lepra.org.uk

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95 years of working to beat leprosy Mr. Harjinder (Harry) Singh Gill I was born in Kenya of Sikh parents and the Sikh faith states that giving ten percent of one’s income to those in need is paramount. In 1962, my parents sent me to England for my education, and I lived in the Wimbledon YMCA. One Sunday the general secretary of the YMCA brought a speaker from Lepra to give a talk about their work. I was only 18, but that talk changed my life. That evening I

decided that whenever I had a steady income, I’d give ten percent of my income to Lepra.

Nicky Barton - My involvement with Lepra goes back to 1971 when my husband Rex was a Junior Doctor in the ENT department at St Mary’s Paddington. The Medical Research Council was seeking nasal biopsy specimens from

patients with lepromatous leprosy and with sponsorship from Lepra, Rex was able to travel to Victoria Hospital in Dichpalli, India.

I have set up a non-profit organisation called The Leprosy Association of Guru Nanak, Inc., in Santa Monica, California, where I now live. I have decided to contribute all the profits from my books, such as Hollywood Pioneer: The Life and Time of Hal Roach and Applied Calculus for Economics, to Lepra.

The purpose of his work was to clarify how leprosy spread in order to improve treatment Harriet Ireland - I am currently a student at the University of Edinburgh. I first heard about Lepra at a business charity event in London last summer and have since become a student representative, helping to promote all of the amazing work Lepra does at universities across the UK.

Harriet Ireland

Mr. Harjinder (Harry) Singh Gill

options. As a family we soon became involved with fundraising activities, starting in 1974 with our son Tom fundraising outside our local Sainsbury’s in West London! Other events followed which often involved Rex giving talks about the work of Lepra. I was inspired by the idea that we have the power to change the lives of people for the better. Lepra’s work raising awareness of leprosy with education initiatives, and also the fact that together we have the power to eradicate the disease completely, inspired me to support Lepra.

Voyages to Antiquity Victoria Hislop, best-selling novelist of The Island and ambassador for Lepra gave a presentation to the passengers aboard The Voyages to Antiquity cruise in mid-April, including discussing her visit to India and what inspired her to become an ambassador for Lepra. The cruise incorporated a trip to the island of Spinalonga, where Victoria based her novel The Island.

Victoria Hislop

We are delighted that Victoria was able to engage with those on board the voyage to continue to raise awareness about leprosy. Our thanks goes to Voyages to Antiquity who supported Lepra by allowing us to showcase our work.