Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2026
This year’s Bishop’s Lent Appeal is for Aberlour Children’s Charity.
Aberlour Children’s Charity works to provide tailored support to families facing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. It provides support at the earliest opportunity by offering a range of services across Scotland, utilising the voices of those impacted to create and implement tools for change. The charity has been in operation for just over 150 years, with a long and varied history, although giving every child the best possible start in life has always been at the heart of what they do.
Aberlour offers a range of support services across Scotland including residential and foster care, recovery for families affected by addiction, disability care and support, and early years support. There is a focus on early intervention, which provides assistance before problems develop, balanced with an Urgent Assistance Fund to provide immediate relief in emergency situations.
The charity’s work reflects the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which details 54 Articles covering all aspects of a child’s life. Article 2 states “Every child has rights, without discrimination of any kind against the child, parent, or legal guardian” and all of the rights are interlinked and of equal importance. This Convention is at the heart of everything Aberlour hopes to achieve, aligning with its values of Respect, Integrity, Innovation, and Challenge.
Bishop Mark, Acting Bishop of Edinburgh Diocese says: “It’s my great pleasure to write to you about an important and long-standing partnership with a Scottish children’s charity; one which is especially close to my heart.
“As you may know, Aberlour – Scotland’s Children’s Charity, as it’s known today, was established in 1875 by Canon Jupp, one of my predecessors as Rector of St Margaret’s, Aberlour. It was originally The Aberlour Orphanage but moved away from that work to become one of the foremost providers of children’s support and development in Scotland. I have seen at first hand the work of Aberlour and have met with many of the young people they work with and care for. I’m proud to say that we, as a church, have an association with Aberlour. In recognition of the work that Aberlour does in our communities in Scotland perhaps your congregation might consider supporting this wonderful Scottish charity this Lent.
“In 2025 Aberlour celebrated its 150th milestone anniversary at a special event at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. The Chief Executive at the time was SallyAnn Kelly OBE who said: ‘It is a milestone but a staging post too because, even after a century and a half, our journey is far from over. How we offer care, support and love to children in need has been transformed over the years but why we do it, and why we need to, has not changed at all.’
“Thank you for your generosity. +Mark”
To make a donation to this Lent Appeal for 2026, please speak with your congregational treasurer or use button below to access our ‘Stewardship’ page. Please note: We cannot accept any form of donation physically at the Diocesan Office.
Please find more information about Aberlour Children’s Charity via the links below.