Thursday 7 May 2020
Grange Youth Theatre goes virtual to help the world’s most vulnerable people
The young people of the Grange Youth Theatre, from villages, schools and churches around the Grange-over-Sands area, are ‘digging deep’ to produce an on-line virtual concert to raise funds for Christian Aid Week (May10-16) to help vulnerable people around the world.
The theatre group involves over 30 young people aged 7 to 17 years. Each year they perform in a concert for Christian Aid Week at Grange Methodist Church, with individual and group performances of music, drama and dancing. Lockdown has forced the event to go virtual event instead, with individual performances recorded for streaming on-line, and a virtual choir item planned.
The concert will go out at 7pm on Friday 15th May at https://www.facebook.com/grangemethodists/live.
Other events in Grange for Christian Aid Week have also had to adapt to the unusual times. Services from Grange Methodist Church are being live streamed each week at 10.30 on Sunday mornings, at the same address, with a focus on the work of Christian Aid on 10th May. A Zoom Quiz Night is to be held at 7pm on Tuesday 12th May – to join it, contact for details at https://www.facebook.com/grangemethodists
Revd Jo Rand, Minister of Grange-over-Sands and Cartmel Methodist Churches, said: “Like everyone else, we’re doing things we’ve never done before, so we’re hoping it all comes together! I’ve been a lifelong supporter of Christian Aid, ever since childhood when I used to help my mum put envelopes through doors. I think for many of us it’s the sense of gratitude to God that we have so much. We’ve had a little taste of shortages in recent weeks, but so many people live with such constant hardship and injustice. We want to change that.”
Youth
Theatre director Jean Malkin said: “The
young people in Grange Youth Theatre have put together a concert for
Christian Aid for a great number of years. In Winter they are
involved in a pantomime which makes approximately £1,000, which is
then divided between many Christian charities such as World Vision,
C.B.M., Action for Children etc.
“Great fun is had during our rehearsals which, unfortunately, have not been able to happen this year, but the youngsters have 'dug deep', and, thanks to modern technology, we hope you enjoy the 2020 Christian Aid concert and give generously.”
Coronavirus has now reached every country Christian Aid works in, and has highlighted the vulnerability of 40% of the world’s population who do not have access to soap and water at home to help protect their families from the deadly outbreak.
Christian Aid was founded in 1945 after World War Two when people across Britain, despite their own predicament, gave generously in response to the suffering of refugees across Europe.
Christian Aid’s church engagement officer for Cumbria Helen Cunningham said: “Covid-19 has shown us how we are a global community. The virus doesn’t discriminate, we are all vulnerable.
“But in times of crisis the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised are at the greatest risk. We are seeing fantastic examples of coronavirus bringing communities together, of neighbours across Cumbria helping those in need.
“Coronavirus impacts everyone, but love unites us all. Christian Aid Week cannot be a community celebration in the usual sense, where people go house to house collecting or gather for sales and special services. But the fund-raising events in Grange show us how community can still thrive and be global as well as local.
“Christian Aid is currently responding to the crisis around the world, for example in Myanmar where our local partners have distributed soap to over 30,000 people and distributed 2,000 surgical masks. Your donations will help protect desperately vulnerable people, please support the events in Grange if you can.”
To find out other ideas about how to celebrate Christian Aid Week digitally - including a 300,000 steps in May challenge - visit caweek.org/virtualresources