Duchess of Norfolk attends service in Lancing, helping to raise hundreds of pounds for the NSPCC

NSPCC South and Mid Sussex branch chair Carole Naunton, centre, with Jenny Salisbury, left, and Pat Gurney

The church and lychgate at St James the Less in North Lancing were lit up in the NSPCC’s iconic shade of green on December 21 in honour of the charity’s Walk for Children event. The fundraiser saw people across Sussex take part in a 5km sponsored walk past local landmarks lit green.

In the evening, the Nine Lessons and Carols service was led by Father Ian Edgar, with readings from the Duchess of Norfolk, Georgina Fitzalan-Howard, who is the NSPCC South and Mid Sussex branch president, as well as branch chair Carole Naunton and branch secretary Rosemary Hannam.

Rosemary said: “The carol service at St James the Less was a wonderful event and I’d like to say thank you to everyone who came along on the night and donated to the collection. You all helped raise a marvellous amount.

The church and lychgate at St James the Less in North Lancing were lit up in the NSPCC’s iconic shade of green on December 21

"I’d also like to thank the vicar, Father Ian Edgar; the Parochial Church Council; Peter Bowers, the church warden and NSPCC South and Mid Sussex branch treasurer, and also Mike Young for organising the service; Aedan Kerney and Annette Williamson for assembling the choir and the music; and members of the congregation who helped serve the refreshments.”

The Christmas carol service at St James the Less raised £422.30 for the NSPCC.

Gemma Tupper, NSPCC community fundraising manager, said: "Thank you to everyone for making this a truly special Christmas event. Everyone’s support will make a huge difference to vulnerable children here in West Sussex and across the UK. A child contacts our Childline service twice a minute and each call costs £4 to answer.

"The funds raised at this festive event could help us answer more than 105 calls from children who feel they have no one else to turn to. Of the 200,000 counselling sessions delivered by Childline last year, we estimate that 2,600 of them were delivered to children in West Sussex.”

To find out more about fundraising and how to support the NSPCC in Sussex, please contact Gemma Tupper on [email protected].