I started working voluntarily for Women’s World Day of Prayer charity in 1984 as a committee member for the Ilford branch. First I took on the job of press and publicity, then secretary, eventually becoming leader and chair a decade ago.

Women’s World Day of Prayer (WWDP) – this year on March 7 – is a worldwide movement led by Christian women of many traditions who call their faithful together for a common day of prayer each year.

There are more than 170 countries participating and each one has its own national committee to write and prepare their service each year.

It is then distributed to more than 3,000 interdenominational local branch committees, whose members promote and jointly organise the service in their area.

The service takes place traditionally on the first Friday in March and thus forms a great wave of prayer, rising with the sun over the island of Samoa and sweeping across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, then comes to rest in American Samoa 36 hours later.

Thus we share hopes, fears, sorrows, needs, taking up burdens of others.

Through WWDP, Christians affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.