Special Projects
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"make dreams real" - School 4 All in Africa
Rotary Mission Challenge - Sierra Leone "making a real difference"
MAKE DREAMS REAL – SCHOOL 4 ALL IN AFRICA
Background
Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) has successfully invested in, and is continuing to manage, the provision of improved education for disabled children in Kenya.
Challenge
Rotarians to raise funds for LCD to utilise that experience to materially increase the availability and quality of access for disabled children to education within schools in Uganda.
Method
Most people with children (or grandchildren) will surely have watched Toy Story and will recall Buzz Lightyear’s rallying call ‘To infinity and beyond’. Well, the intention is a mite less fantasy but nevertheless demanding. Walkers and cyclists who travel from Lands End to John O’Groats are known as ‘End to Enders’. In a modified version of Buzz’s words, we are aiming to go ‘To the Ends and beyond’ or, per Captain Kirk, ‘To go where no man (or woman) has gone before’ (we think). That is a sponsored trans-British Isles expedition from south to north without using any motorised or non-human powered form of transport.
Route
From the Scilly Isles to the Shetland Islands (see attached itinerary below).
Mode of Transport
Kayak, bicycle and foot.
Andrew getting into training
Timing
Late May 2009.
Team
Rtn. Andrew Fairbairn of the Rotary Club of Banbury plans to complete the entire route with back up support from his own Club. LCD will help to promote the event through television and radio and locally at Leonard Cheshire Homes that are visited en-route. However, Rotarians and their Clubs would be welcome to take part and assist through any of the following:
- Increasing the prominence of the event by joining in on any of the mainland legs from Lands End to John O’Groats (preferably raising sponsorship);
- Rotarians meeting the team on the day that the expedition passes through your locality and obtaining local press coverage;
- Providing help with overnight accommodation (no paid accommodation will be used); and
- Inviting Rtn. Andrew Fairbairn to come and speak to your Club either before or after the event and arranging invitations for presentations to other organisations after it has been completed.
More Information
Can be obtained about the Leonard Cheshire Disability School 4 All in Africa Project from www.lcdisability.org/school4allinafrica or by e-mail at andrew@fairbairnwild.com.
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/andrewfairbairn or by cheques to:
The Rotary Club of Banbury
c/o Rtn. Andrew Fairbairn
Orchard Clare
Overthorpe
Banbury
Oxon
OX17 2AF
with a note stating that the donation is for the School 4 All in Africa Project.
To download a Gift Aid form to increase the value of your donation Click here
To download a sponsorship form Click here
Itinerary (to commence on 1st June 2009 or as soon as possible thereafter depending upon sea conditions).
(Stops at Leonard Cheshire Disability Homes shown in red)
(Rotary Clubs shown in blue)
| DATE | START | FINISH | PLACES en-route | MILEAGE | TRAVEL | |
| 1st June | Scilly Isles | Lands End (Sennen Cove) | Isles of Scilly, Penzance | 27 | 27 | Kayak |
| 4th June | Lands End | Tavistock LCD | Penzance LCD, Mounts Bay, Hayle, Cambourne, Redruth, Liskeard & Looe, Callington, Tavistock | 85 | 112 | Cycle |
| 5th June | Tavistock LCD | Taunton LCD | Okehampton, Credition Boniface, Credition, Exeter LCD, Tiverton, Exe Valley, Wellington, Taunton Vale, Taunton | 78 | 190 | Cycle |
| 6th June | Taunton LCD | Cheltenham LCD | Sedgemoor, Bridgwater, Axbridge LCD, Yatton, Bristol, Bristol South, Bristol LCD, Thornbury, Dyrsley, Gloucester | 77 | 267 | Cycle |
| 7th June | Cheltenham (LCD) | Leamington Spa (LCD) | Cheltenham LCD, Cheltenham North, Cotswold, Chipping Norton, Banbury, Banbury Cherwell, Banbury LCD, Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa Regency, Royal Leamington Spa | 76 | 343 | Cycle |
| 8th June | Leamington Spa (LCD) | Edale | Kenilworth, Coleshill, Tamworth, Tamworth Anker, Lichfield, Lichfield St Chad, Uttoxeter, Ashbourne, Buxton | 93 | 436 | Cycle |
| 9th June | Edale | Crowden | Glossop, Holmfirth, Littleborough LCD | 16 | 452 | Foot |
| 10th June | Crowden | Hebden Bridge | Todmorton | 26 | 478 | Foot |
| 11th June | Hebden Bridge | Thornton in Craven | Hawthorn & Worth Valley | 22 | 500 | Foot |
| 12th June | Thornton in Craven | Hornton in Ribblesdale | Skipton, Settle | 25 | 525 | Foot |
| 13th June | Hornton in Ribbledale | Hawes | Kendal, Kendal South Westmorland | 14 | 539 | Foot |
| 14th June | Hawes | Carlisle (10 miles north) | Kendall (LCD), Windermere, Windermere LCD, Penrith, Carlisle Castle, Carlisle | 90 | 629 | Cycle |
| 15th June | Carlisle (10 miles north) | Milngavie | Lockerbie & District, Biggar, Lanark, Motherwll & Wishaw, Blantrye, Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Glasgow, Glasgow LCD, Clydebank | 95 | 724 | Cycle |
