CHRISTIAN Aid Week is well under way in Helensburgh – and the annual fund-raising drive got off to a great start when almost £1,000 was donated for the charity at an event on Saturday.

The town’s Christian Aid Grand Fayre made a welcome return at The Bridge, Helensburgh Parish Church’s halls complex, on Saturday morning after two years away due to Covid – and there was no shortage of contributions to the coffers from local members of the public eager to enjoy some home baking and a cuppa as well as to buy baking, jewellery, books, plants, toys, and gifts to take home.

A spokesperson for the organisers said: “We had a fantastic turnout and we are thankful for all the support from the community.

“A total of £988.62 was raised. The money will help women in Zimbabwe grow food to feed their families.

“These events could not run without a team of willing volunteers and we are so grateful to all our volunteers from the local Churches including Helensburgh URC, St Michael and All Angels, St Joseph’s and Helensburgh Parish Church.

“Thank you to everyone who served on stalls, in the kitchen or behind the scenes to raise this total.”

The town’s Christian Aid Week fund-raising continued on Tuesday night with the ever-popular football tournament for P7 pupils at the area’s schools, and reaches a climax this weekend with a street collection in the town centre on Saturday and a special concert at Helensburgh Parish Church on Sunday evening.

For more on those events, turn to our Clubs and Societies section on pages 26 and 27.

All photos by Reiss McGuire

We are looking forward to the events on 21st and 22nd May when we hope to

add to this fantastic total with our Street collection in the town centre

and the Concert at Helensburgh Parish Church on Sunday evening at 7pm

given by the Helensburgh Chamber Orchestra with Derek Clark as the piano

soloist.

The Helensburgh Chamber Orchestra, led by Christine Sinclair and conducted

by David Bruce, brings together professional and amateur players especially

for these concerts. Two of the most popular classical works make up the

programme for this Christian Aid Concert. Haydn’s Symphony number 101, ‘The

Clock’, will be paired with Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto in the

hour-long concert which is being given to raise money for Christian Aid’s

project in support of Zimbabwe.

For the Beethoven, Derek Clark, who is Director of Music in Helensburgh

Parish Church, and Head of Music at Scottish Opera, joins with Helensburgh

Chamber Orchestra for what has become a regular, and very popular occasion,

and follows their partnership in concertos by Mozart and Schumann in

previous years.

Beethoven’s Fourth Piano concerto was ground-breaking with its dialogue

between soloist and orchestra. ‘The Clock’ symphony, written by Haydn for

one of his London concerts, is typically enjoyable, and not only in the

‘tick tock’ of the famous second movement. The concert promises to be a

superb evening of music, entry by donation.