By Jill Stocks
The Horsforth branch of the Mothers Union held a coffee morning this weekend highlighting their work with families and in the community.
The work of the Mothers Union covers a wide spectrum of issues, and locally this includes work in prisons and providing families in need with holidays they would otherwise struggle to afford.
Saturday’s coffee morning was an opportunity to invite the community to learn more about the work they do as well as to raise funds for their work including their “Away From It All” holidays scheme.
As well as refreshments and home made cakes there were several other stalls, including a tombola and book stall, as well as a stall from Age UK providing information regarding preventing cybercrime and general digital support.
Daryl Kelly, Leeds area president and branch leader of the Mothers Union at St Margarets Church Horsforth, said the work of the Mothers Union was more far reaching than was traditionally thought.
“We are the best-kept secret of the Church Of England. Everybody thinks we are a group of ladies who sit around and drink tea and listen to speakers. In actual fact we do so much work.
“We work with prisons, we send Christmas cards to the prisoners and we give them a blank card that they can send out to family and friends. We provide anything the prisoners want so they’ve asked us to provide reading glasses which is our next request so at our area meeting I’ll ask people to bring reading glasses.
“The Mothers Union members are always very very generous and they will always rise up to any campaign.
“We provide baby blankets and baby hats for Harrogate District Hospital for the special baby unit there. We’ve been asked for those so I’ve got a full bag of those to give out.
“We’ve got our Rise Up campaign which is rise up against domestic abuse so we work closely with moving people into refuges. We have sixteen days of activism in November where we highlight the problems with domestic abuse.
“We’ve got the Away From It All holidays which provides free holidays for families in need or anybody who needs it and we’ve provided holidays for people in Horsforth. “They have to get to the caravan and provide their own food but when they get there there will be a bunch of vouchers for local attractions and things like that. It makes it as affordable as possible and they are very lovely caravans.
“There is so much that we do. We work wherever we’re needed. People don’t know about us. We’re very good at responding and we do an awful lot of work behind the scenes that nobody knows about.
“A lot of our members are quite elderly. Our next step is to try and get younger members involved. I’d love to have younger members involved and have evening meetings and get them involved with prison work and things like that.”
The Away From It All holiday scheme provides holidays for families at the Mothers Union holiday home at Primrose Valley in Filey, from Easter to October, helping families to spend time together and away from stress at home.
Saturday’s event raised £460 towards Away From It All through donations as well as the tombola, raffle and book stall.
The Mothers Union is a Christian organisation with four million members worldwide in 82 countries involved in local, national and international campaigns promoting the wellbeing of families.
The Horsforth branch of the Mothers Union meets on the third Tuesday of every month at St Margaret’s Parish Centre at 2pm and tea and cake is provided.
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