Submitted by nick.gazard on

We are delighted to announce that the 366th Festival of Clergy Support Trust will be online! Available from 6pm on Tuesday, 11th May 2021, you are invited to join in, from the comfort of your home, watching it on our Festival Page.

3 Choirs in 3 Cathedrals

The pre-recorded service is anchored at St Paul's Cathedral with whom we have worked closely to ensure it will be a moving act of worship as we celebrate the work of the trust.

Joining the choir of St Paul's are the choral clerks of Liverpool and Southwark in their beautiful cathedrals. Each choir will sing their chosen piece and then a joint hymn together.

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Liverpool, Southwark and St Paul's Cathedrals

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Beneficiary Stories

Beneficiary stories

Uniquely with this filmed Festival Service, contributions from the Anglican clergy and families that we are privileged to support will come from where they live and work.

We hope that as you connect with these wonderful people, who are sharing their personal stories, that it will be clearer the ways in which we help, in times of need.

The Lord Mayor of London and the Bishops of London and Durham

The Lord Mayor, Alderman William Russell, will give a reading at Mansion House and later the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, gives the sermon.

The service is closed at St Paul's by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally and followed by a magnificent organ voluntary by Simon Johnson.

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St Paul's choir filming

Join us, 6pm on 11 May 2021

The Festival Service is entirely free and without obligation. Please save the date and encourage others to join us on this special occasion. If you do wish to support our work, helping Anglican clergy and their families, then the details are below.

Ways you can give

You can support our annual Festival and the work we do supporting clergy and their families financially by:

  • Online donation (one-off or recurring via credit or debit card)
  • Bank Transfer / Standing Order contact hello@clergysupport.org.uk for details
  • Cheque made out to Clergy Support Trust and posted to our office at 1 Dean Trench Street, London SW1P 3HB
  • CAF Account (using our charity number: 207736)

If you are a taxpayer, please consider filling out a Gift Aid form which will help us to reclaim 25p for every £1 you give.

Other ways to support us

  1. Become a Steward of the Festival, joining this historic group of individuals who organised the Festival in its early days in the 17th and 18th centuries and who now support its costs. Stewardship costs £50 a year minimum and enables your name to be included in the Order of Service and a ballot to process (when in-person services resume) into the cathedral at the beginning of the service.
  2. Become a Governor of the charity, for a one-off donation of at least £100. This role involves holding the trustees to account, being an ambassador for the charity, and an advocate of our work.
  3. You might also wish to remember the charity in your will.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will be singing?

St Paul Cathedral has a choir school that enables their choristers to sing together safely with the lay clerks (adult singers) socially distanced and masked unless singing.

Liverpool and Southwark's choirs are drawn from local schools and hence it is not safe or permitted for their young choristers to sing. Instead, their choir is made up of their lay clerks, including sopranos.

When can I watch it?

The service is pre-recorded and can be watched from 6pm GMT on Tuesday 11th of May onwards. It will be available online for at least a month.

So you can watch at your convenience, but if you can please do join us in sharing the event. Perhaps even send us a photo of how you're enjoying it?

How did you film it?

To ensure a wonderful and safe experience we worked with Livewire Pictures to film the Festival Service.

Their experience working at St Paul's Cathedral on their carol service and with the BBC's Last night of the Proms ensures quality and that the production was COVID-safe.

Rather than having choirs or beneficiaries travel, a minimal crew (sometimes just one person) went to them, maintaining 2m distancing, wiping down equipment and using boom microphones.

Will there be an Order of Service

Yes, this will shortly be available on the Festival page as a digital download or you can request a physical copy (for a suggested donation).

What about the 367th Festival in 2022?

We are hopeful of an in-person return to St Paul's Cathedral with a provisional date of 10 May 2022, which will be confirmed this May.

We are committed to ensuring the Festival and other events are as accessible as possible and will be looking at streaming options.