News Archive October 2009
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS EVENTS
The newly-formed College Charity Group, a part of St. Mary’s
Chaplaincy, undertook a range of activities in October to raise
awareness of breast cancer and to raise money to tackle the
illness. Events included a cake sale in the College canteen and
a waxing session in the hall where a number of (very foolish)
volunteers had their limbs auctioned off for people to wax!
There was a pink feel to the College on the day with students
and staff donating money to wear pink clothes. A College party
was also held to raise funds. In total, the group raised over
£250 for the cause.
Student organisers of the events, Catherine O’Hara, Emily Gorman
and Josie Rudd said: “The enthusiasm and willingness to either
participate or donate in some way was extraordinary. Not only
did it raise a considerable amount of money but it also helped
to raise awareness of breast cancer. Our thanks go to everybody
for their help.”
Liam Finn, Assistant Chaplain, said: “I would personally like to
thank Catherine, Emily, Josie and everyone else involved for the
huge effort they put in to raise money for such a good cause. It
is great to see so many of our students giving up their free
time to help other people, an integral part of the ethos of St.
Mary’s.
CLIMATE CHANGE WAVE IN YORK
As part of the Chaplaincy Team’s ongoing “Faith in Action”
initiative a group of students participated in a demonstration
of support for measures to be taken to prevent dangerous climate
change occurring. “The Wave”, organised by the Stop Climate
Chaos Coalition of more than 90 charities and organisations,
including CAFOD and Christian Aid, involved over 500 people
forming a huge circle around York Minster. The protestors,
dressed in blue, hoped to produce a great visual display of
support for action to be taken by world leaders at December’s
Copenhagen Summit, which many believe is vital in order to
prevent a climate catastrophe occurring in the coming decades.
David Cross, CAFOD’s Diocesan Manager for Middlesbrough, said:
“The Wave was held in York as a precursor to the event which
will be held in London in December. We hoped that the York Wave
would be a great opportunity for the people of the North-East to
show support not just for measures to be put in place to prevent
excessive climate change but also to support climate justice.
We were delighted that so many young people came to York for the
Wave, particularly the large contingent from St. Mary’s College.
It was great to see that we have young people in our Diocese who
care about their futures and believe that they can make a
difference. Our thanks go to the College for sharing such great
ambassadors with us.”
ZOE'S PLACE MIDNIGHT WALK
In what was a busy period for Chaplaincy at St. Mary’s, the Charity Group finished the first half-term of the year by participating in the Zoë’s Place Midnight Walk at Stewart Park in Middlesbrough. College students and staff along with 200 others braved the freezing cold and dark to complete the 3.2 mile sponsored walk which was held to raise funds for the baby hospice. The College has raised a significant amount for the charity. Thank you to everyone who supported this great cause.
If you would like more information about Zoë’s Place please see
www.zoes-place.org.uk
