FEBRUARY 2013 VISIT

Posted on February 28, 2013February 28, 2013 by carl

The skies over Southern Sri Lanka were unusually overcast for February, but this was something of a blessing for Matthew and Robert, as their recent trip to the region involved a significant amount of walking and climbing.

We visited nearly all the “Extra Cover” schools, including Watogala (where we saw children enjoying their new playground equipment) and Ella Ihala (where we handed out new school uniforms to all the pupils).

At Navungala we saw, with great relief, the repaired main staircase while we held a lengthy discussion with the principal at Gonalagoda as to how best help Supuni, a girl with a variety of disabilities.

The issue of disability, in fact, became a central plank of our business during the week. At Kottawa Junior School, we saw how there was some (meagre) provision for the disabled children of the district, but learned how the main problem facing them was transport – with no “school bus” to pick them up and drop them off, children with learning and physical disabilities often stayed at home. Together with two school principals, we considered what help Extra Cover might offer these children. Further research is required, not least in ascertain just how many disabled children live in the Extra Cover “corridor” between Galle and Matara, and what needs are most pressing.

The principal of Bemboda School, where we inspected the expanding Extra Cover Montessori School, asked us to visit a Tamil school situated in the heart of a tea plantation. Nearly all the pupils of this school had parents working on the plantation in some capacity or other, and it was agreed that we would pay for some playground equipment (as they had none) and consider supplying the girl and boys with some sports equipment (ditto).
Nakanda School (the “first” Extra Cover school) still hangs on by its fingertips. As there are now only four pupils left, however, it is hard not to foresee its closure in the near future. At nearby Midigama we were very pleased to see the children using the taps and sinks that Extra Cover recently supplied.

No trip to the region is complete without a visit to Nawala; our whistle-stop tour, however, only meant that we had time to discuss a number of logistical issues with the principal Mr Chandrasiri – man of considerable influence in the area and a great supporter of our work. We confirmed with all schools that they were happy to host Brighton College pupils in July, and to a person – including Yatalamatta Junior School, which we visited for just a couple of minutes – they said they couldn’t wait.

We also visited our tea growing families and also visited some homes to research the possibility of ‘Gravity light’. Please see on separate news stories.

All in all it was a fascinating week; less hands-on dealings with children, more practical business, and hugely worthwhile.

Extra Cover tea

Posted on February 28, 2013February 28, 2013 by carl

The Hill Way Tea Factory, close to Pathawelivitiya and its Extra Cover tea plantations, has been closed for renovation, but will open in a few weeks’ time. We had an interesting chat with the manager who is more than happy to work with us in making our own “brand” of tea. Newton is looking into packaging and how one applies for an export licence, but all looks set fair for Extra Cover tea (“E C Tea” perhaps?) being a stocking stuffer this Christmas here in the UK.

We had a look at the piece of land on which a new parent at Pathawelivitiya School wants to grow tea, and it looks ideal … although there is some hefty clearing to be done.

Sunil, one of a our “star” tea growers, showed us some already cleared land on which he would like to plant saplings, and we were delighted to encourage him in his endeavours. Nearly all the small-holdings on which Extra Cover tea is being grown are now showing true potential – several containing row upon row of knee / hip-height bushes. The programme, in short, is coming to fruition and the folks in Pathawelivitiya are literally reaping the rewards of their hard labours.

Gravity light update

Posted on February 27, 2013March 16, 2013 by carl

Martin and Mary Riddiford visited Nawala School on 19th February 2013 where 20% of pupils’ homes have no electricity and kerosene lamps are used for lighting. Extra Cover arranged visits to 3 of these homes, and to meet the families.

Martin is the driving force in developing a real alternative to Kerosene lamps in the developing world.

Martin reported “I brought a GravityLight prototype to Sri Lanka to get first hand feedback and reaction to it as a replacement for kerosene lamps. In particular I wanted to get insights on how & where it might be fitted, the ease of finding suitable material to fill the weight bags, and whether its use pattern would be acceptable.

