Away From It All (AFIA) Holiday Scheme
AFIA holidays are available to any family who have need of quality time together, but find that impossible due to various circumstances. They can be recomended by MU members, clergy, or sometimes chaplaincy members. The decision as to which family should be offered the holiday is usually taken by the local MU branch committee, with input from the chaplain. MU members are responsible for raising the funding for the holiday. Family identities are strictly confidential.
In 2010 the branch in Poitou Charentes were able to send a French family to the Spring Harvest holiday site in the Vendee, and the money was raised through a chaplaincy wide “hymnathon”. This year we are raffling a holiday in the south of France to raise our funds. We have not yet offered the AFIA holiday to anyone, although we have one or two families in mind. Getting the sequence right is quite difficult. We need the funding to book the holiday, but also need to know the number in the family we are sending, and where the holiday will be booked. Last year all worked out very well and we were delighted with the financial response.
2011
At the chaplaincy Summer Fete in July we had a stall selling raffle tickets to fund our AFIA holiday this year. We were able to send another family to the Vendee.
Joyce Bache
