Finally, it was great to see that a good number of the young men living with dignity and semi-independence in Casa Chris, the transition house built in partnership with College, are now working in and around Bradet. It is hard to know and to measure the extent to which this trip transforms the lives of those that make it, but change and inspire us it does. For example, many Cheltonians have been inspired to take up medicine whilst others have worked in challenging places such as Dafur and remote areas of Pakistan. Ten years ago Henry Smith (2000‑2005, S) and James Holmes (2000‑2005, NH) cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats raising £2,000 to buy 20 BMX bikes, all of which are still going strong. Inspired and moved by their visit in 2012, Amy Foulkes (U6, Q) and James White (U6, Xt) cycled from Berlin to Florence in 2013, raising over £2,000 for Bradet and Mercy Ships. Who knows what the cohort of 2014 will be inspired to do? But of course it is not just actions that the trip inspires but perhaps more importantly it also transforms attitudes: people with special needs are no longer strange and ostracized from us but become known, respected and loved in their own right.
Gogar Primary School, Kenya
Despite the bitter disappointment of having to cancel the Lower Sixth expedition to Gogar in October 2013 because of security concerns, College’s commitment and connection to Gogar has held firm. In October, Miss Emily Hartley, Mr Henry Davies and Mr Karl Cook travelled to Kenya (without the students) to visit the school and catch up on developments. On the grand tour of the complex they saw the four schools, Gogar Primary School, Vanessa Grant Special Needs School, the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School and the Vanessa Grant Vocational Training School, in good sprits and working order. They were pleased to see the recent donations of desks and the paving of the schoolyard nearing completion. The relationship with Gogar and its sister schools is of great value and importance to College: across the four schools there is a great deal of potential for College pupils’ involvement – either in the form of a Gap Year posting or as a fund-raising opportunity. For further information about volunteering at, or fund-raising for, Gogar, please contact Mr Karl Cook: K.Cook@cheltenhamcollege.org
Miss Jane Brodigan
Kenya Trip, October 2013 Following Cheltenham College’s difficult decision to cancel the students’ trip to Kenya because of security concerns, reduced-priced air tickets were offered, enabling seven people to travel to Kenya.
Mr Chris Donnan of International Teams UK accompanied a man working with disabled people in Kenya. They also spent time visiting a project working with children and poor families in Molo (about three hours north of Nairobi) that he and his wife had set up while they were living there between 2002 and 2012. The Molo Street Children Project works with children as young as 18 months old, along with 190 in primary and secondary schools, and supports eight students at Kenyan universities who have come through the project. More information can be found at www.molostreetchildren.org.uk.
COLLEGE COMMUNITY
manager of Bradet, Mr Adrian Diac and his team, College donated nearly £2,000 of tools and DIY equipment. Mr Davies, Mr Rouan and ex-parent and long-term supporter Mr Graham Dunn did a fine job repairing the much-loved and used BMX bikes with spare parts bought with funds raised from the Variety Show 2013. In addition, those and existing funds paid for 95 new and much-needed mattresses for the children. Whilst at Bradet, it was impressive to see a large therapy centre has been built with French donors, which will mean that children from Bradet and the wider region will benefit from a range of physiotherapy, speech therapy, and hydrotherapy.
The other five tickets were taken by a Kenyan family who had been unable to afford to go to Kenya to visit relatives in Nairobi and show off their new grandson.
Mrs Christine Leighton, with information supplied by Mr Chris Donnan
Perhaps one of the best ways to convey the experience is through the words of the pupils and their parents:
“The most important week of my life!” Rosie Pratt (5th, A)
“It was an experience that I will never forget. Despite it being just under two weeks I still feel as touched and as moved as I did when we left Bradet for the last time. Not a day has gone by since where I haven’t looked around me and thought how lucky I am. I have really been inspired. Thank you.” Thomas Bond (5th, NH) “When I spoke to my daughter, it appeared to be a truly deep experience – beyond words indeed.” “The best week of my life.” Georgina Hacker (5th, Ch) In the coming year, 2014‑2015, College will continue to fund-raise to equip a multisensory therapy room for the children with most acute special needs, to continue the dental programme and to support the ongoing maintenance of the facilities and environment. If you would like to donate or to find out more about the partnership, please do not hesitate to contact me via email: j.brodigan@cheltenhamcollege.org
Miss Jane Brodigan
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