Category: Events

SFHHI’s  2023 annual Bridge Drive took place in a different venue this year. Following the successful Cafe Bridge Day held earlier in the year an alternative less active event offering an afternoon of ‘fun bridge’ was held in the Strathaven Golf Clubhouse on Tuesday 16^th November

It was well supported with sixty players from The Strathaven and Hamilton Bridge Clubs taking part. The support of the Hamilton members was particularly appreciated by the SFHHI committee. An excellent sandwich lunch was provided by the Golf Club prior to play.

The successful winner of the bridge was Strathaven Club member Neil Dougan seen being presented with his prize by Kath Russell. The lucky winner of the HHI cake provided by Alexander Taylors was Mrs Sandra Raeburn 

The excellent sum of just over £770 was raised for Health Help International to help its efforts towards the purchase of a new dormitory for disabled children at a school in Zambia. 

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Cafe Bridge Days are relatively new in the UK but such events have been enjoyed on the Continent for a number of years. At these, players move between a number of prearranged venues and play several hands of bridge in each.

SFHHI hosted its first Cafe Bridge Day on Wednesday 7^th June. Six local cafes and restaurants participated each hosting one or two tables and providing lunches half way through the proceedings. Play took place also in Avondale Church which generously allowed us the use of its facilities for the registration of the players and their return at the end of the day for results to be announce and prizes to be awarded. 

Sixty players took part coming from around the country and including a party of twelve  from London. An evening meal at the Drawing Room was arranged for the London party, followed by a programme of Scottish music provided by local singers and musicians.The excellent sum of £2000 was raised for HHI

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One of the main projects supported at present in Kerala by Health help International is the Happy Valley Special Needs School in Nedumangad.  The  school building provides the base for the Banyan Tree’s 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 mental disabilities.

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

They had both reached the end of their useful life and were 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. 

One of the vehicles was replaced earlier in 2021 with monies largely raised by Philip in Kerala but with a contribution of £2,000 from SFHHI 

SFHHI has now been able to provide the sum of £9,000 to enable Philip to purchase a second replacement vehicle, like the first, a 14 seater people carrier. 

These monies were raised by SFHHI from some of its fund raising events but mainly from generous donations received by one or two of our supporters and from the Committee of the Round Strathaven 50 to whom we express our grateful thanks.

The Charity’s regular Supporters Evenings which were held in Newport several times each year had to be discontinued due to the Covid restrictions. An on-line one using Zoom was planned to take place in September 2021 but had to be abandoned on the night due to technical reasons. A great deal of work had gone into preparing for it and Presentations were to be given by the HHI Trustees and a number of the people helped by the Charity in India and Zambia. These presentations are now able to be viewed by following the link below. If you take the time to do so you will be able to see and hear about all the activities which HHI has been able to continue supporting in India and Zambia despite the difficulties imposed on the people there by the Pandemic. The Presentation can be viewed here

With a return to normality towards the end of 2022 a successful ‘face to face’ Supporters Evening was organised by the HHI committee in Newport on Saturday 22^nd October, attended by over forty of the Charity’s Welsh and English supporters. As it was the same evening as the Bridge Drive organised by SFHHI no one from its committee was able to attend but a short power point presentation giving details of Strathaven activities in support of HHI in 2022 was included in the programme.

SFHHI-221022

Strathaven Friends of Health Help International

are asking you to save all your unwanted

OLD CLOTHES, LEATHER ITEMS &

PAIRS OF SHOES (Tied Together), 

SORRY NO DUVETS or PILLOWS

and let us have them

(we’ll collect or you can deliver them to the Metal Container in the Car Park at the rear of Trinity Church Hall off Crawford Street 

The funds we raise using the ‘Ragbag’ charity support organization will be donated to Health Help International’ to help with its work in Zambia and India

Please Help our Effort

To arrange for collection of items 

please telephone 520204, 521059 or 529755