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The SVP motto is “turn concern into action”, so this festive season we would like to turn that action into helping the blind. The SVP, along with the B-Attitudes, would like to collect stamps for the Royal National Institute for the Blind. This will make a difference to blind and partially sighted people.

As you receive cards and letters through the post, please collect the stamps and drop them into the special stamp box in the church porch or in the church hall. Please leave about 1 cm of envelope or packaging around the stamp. The SVP and B-Attitudes will then sort the stamps and send them off to the RNIB, where they will recycle them into much needed funds for their services.

The SVP at St Gregory’s is a very active group. Our activities include the food bank, bereavement care, the SVP shop, home visits and support for refugees. We meet on the first Monday of every month, at 8pm in the church hall. If you would like to see what we are about, please join us at our December meeting on Monday. We try to be finished by 9pm.

The SVP shop, Gifted, will be open this weekend after every mass. We have a selection of Christmas cards, decorations and the St Gregory’s calendar, as well as other religious items.

Winter is a desperate time for anyone living on the streets. The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) is tackling this crisis by producing thousands of packs of essential items for homeless people. The kits, known as Vinnie Packs, contain a thermal hat, two pairs of thermal socks, thermal gloves, toothpaste, toothbrush, wet wipes, a pen, a Pavement magazine and an information sheet.

Our B-Attitude group along with some of our SVP members spent Sunday afternoon putting some of these packs together. In four hours, they managed to make 750 packs – a great achievement! In total the SVP will make 11,500 Vinnie Packs to be distributed to the homeless across England and Wales.

The SVP has partnered with HSBC on a few occasions this year: Staff members of the bank have volunteered at the food bank and participated in both of our gardening days with the B-Attitudes, providing equipment such as gloves, forks and trimmers. They have again been generous and have funded the re-carpeting of the small room adjacent to the parish hall. This has been a great partnership and we only see it going from strength to strength in the future. Please join us in thanking HSBC for their generosity.

As the nights draw in and the weather is getting colder, please remember to keep a look out for your elderly or vulnerable neighbours. It is the time of year where we do not venture beyond our front door. There are many people who live alone and may not have many visitors. If you have time, please knock on their door from time to time and make sure they have everything they need.