Fundraising Stories

David from Market Rasen is passionately concerned for Eritrean Christians, having met some of them in refugee camps in Ethiopia. So he arranged for a support group in one of the camps to make handmade cards and dolls, which we have been selling at Release Women conferences, as well as other events.

Ella in south west London decided at the age of 80 that she would not rust out, but develop what she calls “age rage” and “burn out for God”. So for her 85th birthday she invited over 100 of her friends and family to a celebration at All Saints, Tooting Bec, at which there were hymns of praise, and songs and dances by individuals and groups of singers. The afternoon ended with a feast that was enjoyed by all. Ella invited those attending not to bring gifts for her, but offerings to the Lord, which she divided between Release and a school in India that she had helped to see built. This raised a fantastic £500 for Release. She celebrated her 90th in a similar way.

Gareth, from Belfast took part in the Belfast marathon and raised a magnificent £628 to help North Korean Christians.

Gillian in South Wales has a real passion to care for persecuted Christians, having lived among people who have very few possessions in Africa. She undertook a fun run which raised £300 for Release. Not prepared to rest on her laurels, three months later she organised a group from her church to undertake a “Peaks for the persecuted” challenge which raised just under £800. They walked the 25 miles route linking the Yorkshire three peaks (Penyghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough) in just over 11 hours.

Gillian said: “We had a fantastic time of fellowship and we all really enjoyed the walk and the company as well. And when the conditions and inclines were difficult, we remembered those for whom we were walking.”

Karen in Hampshire heard about the work of the CAP Tabitha Sewing Centre project in Lahore which trains poor Christian young women in sewing and tailoring, which they can use to earn a small income from the safety of their home, avoiding the main option of working as a maid, with the serious risks of physical and sexual assault that this can involve. This motivated her to provide sewing machines for the Christian young women who are trained there.

Karen wasn’t sure what she could do, but decided that she’d try a sponsored walk round Thorney Island, near her home. Although she had never done fundraising before, or even spoken from the front to her church, last year her 32 mile walk (four circuits of the island in a day) raised over £1,000, which provided 39 young women with sewing machines. In subsequent years she repeated that walk in the company of friends, and took part in fundraising walks along the North Downs and South Downs.

Laurie, from Inverness did the 180km Corsica Grand Randonnée (Big Excursion) walk, which involves almost 10,000m in ascents, and is the toughest walk in Europe. He raised over £3,500.

Mervyn in Ballyronan decided to celebrate his 50th with a barbecue. He generously asked for financial gifts for persecuted Christians. The gifts his friends and family brought for Release amounted to some £350.

Phillip from South Shields did a courageous sponsored bungee-jump from Middlesbrough transporter bridge.

He says, “I did the 170 foot jump from Middlesbrough transporter bridge to raise money for Release to support the amazing work they do. I would like to encourage you to read Matthew 14:27-31 and step out in faith, and do something to support Release so that many, many more Christians who suffer persecution because they love CHRIST can get the support and help they need.”

Robert from Witney arranged a 700+ mile sponsored cycle ride from Cape Wrath in Scotland to Peacehaven in Sussex, to celebrate his 70th birthday. Three riders joined him for the whole distance, and dozens of others rode with him on various days. Altogether, they raised over £50,000!

Rosemarie from Ashford is a very active fundraiser. She organizes different sales of plants, floral arrangements, Christmas wreaths, handmade cards and jewellery to raise funds for Release. Each event may raise less than the other major events in this article, but they all help to bring support to persecuted Christians.

Ruth in Belfast wanted to do something to honour the memory of her best friend Diane, a keen supporter of Release, who sadly died of breast cancer at a young age. So she organized a group of friends to take part in the Belfast marathon, and between them, they raised over £1,100 to support Bible distribution in India, and the education of persecuted pastors’ children in Sri Lanka.

Sam from Ballymena has taken part in the Lanzarote Ironman triathlon to raise funds for Release for several years. This is a gruelling 2.4 mile swim, immediately followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and finally, a 26 mile marathon.

On each occasion he raised several hundred pounds for Release and another charity he supports. Not bad for someone in his 70s!