Help the Hungry was formed thirty years ago with two specific aims: To raise money for the disadvantaged via social events.
There are still two original members in the group, Debbie Pennington and Pauline White.
During the past 30 years we have sent money and goods to a varied range of world wide causes in Africa, South America, China, Blackpool and other areas in the UK. We also support local people and charities. In the past thirty years we have raised and distributed over £100,000. In the majority of cases the money raised is sent directly to the recipients, so that apart from transfer costs, no money is taken out for administration. However in times of crisis, for example famine, we support CAFOD and other international charities.
We have supported young people in the Parish who have generously given of their free time to visit and help disadvantaged throughout the world including orphanages in Romania and Nepal etc.
We have had requests for some unusual items including an artificial limb which after much searching one enterprising member of the group managed to procure. This was despatched to Africa filled with toiletries, paper, pencils etc. A lovely photograph was sent to us of the gentleman proudly wearing his new leg and we were then inundated with requests for numerous artificial limbs. This request was forwarded to the Princess Diana Memorial Fund; hopefully they were able to help. A memorable letter of thanks received was from a Sister in Kenya who was in charge of a school. She gave us a detailed shopping list of goods she had purchased with the money we had sent.
The group has had fun over the years raising money through charity shops, raffles, barn dances, discos, Mr and Mrs and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire to name but a few..
The group would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support during the past thirty years and the VERY VERY MANY GENEROUS DONATIONS which we regularly receive.
If anyone would like to join the group they would be most welcome, please speak to one of the priests who will pass on your details.
Help the Hungry
Guild of the Blessed Sacrament.
We have a monthly meeting on the first Friday of the month, 7pm mass. Followed by a short office and meditation. The blessed sacrament is exposed and short meditation will be given, with a time for silent prayer concluded by benediction. Once year, in October, we have a day's retreat, directed by a guest speaker and hosted somewhere in the Blackpool/Preston area. New members are welcome to come and join us...we would be very pleased to see you.
26 All Hallows Rd, Bispham , Blackpool FY2 0AS .Tel .no. 01253 352587 E mail: subirous@fsmail.net frstevepearson@hotmail.com
ST. BERNADETTES SHORT-MAT BOWLING CLUB
To add a little competitive spirit within the club (for those who wish to participate) we compete every year for the singles Gerry Peake Memorial Cup and the doubles John Spence Memorial Trophy. During the winter months we also compete in the Blackpool and District Short-Mat Bowling League, indeed in recent years we have won the league once and been runners-up three times. Again, participation in the league competition is only for those who wish to play against other teams-it isn’t mandatory.
The present team captain is Elizabeth Ismay and the vice-captain/treasurer is Frank Swarbrick, they have held these respective offices for almost ten years.
The game itself is great fun, it does require an element of skill and practice, just ask the Crown Green bowlers who play during the winter months, but in a short time you can be playing your own game without any further coaching. The group consists of 19 members who are very welcoming and friendly and certainly none are athletes (thank goodness) and for £1 per session you can enjoy the banter, a couple of games and a cup of tea and biscuits.
If anyone is interested please contact Elizabeth or Frank via the Parish Secretary or come along to one of the sessions described above (it is always worth checking the parish bulletin for any timetable changes).
The St. Vincent De Paul Society is very active in St Bernadette’s Parish and has been operating for over 30 years.. Currently there are 10 members - 8 women and 2 men. The Society provides food, clothing and household equipment to those in need and transport to Sunday Mass. Over the past twelve months SVP members have made over 200 visits to the sick and housebound in our parish.
As well as local assistance the SVP gives aid internationally when a world crisis arises. Recently, through the generosity of our parishioners, we were able to send £1,000 to Sudan, to assist with the baby feeding programme.
All our work is only possible because of the generosity of our parishioners, the support of our Parish Priests and the dedication and hard work of the SVP members. We envisage more and more calls on our time and would welcome new members young and old.
S.V.P. members
On the first Tuesday of the month. You are all invited to come along to the Church Hall for coffee and a chat.
Parish Priest:Fr Stephen Pearson Assistant Priest: Fr Andrew Allman
350th Anniversary Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool
Members of the St Bernadette’s SVP conference and parishioners travelled to the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral to join in the celebrations to mark 350th anniversary of the deaths of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac. The chief celebrant at this Mass was Archbishop Patrick Kelly. It was a truly marvellous celebration and people had travelled from around the country to be there, approximate numbers attending were 2,000.
St Bernadette’s Bereavement Support Group. We continue to offer a service for the recently bereaved of those connected to our parish. This takes the form of providing a quiet informal time in the home of the bereaved, offering sympathy and an opportunity to listen to their needs and concerns. We offer this support because we think of the Church as a family where members care for one another. We are not a counselling service, more of a listening service. If it becomes clear that the person we are listening to needs another kind of help that the one we can offer, we can usually refer them on with their consent.
We were saddened at the recent death of one of our founder members, Kath Cottam, who gave many years of invaluable loving service to people via this group. May she rest in peace.
As some of our group members have retired or moved out of the area we find our numbers reducing, and we would warmly welcome new members to help provide this service. Anyone wishing for further information please speak to one of the parish clergy.
St Bernadette’s Golf Society. In 1991 our then Parish Priest, Fr.Edmund Carey, called a few parishioners whom he knew were keen golfers to a meeting with a view to forming a golf society. His idea was to provide fellowship in the playing of the game for members of our parish and other parishes. With the enthusiasm and hard work of the first secretary Patrick Farish the Society was quickly formed and enjoyed many meetings at courses in the Fylde area. Our President Fr Carey joined in the matches with a great competitive spirit and we soon became an integral part of the parish. Sadly some months after he had formed the Society Fr Carey was moved to Our Lady Star of the Sea parish in St Anne’s and once he had settled into his new home he wasted little time in forming a golf society in that parish. It soon became apparent that the two Societies had to do battle and with the generosity of our Bernard Higgins
who purchased a beautiful trophy for that purpose there was born our own “Ryder Cup” event. We meet every year with each Society taking turns to host the event and choose the venue. St Bernadette’s arranged this year’s match and it was played at North Shore Golf Club last week. At a dinner which followed it was Bernard’s duty to present the trophy to Our Lady’s who beat us by four games to two. It is not for me to say how many times we have lost to Our Lady’s but we did win the trophy three times in a row in past years !!! We meet three times a year for an inter-society match played at various courses in the Fylde and Preston areas and is followed by a dinner at that particular Club. Apart from the annual challenge match against Our Lady’s we also hold an annual dinner in November and an annual general meeting in April which is preceded by Mass offered for deceased members and members’ families. We would welcome new members and with a nominal subscription and no requirement for them to be members of a Golf Club.