First we had a demonstration of a typical kerosine lamp, which usually consists of an old medicine bottle, and a metal lid pierced with a hole for the home-made wick made from a strip of cloth. Filling it involved lots of spillage. Lighting it with a match produced a yellow flame, giving the light equivalent of a candle, and a lot of smoke. The well known hazards include the significant danger of it being knocked over and potential lung damage from the smoke.

Typical usage was reported to be 3 kerosine lights, one kept alight throughout the night. This level of usage costs about 500 Rupees per month. This is a significant amount of money for these families.
The GravityLight prototype was set up, hanging from a roof beam, which was easy to get at as it was exposed under the tiles. The beam proved to be plenty strong enough to easily support the weight of the GravityLight. The approximately 10kg weight which powers the light was made up from the plentiful supply of rocks around the house, loaded into the bag.
It was difficult to fully assess the amount of light that the GravityLight generated as it was daytime, but we know that when it is completely dark, even a small amount of light makes a big difference. It was certainly a lot brighter than the kerosine flame. I also demonstrated the ability to add a task light to the GravityLight, which enables a more focussed beam to be used for reading etc.

The weight needs to be lifted every 15 to 30 minutes to recharge the light. Everyone who tried was easily able to lift the weight. The insight gained from how kerosene lamps are used, and a typical house layout has enabled us to firm up our thinking about providing a wired-in lighting system, rather than just an ambient light.
The intention is that the basic, lowest cost GravityLight will have a built in LED light, for general illumination. It has screw terminals which enable a wire to be connected with several additional LED lights along its length for additional ambient lighting, at the end of which is a more powerful light to be used as a task light, which can be hung over a table, or pointed like a torch. Although the light level is still low, it is far better than the kerosene lights it seeks to replace. This should enable the family to do more in the evening – including reading and learning! This set-up should be able to replace the 3 lamps which are currently used. We are researching whether GravityLight can provide a very low level night light too.

Official Gravity Light Video

[flowplayer src=’https://www.extracover.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Gravity-Lightwww.savevid.com_.mp4′ width=640 height=480 splash=’https://www.extracover.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/GL-2.jpg’]

We are planning on completing the design and development by April, and hope to be manufacturing the first trial batch in the summer. We will be gifting units to organisations, including Extra Cover, around the developing world to get feedback from real life use and abuse before committing to full scale production.
Our goal is to make GravityLight as low cost as possible, but still to be robust enough to survive years of use. It is likely cost about the equivalent of 2 to 4 months kerosene usage, depending on how it is distributed. After that, the light is free…”

Gravity Light

Posted on February 27, 2013March 16, 2013 by carl

How can poor inhabitants of the remote Sri Lankan jungle afford to light their homes after dark? Up until now, the only answer has been kerosene lamps – dangerous and quite expensive.

Robert holds a sample of a simple kerosene bottle lamp

Martin Riddiford, a member of the London design company “Therefore”, recently mentioned to Matthew that his company were in the process of developing a “Gravity Light”, a simple creation that uses sack of sand to gradually pull a piece of rope through a dynamo mechanism, generating electricity to power an LED light. Mr Riddiford was due to come to Sri Lanka the following week, and with his imminent arrival and his exciting invention in mind, we visited a number of wattle and daub houses in Nawala village and asked the homeowners what they thought of a sustainable replacement for kerosene. They were all very much in favour, and we now wait to learn of his findings

Official Gravity Light Video

Rewards and Rambutan

Posted on February 27, 2013March 18, 2013 by carl

A report by Robert on the Brighton College visits in 2012

At six o’clock every evening of the four-week trip, I sat down with all the pupils and staff for a drink (most had a Coke or a fresh fruit juice) at the Lucky Tuna on Unawatuna beach.

Every meeting started with the same agenda item – your highlight of the day. Each pupil was asked to come up with the moment of their day, however momentous or comparably insignificant that constituted a true highlight.
Away from parental control, with friends and a nearby beach on a paradisal island, one might have expected highlights to be about surf and sand and silliness. While there were silly things mentioned, most highlights were about their interaction with children that day- about how, when it came down to what really made them rewarded that day, it was their teaching of a child, their playing with a child, their making a child’s life that little bit better.
My goal in leading these two trips out to Sri Lanka was, on reflection, three-fold:

1) To open the mindset of the Lower Sixth pupils to the rewards of charity work, to the recognition of the real world and all its wonders and sadnesses, and to the fact they they, as individuals, could do something to better this world – even at 17.

