14 May 2020 GL/100 Laps/02
On Saturday 30 May, retired Welsh clergyman the Rev’d Canon Douglas T Davies will mobilise more than 100 friends to participate in an ‘isolation amble’ to raise funds for United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG).
Douglas, who lives in Swansea, turns 100 on 15 May and has been preparing for his centenary fundraiser since last year. Initially, he and 99 friends and relatives were going to assemble at Dunvant Rugby Club in Swansea. The plan was that each person would walk once round the club, with Douglas doing the final lap. A hundred people, a hundred laps. Sadly, COVID-19 and social distancing put an end to that plan. Instead, Douglas’s supporters will now record videos of themselves doing a lap wherever they can, then post them on his Facebook page. Moving the event online has opened it up to more people than the 100 who were going to take part initially and Douglas has already raised £1,750. His initial target was £2,000.
Douglas has supported USPG all his life. ‘‘When I was ordained, I was sent to work in a part of Swansea where there was a lot of poverty,’ he recalls. ‘Our church always had USPG collection boxes and I’ve supported their work ever since.
‘When I was in training to be a minister, I met Bishop Trevor Huddleston who lived and worked amongst marginalised people in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. Meeting him was what made me realise the importance of the sort of mission work USPG does.’
‘If this had happened the way it was originally intended to, a lot of Doug’s friends and family would have seen each other for the first time in years,’ said Sarah Williams, a family friend. ‘That’s not going to happen now, but we’ll still raise a lot of money for USPG - which is one of Doug’s big passions.’
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
USPG is the Anglican mission agency that partners churches and communities worldwide in God’s mission to enliven faith, strengthen relationships, unlock potential and champion justice. Established in 1701.
The Rev’d Canon Douglas T Davies is available for interview. Mrs Sarah Williams is organising the fundraiser on his behalf and is also available for interview.
For more information on USPG please go to: www.USPG.org.uk
Donations can be made to Douglas’s fundraiser via his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fatherdavies100th
Image attached caption: ‘Father Doug’ in training for his special birthday lap.
CONTACT:
Email: georgel@uspg.org.uk
WhatsApp call: 07849 083 128