Newsletter_May 2007

Welcome to Char’s Fund third newsletter.

Char’s Fund supports 10 children aged between 12 and 17 (mostly girls) on long term educational bursaries at Muang Phuket School and Phuket College in southern Thailand. May marks the end of first year of this scheme and £3600 of the £44,175 raised so far has now gone directly to these children to help them continue their education. As funds have continued to grow, we hope shortly to be able to bring more children into the scheme.

 

Easter visit to Muang Phuket School, Thailand
Liz, Vicki and Alan travelled to Thailand over Easter 2007 to meet the young people for the first time and what a wonderful experience this was. Garry Haplin (from Raya Divers) had organised lunch outside at a lovely restaurant overlooking Chalong Bay, Phuket and we spent some time getting to know the children. Our Thai was non-existent and the children’s English hesitant so we had to rely on Garry to translate as well as the
three teachers that came along too. The children (like us) were a bit nervous at first but the setting helped to make us all much more relaxed fairly quickly. The lunch was fantastic and the children seemed to enjoy all being together. The teachers said that we probably had no idea what a difference the scholarships were making to the children’s lives and that it might be a good idea next time to meet some of the parents.

When told we would be back sometime in 2008, the young people said that was such a long time in the future!.... The BBC had loaned Alan a video camera for the trip and a short piece was shown on BBC South Today news on their return, with pictures of meeting the children, as well as of Siam Bay and Char’s statue.

 

Reading Half Marathon
Sponsorship funds raised for the Reading Half Marathon in March reached an amazing £7500 and a huge thanks to all those who so generously contributed. Three of us ran the race and the weather was much kinder this year. The Windsor Half Marathon is on the 30th September and is our next fundraising run. Already four of us have enrolled. We would again be so very grateful for your sponsorship. But if folk would just rather make a regular donation through a direct debit as A Friend of Char’s Fund, please let any of the Trustees know.

 

Onionfest 2007
This year’s music festival in memory of Char (one of her most favourite things!) and put on entirely by Char’s friends is looking bigger and better. Organised for Saturday 28th July and featuring all kinds of bands from all over the place playing for free, it will be held on a farm near Midhurst (just off the A272) from 11.00 am to 11.00 pm. Have a look at www.myspace.com/onionfestival and any interest may be registered by
emailing onionfestival@googlemail.com Tickets are now available for a donation to the Fund of at least £10.

 

More thoughts on longer term plans
The Trustees of Char’s Fund continue to have dreams. Although Char was born in Leeds and with her early childhood spent in Oxfordshire, much of Char’s schooling was spent in Hampshire where she developed a real taste for adventurous activities. She completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s silver award and climbed Mount Kilimanjaroo
with her school at the age of 14. And before going to Bristol University, she travelled around Indonesia and there learnt to bungi jump…. With your continued generosity we would also like eventually perhaps to support young disadvantaged children in the UK in developing a taste for adventure through schemes like the DoE & Raleigh and thus hopefully improve their self esteem and ambition. This again
would be all about making a real difference to young lives and building a living memorial to Char closer to home.

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