Holy Land’s friends flock to Kenilworth

Archbishop Bernard Longley, (Catholic) Archbishop of Birmingham and one of FHL's Patrons, addressing the audience at the National Gathering of Friends of the Holy Land.

The charity’s fourth national gathering welcomed guests and speakers including Archbishop Bernard Longley, and Revd Dominic Barrington who spoke of support needed for Christians in the Holy Land in increasingly difficult times.

Peter Rand, the Kenilworth-based charity’s vice chairman said: “From very modest beginnings we have raised over a million pounds to help sustain a Christian presence in the Holy Land, mainly Palestine and Gaza.

“The Christian people there, now a tiny minority of the population, suffer many hardships and each year we gather to remind ourselves of the need for our work and to gain inspiration for even more challenges ahead of us.”

FHL has offices in Kenilworth and Bethlehem.

Among its projects are a 60-pupil school for children with special needs, the first Day Care Centre for elderly women in Bethlehem, funded medical care for those in poverty, and university fees of over 200 children and young adults.