Support our work with clergy children

The Clergy Orphan Corporation Fund is one of the oldest focuses of our work, and supporting clergy children as well as clergy themselves remains at the heart of what we do.

The Fund has had many names over the centuries - The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy (1655), The Clergy Orphan Society (1749), The Clergy Orphan Corporation (1809) - but today, the Fund's purpose is to support the financial, health and emotional wellbeing of clergy children.

Being the child of a clergy person is something that few other children can relate to or understand, which makes giving clergy families opportunities to connect and share their experiences all the more important.

Children and parents lined up, facing the camera and smiling.

What your support enables

Donations to the Fund have supported Rock and Wild, a pilot event from the Dioceses of Llandaff and Swansea & Brecon in September 2023.

A weekend of activities, including archery, hiking and bushcraft, will give clergy children of all ages the opportunity to make new friends and feel less isolated.

Rock and Wild follows in the footsteps of Life to the Max and Family Max in the dioceses of Bath and Wells and Bristol . Both projects were only possible thanks to the generosity of those who support the Clergy Orphan Corporation Fund.

The Revd Dan Crouch said:

"The opportunity to spend time together as a family, having fun away from the demands of ministry, was so valuable. Our daughters loved it and want to go again next week!"

Mira's story

Mira has very complex needs. She has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and has no use of her legs. Despite this, Mira shares her enthusiasm for life with her adoptive parents, The Revd Simon and Kate.

Until recently, days out or even simple trips to the shops were pretty much out of bounds for the whole family as they balanced Mira’s mobility needs.

All this changed when a new, specially-built bike, funded with donations to the Clergy Orphan Corporation Fund, arrived.

Mira's mother, Kate said:

"Thanks to the bike and the help from Clergy Support Trust, we can now access some really brilliant places, in a way that everybody genuinely enjoys and that also benefits our physical and mental health. The whole thing is amazing."

Mira on her new bike, with her father sat behind her and her mother standing in front. In the background is a woodland.

First impressions

"I attended a service in Christ Church, Moreton in 1987. The Pastor had listed their contributions to various charities in the church's newsletter. One of them was 'The Clergy Orphan Corporation'. The name told the story.

At that time, I was working as a Lecturer in Hong Kong. Once I returned, I contacted your secretary, who sent me the forms to set up the standing order. You always wrote and informed me how happy your organisation was to have support from the Far East! I knew God wanted me to support your good work."

- An anonymous donor

How to support the Fund

If you would like to make a donation to the Clergy Orphan Corporation Fund as a regular Standing Order, please complete and return the form below.

Standing Order form

If you are unable to donate this way, email us at hello@clergysupport.org.uk and we'd be happy to discuss alternative options with you. You are also most welcome to donate to our work more widely using the donation form on our website.