The new Vicar of St George's Church in Bickley wasted little time in helping his parish to turn out their pockets for charity! Fr Richard Norman, who at 27 is the youngest Vicar in the Church of England, asked his flock to help raise money for the charity Tariro UK, which works to bring hope to children in Zimbabwe, many of whom have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

The charity is run by one of Fr Richard's former tutors at theological college, who regularly visits his native Zimbabwe to check how donations are being spent.

During Lent, the congregation at St George's, and children at St George's CE Primary School and Bickley Park School, were issued with boxes of Smarties: these, when empty, became very handy money boxes. A stunning £3170 was raised across Bickley, with more funds still to collect!

Fr Richard expressed his surprise and delight at the total, saying, 'Our vision at St George's is to stand at the heart of the local community, bringing together all people of good will. This sum represents a fantastic contribution to Tariro UK, and I know the money will be spent wisely and well.'

You can find out more about the charity's work at http://www.tarirouk.com, and about St George's Church at http://www.stgeorgebickley.co.uk Based on information supplied by Fr Richard Norman.