The tragic Haiti Earthquake in 2010 has a special and very personal significance for West Peckham as we lost one of our own, Frederick Woolridge. He was working for the United Nations mission in Haiti and died when the United Nations building collapsed. His funeral at St. Dunstan’s was a very emotional and moving event, and we laid him to rest in St Dunstan’s churchyard.
So the Sunday service will be a special service to remember Frederick and all the other victims of the Earthquake.
Haiti is still scarred by the disaster, with many people still living without home or shelter, and many living with physical disabilities as a consequence of that fateful day.
Many charities are still involved in Haiti and the recovery work, and their representatives will be present at the service. There will be a short update from one of these charities on the current situation in Haiti from someone who travels over often to oversee work there.
In the course of the service we will be lighting a candle to remember all those who died in the earthquake and in its aftermath, and to say prayers for the families left behind.
There will be a collection taken up that day but it will be given in its entirety to the charities represented, and whose work is close to the Wooldridge family and West Peckham as a village.
If you are unable to attend the service but would like to contribute to this cause, please leave your donations with Liz Edwards in an envelope marked “Haiti 5th Anniversary”. If you leave your contact details with your donations, the charities will be able to contact you to make a gift-aid registration to accompany your donation (this ensures the government uses some of your already paid tax to add to the donation you make).
