Nearly £400 raised for our Lent Appeal 2025

People attending St Andrew's donated £387 to our Lent Appeal this year, which raised funds for The Children's Society campaign for more support for young people to help with their mental health.

Pinned on our noticeboard in St Andrew's throughout Lent was a giant representation of computer screens (see the photo below), and in return for a £5 donation, people could choose from a range of online issues which are potentially harmful to chidren's and young people's mental health, such as poor body image, fake news or toxic masculinity. Once they had selected an issue, they could then stick it (printed in bright yellow) across a monitor.

Partnership Lead Rob Needle said: "I would like to thank members of the congregation at St Andrew's who so generously contributed to our appeal.

"Social media is a great tool for keeping in touch with family and friends, and keeping informed about topical issues and events, but it also has the potential to damage mental health, with isolation, bullying and access to extreme content some of the results.

"We raised £387 but with some gift aid still to come, this will be even more. Thank you once again to everyone who supported our Lent Appeal!"

Useful links:

'Adolescence' reveals reality for UK teenagers

How TikTok affects children's mental health