Lent Appeal 2026
This Lent, we aim to raise awareness and support two focused, achievable targets at a local and international level.
Local: Bucks Mind which delivers mental health services in Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire to tackle stigma, barriers and isolation so that everyone can access mental health support when they need it.
International: Siyabulela Pre-school, South Africa, a small pre-school in a township west of Cape Town. It serves children from the local Township, as well as the Informal Settlement.
Help us reach our target
Bucks Mind
We are delighted to support Bucks Mind with the set up of a new Peer Support Bucks group in Great Missenden which offers free, volunteer-led group community support for those over the age of 18 who struggling with or recovering from poor mental health. The groups help to reduce isolation and loneliness, build confidence and improve wellbeing through regular, supportive social connection.
Can we help Bucks Mind? This April, a new Peer Support Bucks group will launch in Great Missenden to support local adults experiencing poor mental health and social isolation. Initially, the group will meet weekly at Costa, offering a safe, welcoming space for people to connect and share experiences. The group will be supported by experienced staff and volunteers from existing groups with plans to recruit a dedicated group of volunteers to allow membership and the variety of social activities on offer to grow.
A total of £13,000 is needed to make the group viable. £8,190 has already been secured from Great Missenden Parish Council and an anonymous donor and as a beneficiary of this year’s Lent Appeal, donations made will help close the remaining gap in funding.
Siyabulela Preschool, South Africa
This appeal aims to fund the rubberising of an outdoor area to create a safe, usable outdoor classroom at Siyabulela Preschool. The pressure to offer and the demand for education, childcare, food and safety is high and current indoor classrooms are small, basic, often overcrowded and also used for rest periods.
Although the climate is well suited to outdoor learning, sandy ground quickly turns to mud due to sea moisture, drizzle, and winter flooding. Many children lack shoes, making muddy areas unsafe and unusable and causing dirt to be brought into classrooms. Rubberised flooring would drain quickly, stay clean, cope better with flooding, and allow educational activities to take place outside.
How we can make a difference to Siyabulela An 8m x 8m area could become a shaded outdoor classroom, with desks already in place and roofing funded by another donor. At about £29/m2, the total cost is £1,850, and every square metre funded directly improves learning conditions and future opportunities for the children, many of whom come from poor and under-privileged backgrounds.
Please hold the appeal and the two strands in your own prayers.
Loving God, this Lent help us reach out to others, seeing their needs and caring for them. May we love as you love: extravagantly and indiscriminately. May we care as you do: without expectation and without counting the cost. Lead us to a deeper understanding of your compassionate care for others. We pray for Bucks Mind and Siyabulela Pre-school, South Africa, that through our prayers and geneorisity they may be able to continue to support those in their care and share your love to those in need. Amen
You can send thanks, solidarity and support to the trustees and volunteers at Bucks Mind or Siyabulela, with whom our local village schools have also partnered, sending their old-style uniform there.
Ask your friends if they would like to support this appeal and share our posts on Social Media
Let’s think about how we might make connections with all these different peoples with equal needs that we want to support. What lasting connections could we make? How can we celebrate our common share in the Body of Christ? What are your ideas?
Donate Now
If we as Christians claim to follow Jesus yet fail to hear the cries of the oppressed and refuse to act, we’re not being Christ-like at all. Jesus boldly spoke out against inequality, helped the oppressed, condemned the oppressor and embraced the alienated. Social Justice wasn’t a side-project for Jesus. It wasn’t a moral hobby, a ministry strategy or a means of gaining populist support. Instead, it was a central part of his message. It isn’t a minor add-on to the gospel; it is a central part of the gospel! From our privileged positions, many of us are protected from the worst effects of poverty. But there is significant need at a local and international level. Need is everywhere, but we can make a difference. We can respond.
The first £3,500 raised will be distributed equally between the two charities. If we surpass our initial £3,500 target, funds will be distributed in equal shares to the two charities for these purposes or to further their charitable aims at their discretion.
Donate securely online now by:
- Scanning the QR code below
Use the form on the right or click here!
(note, your donation must be processed through the church accounts, but is clearly marked ‘Lent Appeal 2026’)
Or you can write a cheque payable to Holy Trinity, Prestwood but clearly marked “Lent Appeal 2026” on the back and give to:
- One of the clergy
The Church Treasurer
The Church Office at 134, Wycombe Road, Prestwood, HP16 0HJ