On Saturday, a Christian Aid stall was set up in Abingdon’s Market Place, marking the start of Christian Aid Week 2025.

Christian Aid was founded in 1945 as Christian Reconciliation in Europe, in response to the suffering caused by the Second World War. British and Irish churches came together to support refugees in urgent need. In 1957 they launched Christian Aid Week and in 1964 renamed the charity to Christian Aid.

Eighty years on, Christian Aid continues to work alongside communities around the world facing poverty, conflict, and climate crises.

Twenty years ago, most households in Abingdon received a distinctive stick-down Christian Aid envelope, collected door to door by volunteers. That tradition is less common, but fundraising continues in new ways such as online envelopes.

The Abingdon Christian Aid Group’s online envelopes for 2025 is at https://fundraise.christianaid.org.uk/envelope-2025/abingdons-envelope.