A Richmond vicar will take on a 12-hour preaching challenge on Tuesday in a bid to raise £12,000 for new church bells and the Richmond Soup Kitchen.
Reverend Robert Stanier will begin his ‘Preachathon’ at St Mary Magdalene Church at sunrise at 6.47am on 22 September, continuing until darkness falls at 6.59pm.
The day will be filled with preaching, storytelling, music and conversations, with a host of special guests joining Stanier throughout the day.
His star-studded cast will include The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, former BBC director-general Greg Dyke, the Mayor of Richmond and broadcaster Rev Dr Giles Fraser.
The idea came from one of the church’s bell ringers, but what started as a challenge has quickly gathered support from the local community.
“I thought I’ll have a go and then people have really got behind it and it’s very touching, a bit moving and mildly scary,” said Stanier.
That support has helped the Preachathon raise around £5,500 so far, with a target of £12,000.
But keeping a sermon going for 12 hours is no small feat.
Stanier has been working with Olympic trainer Greg Whyte, also known as Super-Greg.
Whyte is a former Olympian and a Sports Scientist, who has worked training both olympians and celebrities for sports challenges. Now, his next project is Rob.
His biggest fear is getting to the afternoon and running out of things to say.
“The jeopardy is kind of why people are there, they want to see if you can pull it off.”
And there will be plenty to keep the congregation entertained, with conversations covering everything from modern life to the influence of mobile phones and AI.
The money raised will be split between St Mary Magdalene’s historic bells and the Richmond Soup Kitchen.
Some of the church’s bells date back centuries, with the oldest being from 1686. After around 350 years, the bells have gone out of tune and are now being replaced. For Stanier, that connection between history and modern life is part of what makes the church special.
The other half of the fundraiser will go towards the Richmond Soup Kitchen, a grassroots organisation providing food, hygiene products and support to people across the borough.
The kitchen operates from November to April and does not ask people for referrals or proof of their circumstances.
“There’s nothing transactional in our work, there’s a power in the simplicity of our organisation,” said charity director Isabelle Swann.
The organisation supports a wide range of people, from those experiencing homelessness to people living in unstable housing, struggling with the cost of living, dealing with mental health issues or simply experiencing loneliness.
Despite Richmond’s reputation as a wealthy borough, Swann said the picture is more complicated, with a significant wealth gap and food poverty affecting people across the area.
The kitchen currently has around 125 volunteers and works with other local organisations to provide everything from hot food to toiletries and support with accessing other services.
Some of those volunteers will be at St Mary Magdalene Church on Tuesday to support the Preachathon.
But for Stanier, the real test will come as the day stretches into its final hours.
He has already been warned that the hardest point could be around 3pm, after almost nine hours of preaching.
After 12 hours, there will be one final reward: a party at the church, complete with prosecco.
And when asked whether he would ever consider taking on another Preachathon, Stanier had a simple answer: “Come back to me on Tuesday evening.”
Donations can be made on Crowdfunder.
Featured image provided by St Mary Magdalene Church, with thanks.
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