Supporting Animate...

Animate Youth Ministries began in 2005; it is an initiative of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Paid youth workers and gap year volunteers live together at Lowe House in St Helens and work with over 9000 young people each year. These young people come from a variety of places with mixed social and economic backgrounds.

Animate means, to bring life and soul and this is the aim of all the different ministries that the Team carries out with young people and with adult leaders.

Animate Youth Ministries is a creative, dynamic and initiative response to the needs of young people and the Church today.

You can support the Animate Team in many ways, through prayer and volunteering time and also by making a gift.

Animate has three sources of funding.

• Trustees of the Archdiocese of Liverpool
• Grant making Trusts
• Individual donations.

Animate launched the Life and Soul Café in 2008 and this new endeavour, with increased financial support, will be open as an after school club and a community resource, as well as a place for Animate’s youth groups to meet.

On top of the core funding Animate needs to generate a further £50K per year, almost £1K a week.

Your gift however large or small will make a tremendous difference to young people.

It costs £3800 per volunteer to live and work at Lowe House, this includes, food, utility bills, weekly allowance and training.

It costs £420 to send a young person to serve in Lourdes.

It costs £70 for a young person to go on a residential retreat.

It costs £4 for a young person to come on a day retreat with their school.

Animate also runs training opportunities, leadership skills, Youth Alive, sign language workshops, exchange with young people in Cologne, work with CAFOD, School Missions, World Youth Day experiences, two day Summer Festival and much more.

Thank you for your generosity.

To join Animate’s 1-1000 funding initiative of donating £1 a week by standing order
contact Catherine Pennington on 01744 740460 c.pennington@animateyouth.co.uk

Prayer Partner
Be a prayer partner. Please pray for the Team in all the work that they carry out with over 5000 young people each year. Pray too for young people across the Archdiocese. They need your prayerful support in the decisions that they are make each day and in all that they encounter in school, media, home, work, university and college. Email us if you would be willing to join a network which prays for these intentions each day.

Animate’s funding comes from four sources, the Trustees of the Archdiocese of Liverpool, grant making trusts, individual donations and fundraising events. To develop the Team’s work, Animate needs to generate £30K each year on top of its regular income. To launch the Youth Café a further £20K is needed annually.

1 in a 1000
The simplest way to support Animate financially is to fill in a 1 in a 1000 form. If 1000 people invest £1 a week Animate will reach its total with ease. A regular gift would enable Animate to work with even more young people and so change lives for ever. Consider becoming 1 in a 1000 and giving just £1 a week. Please contact the animate team for the 1 in a 1000 donation form.

Donations
One off donations however small can be sent to the Animate office, cheques are made payable to Animate Youth Account. This year we have had a donation of £9K from an individual donor who had heard of the Team’s work. There have also been many other one off donations from £5 to £1000.

If you prefer, you can now make donations securely online... Please click here

What you can do?
Your group or organisation (UCM, catenians, Knights of St Columba, parish etc) may feel able to raise money to support Animate’s work with young people. Coffee mornings, race nights, sponsored events may be dedicated to young people.

Skills
You may not feel that you want to work with young people face to face but there are many ways that you can support youth work. You may be able to drive a mini-bus, have fundraising skills, write grant applications or offer accountancy support. There are many ways that you can help to underpin the vision of Animate.

Pamplona-Santiago de Compestela

So what would possess anyone to cycle 750km in 40 degree heat, a day after finishing the youth pilgrimage to Lourdes with 500 young people?

Click here to find out!

A.O.L. Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage Sponsored Bike Ride

On Saturday the 6th of June 2009 17 riders set off along the Transpennine Trail covering a distance of 40 miles to raise funds for the youth pilgrimage to Lourdes. The weather forecast was for heavy rain and strong wind... and it wasn't wrong! Starting from St Josephs Church, Penketh, at 10am the route took us along a designated cycle route (Route 62) using cycle lanes, canal tow paths, some quiet roads and disused traffic free rail lines, all riders made it safe and well to Southport... other than our front marshal Pete Jones who had a bit of a slip... on asking if he was ok? Pete responded "I'm fine... I'm just gutted I ripped my tights" and carried on leading the way. Star of the day was 13 year old Beth Reynolds who bravely tackled the full 40 mile ride. An excellent day all round and dates are already being set for the event to continue next year.

Congratulations to all riders who took part...

Penketh-Southport (40 miles)- Gary Cunliffe, Phil Hodge, John Callaghan, Jennifer Callaghan, Jonathan Swift, Chris Dale, Andrew Howie, Pete Reynolds, Beth Reynolds, Fr Stephen Pritchard, Pete Jones, Martin. Aintree-Southport (17 miles)- Fiona Cunliffe, Kieran Davenport, Debbie Reynolds, Stephanie Morrison, Laura Hewlett.