Celebrating 50 years of Christingle at Hereford Cathedral

Record numbers are set to take part in Christingle services up and down the country this year, including at our very own Hereford Cathedral on Christmas Eve, 2.30 pm led by The Revd Canon Chris Pullin - raising vital donations for The Children’s Society.

The Christingle service originated in the Moravian church in Germany. In 1968 John Pensom of The Children's Society adapted Christingle and introduced it to the Church of England as a way to help disadvantaged children and young people. By 2003 1million people were attending Christingle services each year.

The event is now celebrated in hundreds of churches, schools and communities from December right through to Candlemas on 2^nd February. The occasion is named after the Christingles, the oranges that are lit during the service and decorated with a candle, red ribbon, dried fruits and sweets on cocktail sticks, which represent different parts of the Christian story.

The Children’s Society Chief Executive, Matthew Reed says: “The Christingle fundraising tradition is a lifeline for the charity and we’re enormously grateful to all our supporters for helping us to work with more than a million children over the last 50 years. Sadly, there are a million more young people living with several serious problems in their lives today and we hope that our 50^th anniversary services will go some way to supporting them. Because no child should feel alone at Christmas.”  

The money raised through Christingles for The Children’s Society helps to provide direct support to vulnerable children and young people who may be living in poverty, experiencing mental health issues, living in care or just about to leave the care system or at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation.

To find out more about this year's Christingle at Hereford Cathedral or to download the social story which we have created to support families who are attending, please click here.