We realise of course that many of you who gave money towards getting some of our young people to World Youth Day couldn't give two hoots about whether Ella dyes her hair pink or not - you just wanted to help out. We also realise that some of you were actively opposed to the idea.

But Ella did say that if we raised £250 then she would dye her hair pink. We went on to raise £390.

And she is a man of her word.

So to speak.

So, we read some reviews online and bought two bottles of "Atomic Pink" hair dye. Michelle came around (she's an expert on these matters) and did the deed.

Before...

After...

Don't panic! It's not permanent - it should wash out after a few weeks, though I think Ella wishes it was permanent. She loves it and keeps looking in mirrors.

Thanks again to everybody who gave towards getting somebody to World Youth Day. We really appreciate it.

More photos here.

It's always nice to receive mail, but it was especially nice to arrive at Mass yesterday and to be told by the lady distributing the hymnbooks that there was a letter for me in the sacristy from Australia. It was even nicer to find a cheque inside - just enough to bring us to our target.

I won't splash any names across the internet but I am really grateful to you all.

As I said in my first post on this, West Hull isn't exactly the most affluent part of the country and fund raising around here can be hard. You've helped to make a big dent in the amount we need to raise.

Thankyou again.

If you are reading this thinking "What's he on about?" or "I haven't had a chance to give yet" then visit my original post: Help send somebody to World Youth Day

I realise that in the last week you have collectively given £150 to help get young people in West Hull along to World Youth Day and since we are yet to reach our target I will be asking for more next week so it's probably not in my best interests to encourage you to empty your pockets on another blog.

But...

The author of the Catholic with Attitude blog is raising money to get to Lourdes this year. Unlike lazy James with his blog entry and a donate button, Catholic with Attitude is making and selling rosaries for the bargain price of £6.50. That sort of effort deserves a good response so get on over there and buy one.

He's even been clever enough to post a photo that makes me feel really old...

Visit Catholic with Attidute and buy a rosary today...

You can go back to sending me money on Monday!

The following is taken from my interview with Bishop Drainey for the Catholic Herald...

One of Bishop Drainey's first tasks as a bishop was to travel to Australia for World Youth Day. "I went slightly reluctantly, because I'd seen a lot of World Youth Day events on the television and it was wonderful but I thought: 'Is it all razzmatazz? Is there any substance to it?' So while I went with that attitude I was very much converted by the sincerity, commitment and awesome prayerfulness of the people gathered there."

The moment he found most memorable was the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: "Four hundred thousand young people just went down on their knees in Adoration and I'd have travelled all the way to Australia just for that one moment. Even now it fills me with emotion as I think about it. It was just so powerful."

Bishop Drainey also commented on Pope Benedict XVI's teaching style. "What he had to say wasn't watered-down porridge. It was of substance. You had to listen to understand it and the listening was palpable."

Watered-down porridge is pretty cheap, you can get a box of porridge oats for a couple of pounds and if you water it down, it goes even further.

Getting a young person to Madrid to be "converted by the sincerity, commitment and awesome prayerfulness of the people gathered there", to kneel in adoration with four hundred thousand other young people, to listen to Pope Benedict speak not porridge but substance. That isn't so cheap.

Many, many thanks to everybody who has contributed so far. Your generosity has far exceeded anything I thought possible and we are well on our way to our target of £250 which along with the fundraising we are doing locally is going to be a great help towards getting as many of your young people to Madrid as possible.

But we still need more!

What does £10 get you these days? Half a month's mobile phone contract? Less than a litre of petrol? If you can't give £10, give £5. It all adds up.

This handy PayPal button should make it easy for you to do it right now before you've had too much time to think about it...

If you don't want to use paypal then write out a cheque payable to "James Preece" (honestly, if you don't trust me then why are you sending money anyway) and post that cheque to "James Preece, c/o St Joseph's, 187 Pickering Road, Hull HU4 6TD". I'll make sure it gets to the people who need it.

