His Majesty King Charles III announced as new patron of Church Urban Fund

King Charles III became the Patron of Church Urban Fund this week, marking the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation.

Following the King's accession to the throne, the Royal Household conducted a comprehensive review of more than 1,000 royal patronages, including those, like Church Urban Find, previously held by Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal patronage highlights the vital work of charities, military organisations, and professional and public service bodies, and allows their many achievements and valuable contributions to society to be more widely recognised and promoted.

In his first address to the nation on his accession to the throne, His Majesty the King reaffirmed his relationship and responsibility to the Church of England as “the Church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted.” He continued: “In that faith, and the values it inspires, I have been brought up to cherish a sense of duty to others,” and elaborated in his first Christmas message on his “belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others, and to shine a light in the world around them.”

Bishop Rob Wickham, CUF Chief Executive Officer said: “We are both excited and humbled that His Majesty the King is delighted to accept the Patronage of Church Urban Fund. We are inspired by His Majesty’s clear hope for communities that flourish together, and we are determined to build many partnerships, rooted in God’s love, that challenge exclusion, celebrate local creativity and collectively strive for the ending of poverty."