As always this was a very moving occasion and a fitting opening of the celebration of Christmas Eve and Day.  The Cathedral was packed and thankfully no incidents of burnt hair occurred as far as we are aware.   The slick procession around the outside of the Cathedral led to a moving tableaux of light before the high altar to conclude the service as we sang Away in a Manger.  Everyone went home with the light of Christ in their hearts before they either went to sleep to await Santa Claus or to return for the Midnight Eucharist.

The money raised at the Christingle was given to the Belize Orphanage and Yvonne Trueman gives us firsthand knowledge of the special work going on there:

A dedicated English couple, Paul and Zoë Walker went to Belize, in Central America many years ago on a conservation project. They loved the country and decided to stay. They were really poor but their parents bought them a strip of land on the lagoon in Sarteneje on the north east coast. There they have built a home and decided to share this with unfortunate children. They started going down to the city to visit children in the care home and began a monthly visit scheme bringing 6 – 10 children back to the lagoon for weekend family environmental visits. Eventually they formed their charity called WILDTRACKS.

Yvonne Trueman became involved when sadly her son, Captain Julian Pooley, serving with the British Army, was tragically killed. After his death it was discovered that he had been working with both children’s homes and Wildtracks.

Yvonne decided to take up the cause of her son in his memory. Since 29945 she has been raising funds which have helped to buy cabana for accommodation, air cooling fans, water pumps, generators, solar panels, bikes and canoes. DHL have helped in shipping the goods and the RAF has flown a library of books.

Wildtracks is now used by World Challenge for young people who spend time working in the children’s home.

St Christopher’s Cathedral has, over the years, supported the Belize orphanage which has become a regular feature of the giving at the Christingle Service.

Extra funds are always needed as Belize is in the hurricane belt and too often funds have to be diverted to repair damage. Last year all the children’s beds and mattresses were destroyed.  Basics which we take for granted such as water and electricity are often luxuries. Perhaps the most interesting and wonderful observation is that the Children themselves  all appear to be happy, even those who were once abandoned, physically and sexually abused, with parents usually in prison or on drugs. It is hard to imagine in a comfortable world how an abandoned child must feel with nothing in their lives, and nothing to look forward to.

Thank you for your continued support of this cause.

Yvonne Trueman.