Sunday Appeals

About Sunday Appeals

Every Sunday after Meeting for Worship there is an appeal for money for a Quaker good cause or a local charity. A Friend or someone known to us will speak for just a few minutes and invite people to make a donation.

The amount collected each week varies enormously, depending on how many people are at Meeting that Sunday and the cause itself – some causes raise more money than others. The average for a Sunday appeal is about £120, but sometimes it can be as much as £200 or even £300. The total amount raised by Sunday appeals each year in Redland Meeting is about £6,500. We also encourage Friends to give online if they prefer, so that they can claim Gift Aid, which isn’t possible with the cash we collect on Sundays.

For online giving and further information, you can usually find a link to the relevant website included in the This week’s appeal section of our weekly Notices.

How do we select our appeals?

The schedule of who-appeals-for-what is drawn up by a group of three Friends in the Learning & Action Hub. The causes we choose may have been suggested by a member of our Meeting, or selected from a list of charities we have supported in the past, or others which have been drawn to our attention. We particularly like to support small local charities where a donation of £100 or so will make a real difference, or those with which Friends are particularly involved.

Who are we currently supporting?

We appeal regularly for the work of Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW), and provide information to help Friends know more about the practical work Quakers do to make the world a better, more peaceful place. We also currently support two special causes, each with six appeals through the year:

  • Organisations in Bristol which help refugees, including Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR), Refugee Women of Bristol, Borderlands, Bristol Hospitality Network, and City of Sanctuary;
  • Organisations which support the education of children and young people in developing countries. Several Redland Friends have a connection with such organisations in Malawi, Uganda, Bolivia, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

We work to inform Friends about these organisations, what they do and what Friends can do to help – not just with money, but by, for example, telling other people about them or perhaps volunteering.

We also publicise national appeals when there is a major disaster in the world, such as an earthquake or the European refugee crisis.


We believe that it’s important for Quakers to be outward-looking, appreciating the huge range of needs both locally and worldwide, and the many charities and organisations who are working to alleviate problems and suffering. The Sunday Appeals provide an opportunity to respond with donations and in other ways; this is an important aspect of living our lives in the Quaker way.

Linda Ewles
January 2018