Aid to the developing world from Hastings area churches
The Future for LOAF Project
Since its inception in 1978, LOAF Project has been wonderfully used by God to encourage and support vulnerable people around the world in many and various ways. In 1986 Registered Charity status was granted. In its over 40 years of fundraising, hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised and dozens of organisations working for the relief of poverty and suffering have been helped around the world.
The latest Project, recently completed, has helped teenage girls in an area of Eastern Congo to cope with issues of period poverty interrupting their education. The sum of £10,000 was raised to enable the teaching of girls to make their own reusable sanitary products.
Sadly, in the last year two key Trustees have died: Dr. John Geater MBE, who had chaired the Trustees since LOAF Project began and the Reverend Wallace Boulton who had edited the popular Grapevine magazine for the last 20 years. The Trustees have sought but been unable to recruit younger members to fill these significant vacancies.
Rather than close the Charity, the remaining Trustees have decided that LOAF Project will become a “Sleeping Trust”, ready to make available the benefit of its charitable status to any group within the churches of Hastings and St Leonards that wishes to undertake any project, the aims of which are consistent with those of LOAF Project which have the approval of the Charity Commission.
Briefly these are as recorded on the Charity Commission Website:
LOAF Project Registered Charity No. 293855
Charitable Objects 1. To advance the Christian Religion 2. To Relieve Poverty
Almost exclusively these Objects have historically been pursued in various countries of the Developing World and the Trustees would wish to see this emphasis maintained if possible.
It would be up to any group wishing to pursue a project that would benefit from LOAF’s charitable status to approach the Trustees with a Project Proposal. If the Trustees are convinced that such a group’s proposals meet their criteria, they would expect to co-
Meanwhile, LOAF Project will continue to accept donations to be held in its Emergency Fund. As in the past, this Fund is used at the discretion of the Trustees to respond to emergency needs in cases of disasters in the developing world.
LOAF Project will continue to offer to the Christian community in Hastings and St Leonards the traditional First Sunday Fellowship Walks in the local countryside. These will be publicised through the Church Together network and through the dedicated First Sunday Walks Whatsapp group.
LOAF Project Trustees have expressed willingness to continue organising occasional fellowship lunches for leaders within the Christian community. These have been much appreciated in the past.
Any group wishing to discuss the possibility of using the charitable status of LOAF Project is welcome to contact the Trustees through the Acting Chair at 242, St Helens Road, TN34 2NE; Tel: 01424 422299; Email: avvk28@dsl.pipex.com
The Trustees: Christine Boulton Lane (Treasurer); Richard Keep; Roger Mitchell (Acting Chair); Gillian Padgham; Derek Tomblin.