All Saints Harvest Supper  

Friday 4th October 2024

The All Saints Harvest Supper 2024, was once again was a huge success, with over 50 people attending, and a mouth-watering selection of food prepared by the amazing All Saints events' team, along with appropriate Harvest Festival decorations.

The evening was filled with laughter and lively conversation, interspersed with Roger's 'Harvest Supper Quiz' - this year the challenge was to identify The Rivers of England and Wales, with Brendan Biggs almost achieving full marks! And of course, no ASC Harvest Supp would be complete without the Harvest Raffle, which once again offered a plentiful array of prizes.

We are of course hugely fortunate to be able to share such delicious food in such good company, but thoughts of those less fortunate than ourselves were never far from our minds, with proceeds from this year's supper & raffle ticket sales being divided equally between:

• The USPG Harvest Appeal, which this year is Harvesting Hope in Zululand focusing on improving food security and economic resilience in the Zululand community of South Africa.

AND

• In support of the education of the ASC Sudanese Students.

All Saints and the Education of Sudanese Students Background Uganda has the largest refugee population in Africa. This includes about 39,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrives since the start of the war in Sudan. These refugees live in settlements or in Ugandan villages and towns. Some say that Uganda's open-door policy sets a good example for inclusivity and compassion, allowing refugees to move freely, work, and access public services. Here at ASC, working with the Church in Gulu, Uganda, and the Diocese of Bristol, we agreed to see the complete education of a number of students. Initially we agreed to cover the fees for six children, four of whom are still in education: Mary, Brenda, Simon and Jackaline. Having committed to see these students through their full education we fully intend to do so, with probably a further four years of support for Jackaline, the youngest of the group. Out of so many thousands of refugees, why focus on six children? ​We believe - supported by good evidence - that education is the key to change. Learning is more than gathering academic knowledge, it enables students to grow in understanding, learn the strength of cooperation, broaden outlook and build a foundation of social justice. This can change communities, locally and, potentially, nationally. Six students amongst thousands – yet with significant potential benefit. This is our hope, this is our prayer.

Many, many thanks to everyone who made this year's Harvest Supper such a great success.  Over £400 was raised for our Harvest Giving projects, and we are hugely grateful to the All Saints' Trustees, who agreed to match the amount raised.