THE celebration of Pentecost marks the end of the 2018 appeal for the Church Times Train-A-Priest (TAP) fund.

Since the start of Lent, contributions to the TAP Fund have been streaming in, demonstrating yet again the generosity of our readers, and their concern for the well being of the next generation of priests.

The total donated this year comes to £45,088.67. Gift Aid brings this to £50,688. Not a penny is deducted for administration.

Although the overall total is lower than in recent years, the sum will make a significant difference to those in training who experience unforeseen hardship. Before the start of this year’s appeal, we decided to place everything raised into the TAP Special Hardship Fund. Previously, this had been assigned just a portion of the overall total, the rest going in grants to ordinands in residential training.

The usual amount in the hardship fund, about £15,000, is regularly oversubscribed. This year’s donations will make a significant difference to the way TAP can help relieve the financial pressure on those in training who are worst-off.

Once again, we express our gratitude to the staff of the Ministry Division at Church House, Westminster, who process applications for funds. Their job has been made much easier thanks to the magnificent effort of countless Church Times readers.

The TAP Fund never closes. Any donations received after today will go towards next year’s total. In particular, please consider mentioning the Church Times TAP Fund in your will: legacy income can make a big difference to our ability to help ordinands.