2) To visit Extra Cover schools and tea plantations, seeing how current programmes and projects were faring, and possibly to find new schools with whom we could enter into partnership (see “Five New Schools?”).

3) To have a richly rewarding time myself

As the bare-bones itinerary makes clear, it was a busy time; and as one would expect there were moments when things didn’t go according to plan (when the bus broke down, when the beach dog scratched Hansy’s leg, when the Sri Lanka teachers had a different agenda etc.) but these were moments when we showed an inner strength.

It was a magical month – the best four consecutive weeks of my life I think. Every day was one of purpose, of fun and of deep reward. The challenge of the logistics, the sorting out of what 18 pupils and three staff were going to do the next day when plans had fallen though at the last moment, the need to be constantly “in loco parentis”, kept me on my toes, and there were times when I longed for a soak in a bath listening to Radio 4, but doing such work made me feel wonderfully alive, and proud to be of service to some of the most beautiful of people I have ever had the privilege to meet.

The rambutan is a fruit a bit like a lychee. It looks a bit like a bright red horse chestnut with soft spikes. You have to work with your thumbs to open the fruit up but when you do you reveal a greyish/ transparent fruit that is sweet beyond belief. Like rambutan, my month away was initially rather daunting to consider (I was already knackered after a grueling final term at College) but after a bit of work hugely rewarding.

As you would expect, the College staff who accompanied both trips were simply spectacular in their devotion to the pupils and the Extra Cover cause.

The Sri Lanka staff – from the mighty Suranga and Darshan our van drivers, to the school teachers, the hotel staff and of course Newton – the man who makes it all happen – were understanding and encouraging in equal measure

Next year? Of course. Changes to be made? None.

Brighton College Visit to Extra Cover Schools

Posted on October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 by carl

Below is a bare bones description of the two trips made to Extra Cover schools this July. See the separate article – “Rewards and Rambutan” – for a more reflective description.

TRIP ONE

On June 30 this year, barely 24 hours after the end of term, eighteen Brighton College pupils and four teachers left Heathrow to spend a fortnight working in the Extra Cover schools of Sri Lanka.
We landed in a rainstorm to be greeted by Newton but by the time the bus dropped us off at our Unawatuna hotel (where Sally and Trevor Andrews were already installed) the sun had appeared behind the clouds. It was an omen, heralding not only a mostly sunny two weeks but also a highlight of many of the pupils’ and staff members’ lives.

Day 1 (Monday)

The first day was spent getting over jet lag and exploring the neighbourhood (teacher Ben Frier led what can only be described as an “adventurous” hike from the Unawatuna temple towards (but not to) the Peace Pagaoda near Galle) while Robert and Sally and Trevor went to Bembada School. Here, one of the classrooms has recently been designated as home to a Montessori School that has move from a site in the village. Amid much jollity and colour Fr Robert dutifully opened the new Bembada Extra Cover Pre-Prep.

Day 2 (Tuesday)

The “working days” of the trip fell into a simple pattern; an early breakfast, followed by everyone piling into two vans (or Newton’s car) and going into the jungle to work. Returning to the hotel mid-afternoon, there was time for some R & R before a 6pm meeting (the “Lucky Tuna” on Unawatuna Beach was more than happy to accommodate 22 people for drinks – and sometimes food – every night) and then supper and bed.
With Tuesday being a “poya day” and the schools closed for the Buddhist observance, we spent our time clearing weeds from a couple of our “tea gardens” at Pathawelivitiya and painting the tables and chairs of the village school. We all sampled the generosity of the school principal Mrs Jayanthi, whose hospitality was unparalleled and whose dhal was simply heavenly.

Day 3 (Wednesday)

The Brighton College pupils were here to work, and all came with lesson plans and ideas, especially to help the Sri Lankan children develop their English. They also were ready to roll up their sleeves and do whatever manual work was required. Today, half the crew started work on redecorating the new Montessori school at Bembada while the other half taught at Nawala School. Lessons were taught both in and outside the classroom, and ranged from anatomy to the royal family, playground games to mathematics.