Many thanks to everybody who has contributed so far. You are amazing! So far we have £110 which is well on the way to our target of £250.

I thought if I made one of those progress chart thingies it might encourage you...

As I said yesterday, A trip to World Youth Day can and has changed a young person's life. Many times I've asked somebody in their early twenties how they came to take their faith seriously and the story has often begun "I always sort of just went along with my mum and dad to Mass but I was at World Youth Day and I heard/saw/felt/discovered..."

Since then we've heard from a guy who met is wife at world youth day and other's have donated and said something along the lines of "I couldn't have gone without help, now I want to help somebody else...".

You can read my original post on this here.

Please support this endeavor by throwing a few quid our way. Go on, think how much money you spend on rubbish. If you have ever despaired over the state of Catholicism in England and Wales, now is your chance to do something about it. £10 would make a huge difference, we're talking about the equivalent of one pack of nappies.

This handy PayPal button should make it easy for you to do it right now before you've had too much time to think about it...

If you don't want to use paypal then write out a cheque payable to "James Preece" (honestly, if you don't trust me then why are you sending money anyway) and post that cheque to "James Preece, c/o St Joseph's, 187 Pickering Road, Hull HU4 6TD". I'll make sure it gets to the people who need it.

Update:

£125! That's half way. Many thanks and keep it up!

Incidentally, that's £75 from male donors and £50 from female. Come on girls! Are you going to let the boys win?

You know the score. Blogs are a bad thing and you people who read blogs are no better. All we do is cause trouble and strife and division.

Well, I thought we might like to do something useful.

Next year it's World Youth Day and we are trying to send some young people from West Hull to be with the Pope in Madrid. Let me give you a bit of context: We've had the floods and until very recently still had some people living in caravans, we've got massive unemployment and many of our parishioners are low earners. The cost of a trip to World Youth Day is £999.

Why should we send them? A trip to World Youth Day can and has changed a young person's life. Many times I've asked somebody in their early twenties how they came to take their faith seriously and the story has often begun "I always sort of just went along with my mum and dad to Mass but I was at World Youth Day and I heard/saw/felt/discovered..."

It also gets them out of the grim diocesan bubble where ageing congregations insist on the latest progressive worship from 1970. It puts them in front of a Pope who will give communion on the tongue to people who a kneeling, who will sing his blessings in Latin and who will do all sorts of other good things that our young people are currently (despite my best efforts) deprived of. Photos from the last World Youth Day...

We'll be doing a lot of fundraising around the parishes but as I say, we live in an area of the country that isn't exactly spilling over with spare change. That's where you come in - we need your help.

To encourage you a bit, Ella has agreed to turn this in to a sponsored event. This is Ella by the way (working on our Easter Tree)...

Ella is the one on the left! This blog hits over 250 unique visits a day. If you people can give over £250 between you (it's only £1 each) then Ella will dye her hair (and there's enough of it) pink.

Here's an artists impression of how that will look...

That's not really Ella by the way, that's Stephanie from LazyTown but you get the general idea.

Please support this endeavor by throwing a few quid our way. Go on, think how much money you spend on rubbish. If you have ever despaired over the state of Catholicism in England and Wales, now is your chance to do something about it. When Laurence England needed money for a good cause, I sent him £20. If I can find £20 for a good cause, surely you can find at least $10.

This handy PayPal button should make it easy for you to do it right now before you've had too much time to think about it...

If you don't want to use paypal then write out a cheque payable to "James Preece" (honestly, if you don't trust me then why are you sending money anyway) and post that cheque to "James Preece, c/o St Joseph's, 187 Pickering Road, Hull HU4 6TD". I'll make sure it gets to the people who need it.

Update:

Many thanks to those of you who have contributed so far including the person who left this message:

I met my fiancée at WYD Sydney. I wouldn't have been able to go without massive subsidy from generous benefactors. I'm delighted to help someone else see the Pope ... and maybe a future spouse.

So far we have £75! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!