A Woking church has raised more than £10,000 for an international charity with a 24-hour fundraiser.

Woking United Reformed Church organised a round-the-clock praise-athon and youth camp-out as part of Christian Aid Week 2025.

The Rev Lucy Brierley explained: “We decided this year to attempt another 24-hour project after the success of our Bible Read-athon in 2023. We had our talented musicians playing a variety of styles and every hour of music was interspersed with 10 minutes of prayer and 10 minutes of Bible reading.

“We live-streamed on the church's Facebook and YouTube so people could actually take part from anywhere in the world. And during the praise-athon our young people held a sponsored camp-out to raise awareness of displaced people and refugees.

“We are thrilled to report the sponsorship total came to £10,665 and are grateful to everyone who took part and supported us – this will be money shared with Christian Aid’s local partners who are making a real difference in communities around the world.”

Money raised during Christian Aid Week will help empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.

This year’s appeal is focusing on work in Guatemala, in Central America, where climate change is causing the seasons to intensify and shift erratically. Water sources are drying up and vital crops are failing, plunging farming families into hunger and poverty.

Despite the challenges families are facing, the power of hope drives people to look for ways to push back by diversifying and growing more resilient crops, building water recycling systems, and creating organic fertiliser.

To find out more about projects like these and how to get involved, visit www.christianaid.org.uk.

For more information on Christian Aid Week, the events and challenges taking place and the people whose stories are shared, also visit the Christian Aid website.