St Nicolas and Social Action

St Nicolas takes its responsibility to serve the outside community – locally, nationally and globally – very seriously. Here are just some examples of recent projects.

Linkline – acting locally

Work in progress – the service will provide a telephone link to the elderly housebound and infirm. Based on similar successful schemes in other parts of the country, a weekly phone call will provide not only contact with the ‘outside world’ but our volunteers will be able to point their clients to sources of help and advice. The project is being supported by Age Concern, Citizens Advice and Wokingham District Council. The Linkline Project is being developed by our Community Action Group led by Rev’d David Webster.

Outward Giving – acting locally, nationally and globally.

Each year the PCC, on behalf of the members of St Nicolas, donates a lump sum to three chosen charities: one local, one national and one international. Individual charities are nominated by members of the congregation. In 2005 we donated to:


  • PACT (Parents and Children Together) – a charity run within the Diocese of Oxford whose purpose is “to build and strengthen families”. The money was specifically earmarked for a family centre in Bracknell supporting single parents and young families. More information about PACT can be found at www.pactcharity.org

  • Opportunity International UK – a charity who sets up micro-finance initiatives within the developing world to give opportunities for poor people to develop small businesses, strengthen communities and transform their lives by lending small amounts of money interest free. Find out more at www.opportunity.org.uk

Following on from this, during 2006, St Nicolas is trying to raise enough money to set up its own trust bank through Opportunity International. Among the fund-raising ideas, over Lent we have used the ‘Parable of the Talents’ (Matthew 25: 14 - 30) to inspire members of the congregation. We gave everyone who wished to participate £10 and hoped they would use their talents wisely, and hopefully raise some money for our micro-finance initiative at the same time.


  • Linkline – see above

In 2004 donations were made to PACT again for a family centre in Coley; to the Prisoner’s Education Trust (see www.prisonerseducation.org.uk) and to SALGO Assist in Ummadivarum, South India, towards wells for irrigation. In 2003 we supported Tearfund (www.tearfund.org) a leading relief and development charity; Daisy’s Dream, which supports bereaved children and their families (www.daisysdream.org.uk) and another PACT project.

The Christmas Appeal – acting where it’s needed

A different idea each year :


  • 2005: ‘Present Aid’ – we collected a fantastic £1956.62 to buy presents for families and communities in the developing world through Christian Aid. The gifts we sent were chosen by Sunday School and included seeds, goats, cows (thanks to very generous contributions from the St Nicolas Mother’s Union), stethoscopes, toilets, worms….

  • 2004: Operation Christmas Child – through the charity Samaritan’ s Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) and with the local community we collected hundreds of shoeboxes filled with presents to be given as a message of hope to children and young people in desperate situations around the world – irrespective of their faith, race or ethnic background

  • 2003 Reading Family Aid – we collected gifts for disadvantaged teenagers and older children

Harvest – acting locally

The people of St Nicolas and local schools who come for their Harvest Festival Services donate non-perishable food (about 2 van loads!) which is taken to CIRDIC – Churches in Reading Drop In Centre for the homeless and needy (see www.churchesinreading.org.uk)

RE-Inspired – acting locally

A charity set up by churches in East Reading to support the RE curriculum in local schools by providing ‘inspired RE teaching’. Members of St Nicolas are actively involved in the management of RE-Inspired and also in delivering the sessions to local schools. For more information see www.reinspired.org.uk.

Mangoes and More – Making Poverty History

During 2005, members of St Nicolas supported the Make Poverty History campaign by going on marches, hosting Fairtrade events and wrapping the church in a huge banner on White Band Day. The Justice Group within St Nicolas continues to promote the goals of trade justice, dropping of debt and providing more and better aid to the developing world.

We also have a home-grown way to help make poverty history – Adam Tyndall, Dan’s son, started the ‘No Presents No Poverty’ campaign last Christmas (2005). 'No Presents=No Poverty' was launched in 2005 with the aim of raising £1600 to fund a Mango Plantation through the Oxfam Unwrapped Scheme. The way this would be done would be through asking people who normally give you a Christmas present to give you a cheque to Oxfam instead. When all these cheques were collected at a concert on 8th January the final total was £3245, enough to fund not one but two mango plantations. Mango Plantations (to be located in Ghana) offer a sustainable source of income for years and benefit not only the farmer and his family but the whole community. Obviously, the main aim of the campaign is to help those most in need but it also aims to highlight the over commercialisation and loss of the real meaning of this Christian festival. Through not receiving over indulgent presents the senseless waste of Christmas is reduced whilst helping those that need, not want, most. For more information on how to take part on this year's campaign see www.nopresents-nopoverty.org.uk.

St Nicolas is a Fair Trade church.

Social Action in Many Other Ways

Members of St Nicolas have also collected milk bottle tops for a children’s hospice; collected more milk bottle tops to be used as counters in math’s lessons in Malawi; collected stamps for the RNLI; organised dances to raise funds for the local air ambulance; held coffee mornings for a variety of causes …not to mention to activities of associated groups like the Mother’s Union, Christian Aid week collections, and the box for donations the Children’s Society, and the response emergency appeals like the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal and the Tsunami Appeal.