The Annual Celebration of the life and work of Victorian writer and lobbyist Josephine Butler who is commemorated in the Lectionary took place. Revd Canon Philip Anderson celebrated the Eucharist in the Lady Chapel assisted by Trustees where a stained-glass window of Josephine Butler is one of those depicting Noble Women.
This was followed by the Annual Awards Ceremony where the Trust honours Church-related organisations and individual Christians from the Liverpool City Region who have made significant contributions on the relationship between faith and social engagement. The four Awards were:
Women of the Year went to Jenny Sinclair, the Founder and Director of Together for the Common Good who is giving this year’s Micah Lecture. Jenny is the daughter of Bishop David Sheppard. The Charity arranges seminars, courses and training on Catholic Social Teaching widely used and valued by a range of denominations.
Volunteer of the Year Award went to Joyce Hunt who has a life of volunteering – apt as this Award came in Volunteer Week! She was a volunteer with Tearcraft and a Founder Director of Traidcraft. Joyce was a teacher of special needs. She was active in the Diocese on World Mission. On retirement she started being highly active at St John’s Birkdale & a driving force in the Learning Rooms, a Community Initiative Company for adults with learning disabilities.
Award to an Organisation went to Mission in the Economy (MitE). established as Liverpool Industrial Mission during the 1950’s by the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool and has since undergone many restructures to now be fully supported by all Merseyside churches. MitE is also supported by local authorities and other organisations to run chaplaincy projects in workplaces and the retail sectors of Liverpool, Sefton, Skelmersdale, St Helens and Warrington. Their chaplaincy projects are not provided to proselytise or to promote any religious objectives but to work in an inclusive way which can be of service to the general population regardless of faith, belief, or views.
Chaplains, (paid or voluntary), aim to offer to everyone the services of a chaplain, providing encouragement, support, or signpost to external agencies. Chaplains also provide a listening ear and function as a safe space. The faithful presence of the Chaplains sends out a strong message to the people in any workplace, retail setting, airport, or within the police community. Our chaplains engage in prayer spaces, multi-faith rooms, quiet spaces and offer a continued, graceful, and peaceful setting for anyone they encounter.
The Scholarship went to Elisabeth Hachmoeller who has worked at Liverpool Hope University on the Global Hope Initiative for over 20 years and as the Ecumenical Coordinator of Churches Together in the Merseyside Region for over a decade. She is a member of the International Focolare Movement committed to promoted ecumenism and partnership.
Finally, the Trust donated £4,000 for Churches Together in the Merseyside Region November 2025 Conference marking the Fortieth Anniversary of the Faith in the City Report.
