2010 is a special year for CAFOD. It is the fiftieth anniversary of Fast Day which was first held on 12th March 1960 organised by volunteer members of the National Board of Catholic Women who wanted to raise funds for a mother and baby clinic on the Caribbean island of Dominica.

Ultimately, this was the driving force behind the founding of CAFOD by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales two years later. The story of the women’s action is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Who would have known that they would be the roots of something that the Catholic Church, including the many individual members of our parishes, can be very proud of? CAFOD is a visible sign of our faith in action. Since then it has grown into the international aid agency we know today, working in over 40 countries worldwide.

We would like to thank our Bishop, Terence Patrick, all our parish priests, religious orders, schools, individual parishioners, parish groups and communities, in fact everyone who has supported CAFOD over the years. Your help has and continues to make a huge difference to the lives of our sisters and brothers in developing countries around the world.

We invite you to join us in making 2010 a special year by helping us to reach out to more and more people in need of our support. We are looking for people, parishes and schools to help us hold a series of events to mark the occasion throughout 2010. For further information, please contact the CAFOD Middlesbrough Office on (01904) 671767 or e-mail middlesbrough@cafod.org.uk