Canon Stuart Lloyd’s 72-hour fast to raise funds for Christian Aid

Christian Aid Ireland has thanked a County Antrim clergyman who completed a 72-hour fast in May 2025, raising over £3,000 for the charity’s Christian Aid Week appeal.

Canon Stuart Lloyd is the retired Rector of Ballymena Parish, now living in nearby Broughshane and worshipping at St Patrick’s Parish Church, Broughshane.

Canon Stuart abstained from all food for 72 hours in mid-May, allowing himself only water. During business hours on his three fast days, he sat outside James McNeill Grocery store in Broughshane to raise awareness of the aid agency’s work and collect donations.

This was Canon Stuart’s fourth 72-hour fast to raise funds for Christian Aid Week, an act of solidarity with millions of people around the world who don’t have enough food to eat. The climate crisis is bringing intense heatwaves, harsh droughts and extreme weather events which devastate vital food crops and kill valuable livestock. Meanwhile, conflict forces people to flee their homes and abandon their farms, to seek refuge in displacement camps where they live under canvas and must rely on meagre food rations.

The charity’s Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett said: “It’s only with the support of people like Canon Stuart Lloyd that we can reach men, women and children struggling with hunger around the world. Please join us in thanking him for his incredible self-sacrifice. We are also grateful to all those who donated so generously.”

To support Christian Aid Ireland’s work, please visit caid.ie/Donate or call 028 9064 8133.