Newsletter-38
Newsletter No 37
Newsletter No 36
HHI Bridge Drive
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.
SFHHI at Strathaven Gala 2022
The SFHHI committee supported the Strathaven Gala Day and at the same time promoted Health Help International with their stall in the Public Park where they displayed the Painted Leaf Cards and other items on sale on behalf of the Charity.
Despite rather inclement weather and with committee numbers reduced to four these stalwarts managed to attract a good number of visitors to their tent and with excellent sales talk raised just over £100 for HHI.
A free prize draw for a basket of ‘Taylor made’ biscuits, generously donated by Willie Cooper helped to generate interest. The draw for the prize was made by Gala Day Chairman Colin Dempster who also presented it to the winner Marion Law.
Love Letters Down Under
This is the title of the latest book produced by Iain Park
This unique correspondence was from Barbara Hamilton to her future husband, Andrew Dykes, during the years of World War I.
Andrew, a member of a farming family whose farm was near Strathaven, in the Parish of Avondale, South Lanarkshire, had emigrated to New Zealand in 1909 to establish himself as a farmer in the south of South Island. Barbara, also from a local Avondale farming family, was unable to follow him as planned because of the war but they became engaged by post in 1916. She wrote to him faithfully throughout the war years until she was able to sail out to join him in 1919.
Barbara, who had trained as a schoolteacher, combined her duties teaching at Strathaven Academy, two miles away, with the hard manual work of the farm but also was able to enjoy the hectic social life of the farming community that continued despite the war.
Her letters give a fascinating insight into her busy life and the effects of the war on the town and farming community as she recounts the growing number of friends and family members injured or killed during the hostilities.
The book is available to purchase via the shop
Strathaven Friends of HHI support for the Banyan Tree Tuition Group
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.
Newsletter 35
New Buses for the Special Needs School in Kerala
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.
