Our Lady of Lourdes St Vincent de Paul (SVP) Conference

Our Lady of Lourdes has formed an SVP Conference/Group in 2018, serving not only our Parishes, but also the Community in our surrounding areas.

The SVP is an international registered Charity, its vision is inspired by Christ’s message to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Our main function is to tackle poverty in all its forms through the provision of practical assistance to those in need. Today “Poverty” can have many meanings, loneliness is one of the biggest problems of today’s society.

Sometimes support can be as little as a cup of tea and a chat with someone who is feeling sad or lonely. The concept of “need” is broader than financial hardship, so supporting people who are excluded or lonely forms a large proportion of the Society’s work.

This last year has seen great changes for everyone. Many people have been distressed by job loss and hardship due to COVID. People who have previously been self-sufficient have had support from the SVP in form of supermarket food vouchers, and we can help with other requirements such as school uniforms, household equipment, furniture supplies via the SVP furniture store and access to some finance through hardship funds.

Because of the legislation surrounding Coronavirus, we have not been able to visit people face to face as much as we would like to, but communication with beneficiaries has continued by phone, dropping of church newsletters, shorter social distancing chats, and dropping off kind gestures at Christmas and Easter time. Unfortunately our usual visits to care homes have not been possible.

When we offer help we do not make any distinction between helping people of any faith or none. All our members are DBS checked volunteers.

If you would like more information about Our Lady of Lourdes SVP Conference for either exploring to join us, or tell us about someone who needs our help, or perhaps for yourself, please call our Confidential dedicated mobile number on 07340 194 922

You can read more about the SVP’s work at our national website www.svp.org.uk