Category: Archive

Newsletter-36

After an absence of two years due to the restrictions of Covid the Strathaven Friends of HHI were able to hold their annual fund raising Bridge Drive in aid of  Health Help International last Saturday.

It was well supported with fifty players from The Strathaven and Hamilton Bridge Clubs taking part. The support of the Hamilton members was particularly appreciated by the SFHHI committee. 

Thanks are due to the Board of the Avondale Church which was the venue for the occasion and which provided most comfortable and congenial surroundings and excellent facilities. 

The players were fortified for the afternoon’s play by an excellent light lunch provide beforehand by Ian Gow and his helpers.

The successful winners of the bridge were Hamilton visitors Margaret MacFarlane and partner Janet Love and the Strathaven Club’s Margery and Harry Menzies.

The lucky winner of the impressive HHI cake generously donated by Alexander Taylors was Mrs Isobel Calderhead, pictured receiving it from committee member Helen Baird

The excellent sum of just over £1270 was raised for Health Help International to help its efforts towards the purchase of a much needed new Autoclave Machine for the Monze Mission Hospital in Zambia.

As you can imagine last year, 2021, has been like no other year. There have been extra unforeseen costs for our tuition groups and social distancing, face coverings, isolation, inoculation and peripatetic teaching have all changed the way we offer our help. The Avendale group support three Tuition Groups in Kerala in South India. The three groups we sponsor are UNDAPPARA Tuition Group, CHERAPPALY Tuition Group, and ARYANAD Tuition Group. Last year at this time the estimated running cost for each group was £50.00 per month but the additional costs have made that estimate difficult to achieve. However due to your continued support and generosity we achieved that estimated figure in October allowing this important work to continue. By the end of the year 2021 a total of £3231 was raised and with the addition of monies reclaimed from Gift Aid the gross amount surpassed even our highest expectations.  All donations for the Tuition Group go directly through HHI to the Banyan Tree Tuition Group work. After completing a number of health inspections and certificates being issued schools have re-opened. We hope it will not be long before the Tuition Groups can meet in a “pre covid” way.

Many thanks to all for your continued support for our Tuition Groups in India. We are not sure how this work will proceed in these difficult times but be assured your gifts will continue to improve the education and subsequently the life achievements in communities in Kerala. Ian Gow , who has organised the Avendale supporters, receives donations in many ways. Some folk give an annual donation in January, some give a donation each month through the year and others give a donation at birthdays or anniversaries. Some give a donation electronically directly to HHI. Whichever way and by however much you decide to support the Banyan Tree Tuition Groups it will be received with grateful thanks.

Edmund Plummer, the Chair of Health Help International was able to return this year to Kerala to see the many individuals and various projects which HHI has been supporting throughout the Pandemic and he has sent us these photos of the Tuition Groups at Undappara and Cherappaly which he visited.

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Newsletter-35

Newsletter-34

After cancellation in 2020 due to Covid 19 the RS50 returned to the roads around Strathaven on 19^th September. It had changed a little to meet the challenges of the Pandemic and involved staggered starts and different procedures for signing in to help maintain social distancing. Despite the restrictions there were over 450 entrants for the 50 miles event and 60 families took part over the 15 miles route.

Despite the mixed weather which brought sunshine and heavy rain all the entrants seemed to be having a good day and many voiced their thanks to the organisers and said how delighted they were to be back for the RS50. They were particularly appreciative of the marshals and those who provided the savouries and home baking at the two food stops. The RS50 is indebted to the many individuals and supporters in the community who provide help on the day. 

Once again the RS50 committee has been very generous in its support of Health Help International and has donated £4,500 to the Charity from the monies raised this year. 

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The Banyan Tree Tuition Groups continue to provide education and encourage young people in Kerela to reach their academic potential and finally give better career opportunities to their students.

Even through the covid world-wide pandemic both ends, at home and in India have flourished. Here in Strathaven despite the effects of the Covid pandemic we have continued to support these groups and in Kerela where the effects are much greater tuition has been able to continue although to a lesser degree.

HHI helps with the recruitment and pays the salaries of the teachers and at the start of the school year, provides the funds for the students to be given school supplies including notebooks, pencils, pens and other learning aids.

In India many classes have been replaced by peripatetic teachers providing tuition. Here in Stra’ven it has been amazing the various ways in which our  supporters have continued to donate to the Banyan Tree Tuition Groups –  by post, with an envelope through Ian Gow’s letter box, by personal messenger to his house or meeting him in the street, 

In 2020 a total of £2,168 was raised and the total to the end of October in 2021 is £2,694. With the addition of the monies reclaimed from Gift Aid (25% of these totals) we are on target to being able to provide the support for three tuition groups in the coming year thanks to the generosity of many of our Strathaven supporters and to the efforts of Ian Gow. 

 Many thanks to all our local supporters who continue to make donations and help keep the Banyan Tree Tuition Groups operational and  providing educational support to many deprived young folk in south India.

One of the main projects supported at present in Kerala by Health help International is the Happy Valley Special Needs School in Nedumangad.  The present school building provides the base for the Banyan Trees operations in Kerala and from here Philip Mathew, successor to Tom Sutherland is spearheading HHI’s activities in southern India.

Philip and his team of ten staff at the school care for upwards of thirty handicapped children and young men and woman suffering from a variety of life limiting physical and medical disabilities.

These young people are brought to the school each morning and returned home later in the day using two people carriers with each of them usually having to make two journeys each time.

One of them is nearing the end of its useful life and is falling apart due to the dreadful state of the roads in Kerala. Without these means of transport these young people would be unable to receive the education and treatment which Philip and his team provide for them. 

SFHHI has already raised or had commitments for a large part of the £16,000 needed to buy the bus but due to the lockdown and present restrictions some of our fund-raising plans have had to be shelved meantime.

The annual Round Strathaven 50 Charity Cycling event has been a generous supporter of Health Help International in recent years having donated a total of nearly £40,000 to the Charity to date

With this year’s usual event having to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus restrictions the members of the RS50 committee were determined to continue it in some form or other and raise money for its selected Charities.

A ‘virtual’ RS50 was promoted to its regular cyclists, asking them to undertake a cycle run of up to 50 miles during the week leading up to the planned date of 23^rd August not necessarily over the usual route but wherever it was most convenient to them and to make a donation on Just Giving to be shared between this year’s two selected Charities, the Kilbryde Hospice in East Kilbride and HHI, specifically to go towards its New Bus Fund (see under Events) This proved to be most successful and the cyclists’ donations have contributed a total of over £2,100 to each of the Charities.

In addition to the above, Iain Park, joint founder of the RS50 and participant in the first RS50 in 2002, now aged 83, offered to try to complete the challenging 50 mile route on the 23^rd and raise money for the HHI Bus Fund by sponsorship. 

Thanks to having been able to train regularly during the four months of lockdown he was able to complete the course successfully, encouraged along the way by other members of the RS50 committee. He raised the excellent sum of £5,370 from a large number of generous sponsors which with the addition of about £1,200 from Gift Aid recovery will add a further £6,570 to the Bus Fund.

Iain and the other members of the Strathaven Friends of HHI committee wish to thank all who sponsored him for their marvellous support.