Mothers Union members here in the Diocese of Worcester regularlyprovide various types of breaks for many people a year through their long running"Away From It All" scheme, which is intended to supportfamilies who are experiencing stressful times and would otherwisenot have the opportunity of a holiday.
Away From It All (AFIA) is a Mothers Union holiday scheme, primarilyfunded by our members, to give the opportunity of a break to those who areexperiencing stress in their family life. On average, we help 2,500 people tohave a holiday each year. Families are able to spend time together away fromtheir stressful situations at home, engage in activities together and have fun.They often experience healing in their relationships by spending this qualitytime with each other.
Amongst those who have been helped are pupils from a deprivedschool who visited the Belgium battle fields as part of their educationwith an AFIA donation towards their trips costs. The students shared theiramazing experience:
"Thank you to Mothers' Union for supporting our visitto the battlefields in France and Belgium. When we were at the cemeteries, Iwas amazed at all the graves. I looked at the names of the soldiers anddiscovered that they were all very young. We went to the trenches that weremuddy and wet. The best part of the visit for me was watching the Last Postceremony. It was very sad. I now know that thousands of soldiers died in thebattles and that it is important to remember the bravery of the soldiers inWorld War 1."
The trip has made a lasting impact as the teacher has sharedwith the MU that the class is still talking about it months later!
This is just one example of the varied types of breaks thatMothers Union members in Worcester help arrange to suit the needs ofthose applying for assistance. To find out more about our AFIA project contact jhickmanh62@gmail.com.
How to apply
Would you or someone that you know benefit from an AFIA holiday? You will be asked for your name and contact details and the number of people who would liketo go on the holiday, along with the ages of any children. Janice, the MU holidaycoordinator, will then contact the family and ask them to fill in an applicationform. (Please note: people can nominate themselves or their friends but anyoneapplying for a holiday will also be asked to provide details of someone whoknows them in a professional capacity, such as a vicar, teacher, or socialworker).
Mothers Unions involved with AFIA will:
- Help fund part ofthe cost of a holiday
- Cover a familystravel expenses,
- Pay for a wholeholiday or day trip
- Organise familyweeks for groups of families to have a break with activities and outings.
Families hoping to have an AFIA holiday dont have to be a member of achurch or our organisation and you can apply for yourselves or recommendsomeone else for a holiday.
