A Liskeard church has helped to raise more than £10,000 for local people in need through a bible-inspired website. 

Acts 435 is a kind of crowdfunding platform, explains Mike Sturgess, who is an advocate for the charity in South East Cornwall.

Mike, who’s based at St Martin’s Church, said: “People are referred to us through a variety of agencies, including the Liskeard and Looe CAP Christians Against Poverty centre.

“We take details of people’s needs, it might be things like shoes for their children, or new carpet, or someone who’s had a punctured tyre and can’t afford to have it replaced.

“We post them on an online platform, and people across the UK give towards the need.

“It’s an amazing thing. When we asked for £150 for replacement presents for some children, two days before Christmas, the money was given within just 15 minutes of posting it on the platform. Most posts can take a week or so to raise the money, but so far we haven’t had a need that has not been met.”

Mike says the impact of the assistance for those who are in crisis and receive help is huge.

“They turn around and say why is a complete stranger helping me? It’s phenomenal.”

The requests posted on the site are for small, specific items that can make a big difference to an individual or family at their time of need. These items include white goods, school uniform, gas and electric top up, and other essential items, with a maximum amount of £150.

In 2021, St Martin’s Church facilitated £10,112 in donations through Acts 435, as well as distributing £2,828 in crisis funding from other sources.

The charity Acts 435 is name after Acts 4 v35 in the bible, where it describes how in the early church, believers sold assets from time to time to raise money and “it was put at the apostles’ feet, and distributed to anyone who had need”.

On a national level Acts 435 anticipates many more requests coming in, as the sharp rise in the cost of living forces more families into poverty.

Jenny Herrera, Executive Director said: “We do expect to see more and more people turning to a charity like ours to get support for the basic essentials because they have no buffer when costs rise or a crisis occurs.”

This includes people like J, a single mother, who is struggling to make ends meet after giving up work in 2021 due to health problems. She and her four sons have been using their local foodbank. She described feeling on her ‘last legs’ before Acts 435 donors stepped in to help to pay her living expenses, including fresh food.

Like many, J had no savings to fall back on. Acts 435 provided her with a one-off gift until her benefits began. She said her “desperation had been lifted” and that she had been “given a bit of room to think and make sure everything is in order.” .

She said: “It feels like the odds are usually against us, and this really was a welcome turn of events, it has literally been a life-saver.”