Charity Trip to Lourdes, France
Donation protected
About
I am funding to help take disabled and disadvantaged children from across Lancashire to Lourdes in the south of France.
The week in Lourdes is tailored around the children that come with lots of laughs and smiles throughout. The children have all the help and support they need from myself and the experienced helpers to make it a truly memorable pilgrimage for the whole group.
I are fundraising towards my fees and fares for Easter 2018 and would appreciate your support to help me hit my target!
It is going to be my first time with the group and would love your support not only to reach my £350 goal for my own fees and fares for the trip but to hopefully exceed it to help support not only the trip for the children but also the charity that runs the trips, HCPT.
About HCPT
HCPT is a UK based charity which travels to Lourdes, France with disabled and underprivilaged children & adults, the trip is a pilgramage and a holiday for people who may not get the chance to without the support of HCPT. The pilgrimages are centred on the international Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and gives people of all ages and abilities. One of the biggest appeals to me about this group is that all are welcome to join the pilgrimage whatever their faith is, or even if they have none.
The Trip
From the start of the trip (and that starts before we leave the UK) the emphasis is very much on ensuring that all the children have a wonderful fun-filled week. Each child travels and stays with a family group. The groups will be visiting a number of Lourdes attractions, including the Grotto, the house where Saint Bernadette grew up, the "Cachot" where she and her family were living at the time of the apparitions, and some of the many museums in the town.
Each group designs its own programme of events and activities, but there are a few things that most groups do:
- Easter Sunday Mass: the week in Lourdes kicks off on Easter Sunday for many with a Mass and lots of singing.
- Tuesday evening Torchlight Procession: this is a wonderfully visual and emotional event. All the pilgrims in Lourdes are invited to come together for a torchlight procession, singing along, and on Tuesday night HCPT leads the procession. There is a great sing-along at the end.
- Thursday Trust Mass: over 5,000+ members of HCPT, the Irish Pilgrimage Trust, and other international groups come together in the Underground Basilica. For many this is the highlight of the week.
- Most groups have a day out, travelling by coach. A traditional and still popular destination is Gavarnie, high up in the Pyrenees. This is a spectacular venue where some days groups make snowmen and other days it's shorts and t-shirt weather! Other popular excursions include a day out at the beach (with St Jean de Luz and Biarritz being popular destinations), or going to a local zoo or other tourist attractions.
Meals are at the group's hotel (or picnics on longer excursions) and there are plenty of stops at cafes for drinks, ice-creams, rest and laughter. Evenings feature a varied mix of fun, games, singing and parties.
Where is the money going?
The initial £350 will be going towards my own fees and fares, any additional money raised will go towards helping fund the fees and fares for the children along with helping make the week as fun and memorable as possible for the children.
If you would like to do any additional research into the charity please check out their website https://www.hcpt.org.uk/easter
I am funding to help take disabled and disadvantaged children from across Lancashire to Lourdes in the south of France.
The week in Lourdes is tailored around the children that come with lots of laughs and smiles throughout. The children have all the help and support they need from myself and the experienced helpers to make it a truly memorable pilgrimage for the whole group.
I are fundraising towards my fees and fares for Easter 2018 and would appreciate your support to help me hit my target!
It is going to be my first time with the group and would love your support not only to reach my £350 goal for my own fees and fares for the trip but to hopefully exceed it to help support not only the trip for the children but also the charity that runs the trips, HCPT.
About HCPT
HCPT is a UK based charity which travels to Lourdes, France with disabled and underprivilaged children & adults, the trip is a pilgramage and a holiday for people who may not get the chance to without the support of HCPT. The pilgrimages are centred on the international Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and gives people of all ages and abilities. One of the biggest appeals to me about this group is that all are welcome to join the pilgrimage whatever their faith is, or even if they have none.
The Trip
From the start of the trip (and that starts before we leave the UK) the emphasis is very much on ensuring that all the children have a wonderful fun-filled week. Each child travels and stays with a family group. The groups will be visiting a number of Lourdes attractions, including the Grotto, the house where Saint Bernadette grew up, the "Cachot" where she and her family were living at the time of the apparitions, and some of the many museums in the town.
Each group designs its own programme of events and activities, but there are a few things that most groups do:
- Easter Sunday Mass: the week in Lourdes kicks off on Easter Sunday for many with a Mass and lots of singing.
- Tuesday evening Torchlight Procession: this is a wonderfully visual and emotional event. All the pilgrims in Lourdes are invited to come together for a torchlight procession, singing along, and on Tuesday night HCPT leads the procession. There is a great sing-along at the end.
- Thursday Trust Mass: over 5,000+ members of HCPT, the Irish Pilgrimage Trust, and other international groups come together in the Underground Basilica. For many this is the highlight of the week.
- Most groups have a day out, travelling by coach. A traditional and still popular destination is Gavarnie, high up in the Pyrenees. This is a spectacular venue where some days groups make snowmen and other days it's shorts and t-shirt weather! Other popular excursions include a day out at the beach (with St Jean de Luz and Biarritz being popular destinations), or going to a local zoo or other tourist attractions.
Meals are at the group's hotel (or picnics on longer excursions) and there are plenty of stops at cafes for drinks, ice-creams, rest and laughter. Evenings feature a varied mix of fun, games, singing and parties.
Where is the money going?
The initial £350 will be going towards my own fees and fares, any additional money raised will go towards helping fund the fees and fares for the children along with helping make the week as fun and memorable as possible for the children.
If you would like to do any additional research into the charity please check out their website https://www.hcpt.org.uk/easter
Organizer
William Bartowski
Organizer
