Sky Diving for Char's Fund
On Saturday April 18th, after nervously hanging around for most of the day because of the fog, Becky, Sarah and Claire successfully completed their sponsored skydiving jump and in the process raised a magnificent £530 for the charity.
Ready to go
Left to right are Becky, Sarah and Clare
This is what Claire had to say about her adventure: "I had a great time doing my skydive and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I'm really pleased that I managed to raise some money for a really worthwhile cause".
And Becky added: "I was very nervous in the morning but after the training we were pumped up and couldn't wait to throw ourselves out of a plane! It was an awesome experience and something that everyone should do! It was quite scary looking out of the door of the plane at 10,000ft and the free fall at 120mph was such an amazing rush and then I got to steer the parachute. I was shaking with adrenaline afterwards. If it's something you'd want to do, then you have to do it!.....We'll definitely be doing it again, soon!
For links to the video rides, please see
http://www.watchmyskydive.com/rebeccabate
http://www.watchmyskydive.com/sarahtubbs
http://www.watchmyskydive.com/claremartin
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2009 Reading Half Marathon
Early on Sunday 29th March, Vicki, Alan, Ben and Kate joined around another 18,000 runners for the annual 13.1 miles run around Reading.
Cool but sunny, they all completed the race and early indications are that they will have raised over £5,000 for the charity.
We would like to thank all our magnificent sponsors so very much. Ben came in first with an amazing time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, Kate came into the Madejski stadium with a time of 2:12 and closely followed by Vicki at 2:18. Alan was a bit further behind at 2:40 .
The full team gets ready.
Left to right are Becky, Sarah and Clare
Minutes to go
Oh the joy to finish!
Some time later, chez Petersfield...
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Spring 2009 Trustee's Meeting
On Saturday 28th March, the Trustees of Char's Fund met for their Spring gathering.
Picture left to right are
Danielle, Alan, Liz, Vicki, Pee and Becky.
Neville was unable to attend.
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Thailand 2008
Christmas 2008 saw Liz, Vicki & Alan returning to Thailand to meet the students that Char’s Fund supports and also to return to the island of Ko Racha Yai. The exciting news from the students is that two of the girls are considering University in 2009 and we have assured them that their bursaries will continue (including their tuition fees). On Boxing Day 2008, Char was honoured and remembered by two simple water ceremonies.
Char's Students, Chalong Bay, December 19th 2008.
The girls enjoy....
Siam Bay, December 26th 2008.
Thailand 2008 – in words.Click Here<
Thailand 2008 – in pictures.Click Here<
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A wonderful donation to the Fund
On the 13th December 2008, in celebration of Maggie & Stuart Holden’s 40th Wedding Anniversary, sixty of their friends and family including Alan and Liz (who, as usual, were the last to arrive!) gathered for lunch at the Hotel du Vin in Henley.
Stuart and Alan shared a flat together whilst at Brunel University and became firm friends (despite the York/Lancs divide!) during the ‘hedonistic’ 1960s! Alan, therefore, was the obvious choice to be Best Man at Maggie & Stuart’s wedding. The friendship with Alan and Liz has remained strong over the past 40 years.
Maggie is at the back (second from the left, next
to Liz) as is Stuart (second from the right, next
to Alan)
Maggie, Stuart and their daughters, Becky and Caroline, knew Charlotte from birth. Because of this, and the timing of the celebration, it seemed completely appropriate to ask the guests to make a donation to Char’s Fund in place of any gift they may have bought for Maggie & Stuart.
The family and friends responded magnificently with a resulting total of approximately £1140 donated. Maggie & Stuart have been overwhelmed by such generosity and are sure the money will be well used as a fitting tribute to Charlotte.
Thank you so much everyone!
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Running for Char
Great South Run, Portsmouth. October 2008
10 miles isn't far for some but for two of the most un-athletic people you are likely to meet, it was a challenge!
Having completed the race course in under 2 hours, we are proud of what we achieved but most of all we feel privileged to have known Char, someone who in life and in death inspires her family and friends to push the boundaries.
It was poignant for us to cross the finishing line in a city where we had so many memories of Char - silly memories really - cinema trips with boyfriends in our early teenage years, tacky night clubs, catching the ferry over to the Isle of Wight or girlie shopping trips!
