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As the evenings draw in, please be mindful of those who may be lonely. Loneliness doesn’t just affect people who are housebound; it can affect anyone, at any age. Young people (aged 16 to 34) were more likely to report feeling lonely than adults overall in a recent government survey.

Addressing loneliness through home visits has been a cornerstone of the SVP. Your local team has been doing that since we started in April 2016. We now ask you to keep an eye out for anyone who may have fallen through the gaps. Please check in with those in your neighbourhood. If you do come across someone who would appreciate a home visit, please let us know. If you would like to be part of the visiting teams, let us know that too!

Thank you to those who responded positively to our recent appeal for more food bank volunteers. We still have a small number of spaces available for adults and for 14-18-year-olds, especially Duke of Edinburgh Award candidates. The hours are 11am to 2pm on Saturdays, but you would not be expected to attend every Saturday.

If you find you like the experience of volunteering, consider joining the SVP team itself. We help our community in a number of ways and always welcome more people to the team. If you would like to know more, please reach out to any of us.

The SVP Team, like the whole parish, no doubt, is heartbroken by the news of the passing of Sister Joanna. Right from the start of the team in April 2016, Sr. Joanna was a staunch supporter and admirer of the work we were doing. She was a truly holy listener and counsellor, and her prayers for our work seemed always to be answered.

As well as helping us spiritually, she also helped us in so many material ways: she always tried her level best, and seemed always to succeed, when it came to attending our fundraising events, such as cream tea afternoons and bingo evenings. She also arranged for the wonderful knitting club to raise funds for us, and for her religious order in Ealing to do likewise.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by our fundraising shop, Gifted, last weekend. Your support for our initiatives is what keeps us energised! Rest assured that we are now busy sourcing the items that you ordered.

Remember, too, that we are still welcoming new food bank volunteers, including opportunities for participants in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Autumn, and particularly winter, are always challenging seasons for those who need the food bank, so your help will be especially valuable during these months. Get in touch if you can help on Saturdays from 11am to 2pm.

When you are working at the coalface, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. At a recent monthly meeting, your SVP team asked themselves some questions: Are we doing enough for our local parish and community? How do we give back to our parishioners, whose support underpins everything we do? Are there gaps in what we do?

We, the SVP members, would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about these questions. Please have a think and share your feedback with any of us. Needless to say, everything you share will be kept strictly confidential. And if you come up with ideas that you would like to help put into action, why not join the team? With the nights drawing in, you might like something different to do this winter!