This is an integral part of Parish life.  Funds are raised by two Jumble Sales held at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish Hall and the biggest event is of course the Summer Fete always held on the 3rd Saturday in June.  As always, helpers for these events are more than welcome.  We also have a Quiz night once or twice a year which is a good opportunity to meet fellow parishioners and enjoy the challenge of a good quiz and a hearty meal and to raise important funds for parish projects. We also organise a Christmas Draw which again raises money for the Parish through the donation of seasonal prizes.  If you are interested in helping with any of these events please let the Parish Priest know.

In accordance with Canon Law the Finance Committee helps the parish priest and Parish Treasurer with the budgeting and finances of the Parish. Its members are freely appointed by the Parish Priest to use their professional expertise to advise him on any matters pertaining to the management and maintenance of the Parish Finances and its property.

It costs just £12 a year to join the 150 Club and the opportunity to win a cash prize each month. The prizes are currently:

1st £50

2nd £25

3rd £12

Members are encouraged to pay by standing order in December each year. Further details can be obtained from John Hackman.

The Tesco Gift Card Scheme has been running in the parish for 10 years. In this time the number of regular members has always been between 25 and 29 with a few more members buying on an 'ad hoc' basis to suit their needs. The regular members buy between £40.00 and £300.00 pounds worth of Gift Cards, in each 4 week period. Some members do all their shopping at Tesco others only buy petrol but between them they have contributed over £23,000 to church funds and it hasn't cost them one single penny.

So how did they achieve this? The parish buys the Gift Card at a discount and sells it on to the members at face value and it is this discount which adds up to £23,000.00. How does the scheme work? When you pay for anything at a Tesco Store or Filling Station you offer the Gift Card in payment. The Gift Card is scanned by the till operator and the value of the purchase deducted from the face value of the Gift Card. The balance is shown on the till receipt. You continue to do this until there is nothing left on the Gift Card.

With so many of us spending time online these days, there is an excellent way to turn your shopping into a fundraising opportunity for the Parish.

Go on line to www.easyfundraising.org.uk  to register and depending on which shop you are using, a percentage of the money you spend will be allocated to the Belmont Parish. It does NOT cost you anymore! There are hundreds of retailers (including M & S, John Lewis, Amazon, Argos, Tesco and Selfridges) who are quite happy to give money to charities and it really is only a matter of getting into the habit of going through the Easyfundraising website. Please give it a try and see how much more we can raise for the Parish.

We encourage parishioners to Gift Aid their contributions to the collections taken at Mass. Gift Aid is open to anyone who pays tax in the UK.  This is a very important part of Parish Finances.  It costs you nothing except a bit of time to sign up for it.  You can either gift aid through your bank or through weekly envelopes.

If you feel you would like to Gift Aid your contribution please contact Jacqui Ramage-Smith.