Lent Appeal raises £100,000

05/09/07

More than £100,000 has been raised by the Diocese of London’s Lent Appeal, to help set enslaved people free. The “Take the Shackles off my Feet so I can Dance” appeal was launched in January to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

The United Nations says there are now five times as many slaves as there were in William Wilberforce’s day and the money raised will help support five projects working with trafficked people and forced labourers in some of the poorest parts of the world.

The Diocese of London is proud to be working in partnership with the South American Mission Society, The Mothers' Union, the Church Missionary Society, Christian Aid and Tearfund in an attempt to help loose people from the bonds of slavery and to provide them with the freedom and opportunities many of us routinely enjoy. Donations will be used to tackle the root causes of slavery, such as vulnerability, poverty and ignorance, which lead people into danger. And when a person is freed, to give help to build a new life, free from trauma and the stigma of their past.

The Bishop of Willesden, The Rt Revd Pete Broadbent, Chair of the Lent Appeal, said:

“Thanks to the generosity of parishioners in London and beyond we will be able to help resource projects that will let slaves go free. It’s great news that we have hit the £100,000 mark".