Saint Vincent de Paul Society
St Vicent de Paul (SVP)Society Conferance Report 2025-26
In our parish, our main focus is contacting and visiting the house-bound, the sick, the bereaved and the lonely. We currently visit people in their own homes or in sheltered accommodation. We occasionally provide transport for Doctor or hospital appointments and to attend Mass. We can offer support to those in financial difficulties. We work to assist people in the wider community as well as members of our own parish. There are currently about 20 beneficiaries whom we regularly contact, visit and support.
Three of our members helped with the Lord's Larder in Chard on a weekly basis and we host a Spring/Summer Afternoon Tea and a September Coffee Morning. We also arrange an annual Healing Mass, (Mass with Anointing of the sick) followed by tea/coffee and cake. The Mini Vinnies group is open to children aged 7-11 years. They get involved in varied activities such as writing get well cards, learning about the Saints and making Christmas and Easter religious crafts. They see, think and do all they can to help the community and have fun.
A highlight of this year has been two of our members walking over 100KM of the Camino de Santiago to raise funds for the SVP locally and nationally.
Key figures from the last year are
Over 650 contacts and visits made.
Financial support as follows.
£100 for feeding a baby in the Sudan for a year.
£150 to our twinned conference in Kallayam, Kerala, India.
£300 worth of vouchers at Christmas and £150 at Easter to local people.
£560 in assorted gifts to local individuals and families, as recommended by members and requested by other organisations, but also providing practical help in various ways in accordance with people's needs.
We gained four members in the past year and now have eleven members. We meet together at 2:00 PM on the first Thursday of each month. We welcome new members to assist in this rewarding work. So, if you feel you could offer an hour or two of your time and would like to learn more then please come to our meetings or contact the President, Michael Wilson-Smith. michael.wilson-smith@cliftondiocese.com or the parish office. You can find out more about the work of the SVP at www.svp.org.uk.
“Charity is the cement which binds communities to God and persons to one another.”
St. Vincent de Paul