| 16th June | Milngavie | Balmaha | Carbeth, Dryman | 20 | 744 | Foot |
| 17th June | Balmaha | Inverarnan | Rowardennan, Inversnaid | 21 | 765 | Foot |
| 18th June | Inverarnan | Bridge of Orchy | Oban, Crianlarich, Tyndrum | 19 | 784 | Foot |
| 19th June | Bridge of Orchy | Kinlochleven | Kingshouse | 21 | 805 | Foot |
| 20th June | Kinlochleven | Fort William | Lochaber | 14 | 819 | Foot |
| 21st June | Fort William | Alness | Spean Bridge Invergarry, Fort Augustus, Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness Inverness LCD, Inverness Culloden, Inverness, Dingwall, Tore, Findon Mains | 87 | 906 | Cycle |
| 22nd June | Alness | John O’Groats | Ballchraggan, Tain, Clashmore, East Sutherland | 97 | 1003 | Cycle |
| 23rd June | John O’Groats | Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) | Wick, Scapa Flow | 24 | 1027 | Kayak |
| 24th June | Kirkwall | Newark – (Nth Ronaldsay) | Orkney | 28 | 1055 | Kayak |
| 25th June | Newark | Fair Isle | 25 | 1080 | Kayak | |
| 26th June | Fair Isle | Sumburgh (Shetlands) | 25 | 1105 | Kayak | |
| 27th June | Sumburgh | Muckle Flugga lighthouse | Shetland, Lerwick | 75 | 1180 | Cycle Kayak |
The route passes through, or close by, the following Rotary Districts: 1290, 1170, 1200, 1100, 1090, 1060, 1210, 1220, 1050, 1270, 1280, 1040, 1190, 1020, 1230 and 1010.
ROTARY MISSION CHALLENGE
SIERRA LEONE
“making a real difference”
In May 2005 I heard about Rotary Mission Challenge which gave Rotarians the chance to volunteer for a charity called Mercy Ships at the Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Clinic in Aberdeen a suburb of Freetown.
In October 2005 I spent 11 days as a labourer building a 25 bed hostel for long term patients at the clinic Clinic.
In May 2006 I returned for the opening of the Hostel of Hope, funded at a cost of £100,000 by Rotarians
and worked for 11 days building a covered community market for the people of the Aberdeen community.
When I visited Christian Hope Primary School in May 2006 the upper juniors were being taught under the trees as they had no classroom.
My Rotary team donated £700 to start building a classroom and with a further £800 from Banbury Rotary Club the room was completed by January 2007.
Banbury Rotary Club have now adopted “Christian Hope” as a Club project which means personal donations are now eligible for Gift Aid thus boosting the fund raising.
In January 2007, having twinned Christian Hope with Bishop Carpenter School, North Newington (my local junior school), I visited again and gave a personal undertaking to fund the building of a 6 classroom extension, as the school has children on it’s waiting list.
I give regular updates to Bishop Carpenter, who have fund raised and collected unwanted items of school uniform as the 2 schools have a very similar colour and style uniform. We have also sent out a donated football strip.
I went back to Freetown in June and October 2007, again working at The Aberdeen Fistula Clinic, and Rotary teams paid for the construction of 2 underground water storage tanks and took part and funded several other small building projects.
I am also supporting the Salem Methodist Church Community in Aberdeen and the Susu shanty Community taking clothing and general items such as stationary and toiletries as well as sponsoring Mohammed an 18 year old from Susu shanty for a year’s education.
Banbury Rotary Club donated £5,000 to the project in November 2008 which has really fast tracked the building programme - I am so grateful to them for this fantastic support.
I have just returned from Freetown (my sixth trip) and during the visit held the “official” opening ceremony of the 6 classroom extension. There are still a few finishing touches to be completed but 95% of the work had been done when we left on June 1st.
£43,750 has been sent to the project so far and I have funding/pledges for another £1,750 which will pay for the completion of this stage of the project. There is the potential to convert the basement area into an open plan meeting room/assembly area and I am awaiting costings for this.
During this trip I visited several new shanty areas and have looked at 2 potential school projects which are in need of support and this could be a new focus for me.
I would like to thank the dozens of organisations and hundreds of individuals who have helped me throughout this project – I couldn’t have done it without your support.
If you would like me to do a Powerpoint presentation, you feel you are able to help in any way or if you require any further information contact me as detailed below.
Every £££££ goes directly to the project.
Please try and help me to continue to
“make a real difference”
Rotary - “Make Dreams Real”
Cheques to: Banbury Rotary Club
Further information:
Alan Wolstencroft
39 Danvers Close
Broughton
Banbury
OX15 5DX
Tel: H: 01295-250598 B: 01295-266728
E-mail: alanwooly@msn.com
To download a Gift Aid form to increase the value of your donation Click here