We did the race for Char and she definitely kept us going at the most difficult points. We hope that we can all continue to take on new and exciting challenges just like Char did. Thank you to everyone who sponsored us and cheered us on in the pouring rain - together we have raised over £1,000 for Char's Fund!
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Onion Fest 2008
The big fundraising event over the summer was the fourth annual music festival, a celebration of Char’s life and staged so very expertly by all her friends.
Read more about the the festival here <
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Our Work In Thailand
Three New Children
Tanapol Sittipoljareon (Mai)
Was born on the 24th December 2533 (1990), the year of the horse, and he
is now sixteen.
He writes, ‘I like playing football and table tennis and my favourite
food is fried rice with eggs and krapraw (herbs)
I would like to be a doctor when I qualify in order to help human beings
who are sick or injured.
At present I am living with a friend at 70/9, Muang Phuket Lane and am in
secondary year 4 at Muang Phuket School..
My father is Mr Somboon Sittijareon, a builder and my mother is Mrs Juraiporn
Panurai. She works for the Electricity Board.
I don’t have my own family as my parents are divorced. I live with
my friend and I don’t have much money to live on. That’s why
I applied for help from Char’s Fund. It is making me much happier
now as I am not a burden to my friend’s parents. I can now afford
to go to school and pay for books, food and transport. Thanks so much.
I love Char’s Fund.’
Narapong Nogsunteer (Boom)
He was born on 6th June 2535 (1992) at Maharat Hospital, Nakornrachasima
and is now fifteen years old. His address is 185/10 Mu 2, Wiset Road, Thumbol
Rawai, Aumpur Muang, Phuket.
He writes, ’I am the second child of two and my brother is at college
in Sagaw Province. My favourite subfects are English, Maths and Science
and I would like to be a psychologist one day. My father, Som Nogsunteer,
is a soldier and my mother, Mrs Oranooj, is a labourer. Since their divorce
I live with my mother and she only earns 4,500 Baht per month, which is
not enough to pay the rent and my school fees.
Char’s Fund will be a great help to my mother and she will be able
to afford my bus fare to school, the cost of school activities, books etc.
Char’s Fund has been a great encouragement to me and I now look forward
to being educated and facing the future. I really appreciated it.
My favourite saying is, ‘Stop the past; start the future.’’
Tonnagrit Siripangawong (Boy)
Was born on 20th January 2535 (1992) and is now fifteen.
He writes, ‘I live at 70/9 Mu 5, Muang Phuket Lane, Wiset Road, Thumbol
Rawai, Aumpur Muang, Phuket Province 83130.
Father, Mr Teerasit Siripanyawong, is an air conditioning mechanic, earning
only 6,000 – 8,000 Baht a month and mother, Mrs Somsri, is a housewife.
He writes, ‘I am in year 4 at Muang Phuket School and I have a younger
sister, who is in year 1 at the same school. We used to receive 40 Baht
as pocket money each day but this was reduced to 30 Baht. Then we have a
friend who lives with us because his parents are separated; his mother lives
in Surathani and his father in Phuket town. So there are five of us in the
family, which is why I decided to apply for help from Char’s Fund.
Now we are much happier as we can buy school uniforms, books, pens, pencils,
rulers, etc.
The three of us have much more money and we are very, very grateful to Char’s
Fund.’
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Alan, Liz and Vicky were in Thailand over Easter 2007 and met the children for the first time. They say it was a most uplifting experience. And the teachers they also met said that probably folk had no real idea on what a huge difference the scholarships were making to the children's lives.
Monies raised for the Fund have now reached £58,865 of which some £5845 has already gone directly to Muang Phuket School in Thailand to support 13 children there aged between 12 and 17 (mostly girls) on long term educational bursaries. We have received individual letters from each of the children (in Thai) and this is what 16 year-old Kachornsri Tannucroh had to say: "I deeply appreciate the scholarship you have given me and I will use it to my utmost to improve my education". Kachornsri comes from a broken family and lives with her sister in rented accommodation. She has now moved on from the School and has to support herself at Phuket College where she is on a Business Studies course.
We have replied to each child (in English!) to let them to know more about Char and where she came from and what she was doing in Thailand.
