St Fillians and the Magic Carpet

It all started with the women at the back of the church. They felt they only ever saw the other parishioners at mass on Sundays so they decided to serve tea and coffee after the service so people could get together for a chat.

At first we planned to use the money raised to pay for a new carpet for the church but our priest, Father Jim McCruden said: “Do we really need a carpet? There are others in far more need than us,” and that’s when we decided to raise money for SCIAF.

Most of us do a bit of home baking. One lady grows fruit and vegetables, another makes jam and someone else makes tablet. It is such a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Young couples have started staying behind with their children after mass and it gives everyone a chance to socialise.

We also have a For Sale notice at the back of the church so people can sell things they no longer need and half of the money from sales go to SCIAF too. Altogether we have raised £6000 over the past three years.

Every few months I make a poster to put up at the back of the church letting people know how much we have raised. I also receive information from SCIAF about how our donations will be used and the projects and people who will benefit. We cut this out and put it in the notice board for everyone to see. It’s nice to know what our wee bit does to help.

Four years on the church carpet is long forgotten.