as well as for cooking meals, it can be used to make bread.
Before the pandemic, envelopes were delivered around Dumfries and collected by volunteers during the week, but this has been changed.
In some parts of the town, envelopes will be delivered and can be returned to a local collecting point by the householders.
Some churches are also giving out the envelopes to parishioners to take, fill and return.
In addition, anyone from the region and beyond can donate online at a crowdfunding site: https://www.justgiving.com/page/dumfrieschristianaidweek2023.
