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TAP tops £4m for 5000 priests with record total of £182,436
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| IT’S a triple landmark for the Church Times Train-A-Priest (TAP) Fund this Whitsun — and an extra-big thank-you to all our readers.
As the 2008 appeal closes, it has reached a record total of £182,436 — the figure last year was £140,098, itself a record — which means that, since it began, the TAP Fund appeals have raised more than £4 million for the benefit of more than 5000 ordinands and their dependants. Both these thresholds have been crossed during the past “TAP year”.
In fact, the news is even a little bit better, because the annual total is likely to pass the £183,000 mark when sponsorship money given in response to the truly heroic efforts of Stuart Mair, TAP marathon runner in the Highland Fling Race last month (below), comes in. Other late donations will contribute to next year’s opening figure. |
 Halfway: the TAP runner, Stuart Mair, reaches Rowardennan, 27 miles from the starting point in the Highland Fling Race last month |
| Our 2008 total brings together, with bank interest, donations received since the close of last year’s appeal — including a substantial legacy, and a small number of regular donations by standing order — and Gift Aid. All this is thanks to the generosity of our readers — and their wider contacts, too, in many cases — and will be used to support Church of England ordinands and their dependants. Not a penny will be deducted to cover administration. The Train-A-Priest Fund makes maintenance grants to candidates in full-time training for the priesthood in the various Church of England theological colleges. The TAP Special Hardship Fund is drawn on to make emergency payments to candidates for ordination in colleges, on part-time courses, and in schemes training people for ordained local ministry. Our aim is to ensure that the Church of England never misses out on a priest for reasons of personal financial hardship. The proprietors and staff of the Church Times take no part in the administration of the TAP grants. This work is undertaken by the Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council. We take this opportunity to say a special thank-you to readers who support the fund year after year; and those who have helped to spread the TAP message beyond our readership to their friends and congregations. Since the TAP Fund was set up by the late Rosamund Essex in 1952, it has raised £4,113,624. Ordinands — 5035 of them — and their families have received valuable help. Many of those people have become sacrificial givers to TAP. Generations of the Church of England’s clergy have been been enabled to fulfil their vocation, thanks to the generosity of the readers of the Church Times. |
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