A series of donations, totaling over £100,000 in gold and silver coins, have been anonymously gifted to churches and schools across England by a mysterious benefactor. Recipients have described the donor, who arrives on a motorcycle and is often clad in leather, as a 'guardian angel' and a modern-day Robin Hood.
The anonymous donor, who reportedly found religion recently, embarked on a personal pilgrimage in July 2022, visiting various Church of England places of worship. He expressed a desire to "do some good with my money" and stated, "I don't need it anymore. I now have God in my life."
One of the most significant discoveries was made at St. Wilfrid's Church in Melling, near Lancaster, where nine gold Britannia coins worth nearly £30,000 were found under the altar. The coins were discovered on Good Friday, though the note left with them was dated July 16, 2022. The note, written on Salvation Army-headed paper, read: "Hi there, I'd like to donate these nine gold Britannias to Melling Church – the plastic bag identifies a bullion realtor. James, a servant of the Living God."
St. Wilfrid's had been facing significant repair bills, estimated at £750,000. Rev. Jane Lee described the donation as "like a miracle because it's so desperately needed for the church."
Quernmore Primary School in North Lancashire received coins worth £10,000. Headteacher Fiona Richardson stated that the donor was inspired by the school's proximity to the church. The funds have been used to purchase large computer teaching boards for the classroom. "He's like our guardian angel - I can't thank him enough," Richardson said.
Other institutions to benefit include St. Peter's Church in Quernmore, which received three gold coins valued at £4,500. Churchwarden Stephen Potter called the donation "divine intervention." Holy Trinity Church in Casterton received three coins valued at £10,000, and St. Mary's in Kirkby Lonsdale also received gold coins. St. Margaret's in Hornby received coins worth nearly £8,000.
At St. John the Baptist Church in Tunstall, seven silver coins and one gold Britannia coin, worth around £3,500, were found in a plastic bag. Churchwarden Sue Hunter described the find as a "mystery." The funds are earmarked for repairs to the church's medieval stained glass windows, which require hundreds of thousands of pounds for restoration.
While the exact total of the donations is not precisely known, estimates place the figure at over £100,000. Many of the gifts were made in July 2022, but a significant portion only came to light in recent months. The donor has consistently requested no recognition for his actions.