Retired Ballymena clergyman's 72-hour fast to tackle hunger and extreme poverty

A retired County Antrim clergyman has completed a 72-hour fast to raise funds for an aid agency’s work with vulnerable communities around the world.

Rev Canon Stuart Lloyd abstained from all food and drink, allowing himself only water, from 8pm on Thursday 16 May until 8pm on Saturday 18 May in an effort to raise funds for the work of Christian Aid. Canon Stuart’s fast was sponsored by the parishioners of St Patrick's Church of Ireland in Broughshane, the church he joined after retiring as rector of Ballymena and Ballyclug where he served for 27 years.

Canon Lloyd completed his fast while sitting in the mall outside McNeill’s grocery and hardware shops in Broughshane, collecting donations and raising awareness of the work of Christian Aid. His grandson Matthew and some of the St Patrick’s parishioners sat with him for part of the time, keeping him company.

This was the third year that Canon Lloyd has completed a 72-hour fast to mark Christian Aid Week.

Christian Aid Week (12-18 May) began in the 1950s and is thought to be the UK and Ireland’s longest-running fundraising campaign. Each year, tens of thousands of people across the UK and Ireland get involved in raising funds to support the charity’s work to reach people living in poverty and crisis across the world.

Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Canon Lloyd for his fundraising: “We are very grateful o Canon Stuart for his incredible self-sacrifice and to everyone at St Patrick’s Broughshane and in the wider community who sponsored him.

“Every year during Christian Aid Week, people across the UK and Ireland raise funds, act and pray for their global neighbours in a celebration of hope for a fairer world.

“Christian Aid Week brings people together to put our faith into action. Every prayer, every gift, every action makes a difference.”

This year’s Christian Aid Week appeal focuses on the charity’s work in Burundi where 70% of the population live in poverty and more than half of children are chronically malnourished. Burundi is one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa.

Heavily reliant on agriculture, it’s also one of the least prepared to combat the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and landslides. The global cost of living crisis has intensified the challenges further.

Christian Aid has been working in Burundi since 1995 when it first offered humanitarian assistance to people surviving the civil conflict.

Now, alongside local partners, the organisation helps establish Village Savings and Loans Associations. These community-led groups mean people can save and borrow money, making small businesses possible, offering reliable incomes so families can eat regularly, get medicine when they need it, and build safer homes.

One of those supported by Christian Aid and its local partner is thirty-five-year-old Aline Nibogora. A survivor of both domestic violence and homelessness, thanks to a small start-up loan, Aline was able to begin trading avocados and peanuts locally. With her profits, she bought a bicycle to transport greater quantities of goods to markets further afield and now has the money she needs to support herself and her children.

Canon Lloyd is no stranger to charity fundraising. In 2021, he completed 50 ascents of Slemish mountain over seven days - equivalent to the height of Mount Everest - raising £15,000 for charitable projects in Nepal.

Even in retirement, Canon Lloyd continues to serve the Church of Ireland by helping out at St Patrick’s, Broughshane and at St Patrick’s in Coleraine.

For more information or to donate, visit caweek.ie