Lowton Churches Romania Appeal
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Lowton Churches Romania Appeal is a charity set up by the five churches of Lowton, Greater Manchester, England (St Luke's, St Mary's, St Catherine's, Lane Head Methodist, Lowton Independent Methodist) after the fall of Ceauşescu in 1990. It grew from work of an aid trip arranged by the churches after knowledge of the living conditions in the country's orphanages first became widespread. The aid trip, which saw many Lowtoners travel to Romania by coach, visited an orphanage in Lugoj, west Romania. The trip was successful but barely scratched the surface of the problem and the individuals who travelled decided LCRA should be created to deliver long-term help. Initially more trips to Lugoj and elsewhere were arranged but as time has gone on the charity has grown and expanded its remit. It now has several ongoing projects in the country.
One area in which Lugoj has strong links is in the town of Sinaia. In 2000 LCRA donated an ambulance to the town's hospital in memory of James Dickinson, who travelled on many of the charity's aid trips and was just 18 when he died in 1999. In 2003, a second ambulance was donated in memory of another of the charity's workers, Carol Jones.