Diocese of Portsmouth

Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2024

Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2024

Our bishop invites churchgoers and members of our communities to donate towards good causes each year during Lent, often one global and one local charity. And kind parishioners either donate money or hold fundraising events during Lent, raising thousands of pounds to help those in need. This year, the recipients of the Bishop’s Lent Appeal will be:

  • Tearfund Middle East Emergency Appeal: supporting churches and partners in the region who are responding to those affected by the humanitarian crisis created by the conflict in Israel and Gaza. Read more about the appeal here.
  • The Trussell Trust: helping vulnerable families and those in need via Foodbanks within our diocese. Read more about their work here.
Donate to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal
Aim your smartphone camera app at the QR code above to donate to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal

How to donate

Online

Giving to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal is much easier this year than in previous years. We’ve created an online giving page here, where you can make donations of fixed amounts or customise your donation to however much you’d like to give. You can also use the QR code above by opening the Camera app on your smartphone and pointing it at the code – this will open up the giving page on your smartphone. Payment information is not stored on either the giving website or ours, and all transactions are handled securely.

We’ve created an A4 QR code poster that you can download, print off and display in relevant areas in your church to help people make quick online donations using their smartphone. Download it here.

Other ways

If you feel unable to make a donation via the online method, as described above, then the other way to make donations is via your PCC treasurer – ideally by bank transfer, although your parish’s treasurer may be willing to accept donations by other means. Please indicate clearly that your donation is for the Bishop’s Lent Appeal. 

We’d also be grateful if you could Gift Aid your donation. If you have previously donated to this appeal and your PCC treasurer still holds that declaration, then you won’t need to fill out a new one. If you need to fill out a Gift Aid declaration, you can download a form here.

At some point after Lent, your PCC treasurer will collate all the donations from your parish and make a bank transfer of the whole amount to the DBF, clearly marked as ‘Bishop’s Lent Appeal’. Later in the year, we can announce how much has been raised overall. Thank you!


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Bishop’s Lent Appeals 2022 & 2023

The Bishop's Lent Appeals in 2022 and 2023 both raised funds for USPG, an Anglican mission agency that partners with churches across the globe. USPG believe that today’s major challenges cry out for words and actions that express a love and solidarity that goes beyond narrow self-interest and national boundaries.

In the face of environmental degradation, turbulent global politics, gender injustice, the forced displacement of millions of people and the harassment and killing of indigenous peoples – USPG believe the churches of the Anglican Communion are called urgently in mission to be communities of resistance and hope, witnesses to the healing power of Christ’s love.

Founded in 1701, USPG has long established relationships with churches of the Anglican Communion and our priorities in mission are those of our sisters and brothers across the world serving God and their communities in a wide range of different contexts and cultures. So you are invited to journey together with them in rethinking mission, energising church and community and championing justice, which are the three strategic aims of USPG.

In 2023, generous worshippers kindly raised £20,897 towards the work of USPG from fundraising and donations across the diocese. This came after you raised £16,059 for the work of USPG in 2022. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here to visit the USPG website for more information about the charity.

Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2021

In 2020 and 2021, God’s creation was the theme of the appeal. More than £10,000 was contributed during half of Lent 2020, and that amount increased in 2021 in support of international conservation by A Rocha, including in Ghana, and local sustainability work, including at the Sustainability Centre in East Meon.

The charities we supported in 2021

A Rocha Ghana ProjectA Rocha has a special project in Ghana where Portsmouth Diocese has strong links and many friends. A Rocha is a charity with a presence in many communities internationally including our own, and churches within this diocese and across the country are agreeing to become Eco Churches (an A Rocha scheme). In countries on the hard end of climate change they are helping communities by providing environmental education, helping to restore mangroves, and protecting forests as well as empowering women to integrate into lake management projects and providing communities with resources to build resilience to climate change.

Sustainability CentreMany local charities do important work in our own area and communities. For instance, the Sustainability Centre in East Meon is an authentic model of sustainability, sharing practical solutions to inspire and enable people to become the planet protectors and change makers that God’s world needs – many of your children will have attended courses with schools at the Sustainability Centre. In addition it runs adult courses on green living, including bee keeping, biomass boilers and the value of chalk downlands and becoming sustainable. It also provides an area for green camping.