Day 4 (Thursday)

Yattalamatta School boldly agreed that we could run a day-long English camp, comprising:

• assembly
• lessons taught “horizontally” by year group
• lessons taught “vertically”, with pupils from all grades in the same room. The whole
school was divided into four colours (red, yellow, blue and green).
•“Competition” and prizes

The theme was “Sri Lanka’s Got Talent” and after some age-specific lessons until morning break, the rest of the day was spent preparing and performing a musical piece, a piece of drama and a group “talent” – all in English. The event was extremely well-received by the pupils and staff, and acted as a template for several of the teaching days to come.

Day 5 (Friday)

We taught morning classes at both Bembada and Nawala schools, but then everyone pitched up at Nawala for a lunch for the entire village and a game of cricket. “Team GB” – of course – lost.

Days 6 & 7 (The Weekend)

Sally and Trevor sadly had to move back home to the UK. The Brighton College party moved from Unawatuna to Mirisssa, sightseeing in Galle before travelling to Weligama by train. The sun shone brightly on Sunday and everyone took advantage of the fabulous beach at the Mirissa Palace Hotel.

Day 8 (Monday)

We began a two-day “Changing Rooms” programme, clearing and painting an upstairs activity room at Polwatta School. Other Brighton College pupils spent time in the classrooms, teaching a variety of subjects, and using their new-found skills to make their lessons age-targeted. Day 2 of the transformation took place during Trip 2.

Day 9 (Tuesday)

Robert visited Navungala School earlier in the week (see article on “Five New Schools”) and today the entire Brighton College posse visited this wonderful school to run an English camp, not unlike that at Yatalamatta.

Day 10 (Wednesday)

We had brought a large amount of “Arts and Crafts” related material with us from the UK, and today was spent using those resources to the full as we taught lessons at the 400-pupil Midigama School (where some former Nakanda pupils have migrated). Others got stuck in to more traditional lessons, immersing the Sri Lankan children into the English language while doing so.

Day 11 (Thursday)

Another day, another English Camp, this time at Midigama School. By now all the Brighton College pupils were “old hands” at teaching and the quality of their lessons and interaction with the pupils was truly professional. The day finished with another cricket match. Team GB lost – again.

Days 12 and 13 (Friday and Saturday)

We made our way back up to Colombo, visiting the Madu River Safari, Turtle Hatchery on the way, before spending the evening charging around the city in tuk-tuks going to Odels and the Cricket Club Café for supper. The Chinese pupils flew to Hong Kong early in the morning … while the rest of the company (minus Fr Robert) took off for England at lunch time.

The Changeover

TRIP TWO

In a rather surreal moment, the Trip 1 pupils and staff sitting in the departure lounge at their gate saw the Trip 2 party arrive. Lots of exuberant hand signals and waving! We made our way down to Unawatuna, where the evening meal as cooked by hotel-owner Sassi was stunning.

Day 14 (Sunday)

While Robert celebrated Holy Communion in Galle Fort, the Trip 2 party slept. The day was spent getting over jet-lag and going for a swim in the Indian Ocean.

Day 15 (Monday)

Trip 2 underwent an educational baptism of fire by starting their fortnight with a “Sri Lanka’s Got Talent” English camp at Gonadeniya School. No gentle “warm-up” here. To their credit, the day was a massive success. The schools’ open-air stage was used to full advantage with dances and plays galore.

Day 16 (Tuesday)

From the bustle and mild chaos of Gonadeniya to the comparative quiet of visits to two of the new schools – see “Five New Schools?”. A quarter of the group played at the one-room Watogala, while the rest taught lessons and painted furniture at the larger Ella Ihala. Both schools are very poor, very remote and very exciting to see hosting foreigners.

Day 17 (Wednesday)

The College students went and worked on two different “tea gardens” in Pathawelivitiya. The work was hot and exhausting, but some terrific progress as made and all looks set fait for a first harvest later in the year.

Day 18 (Thursday)

An English Camp (of sorts) was celebrated at Nawala School, at which BC students used all their skills to teach to both Pre-Prep and Grade 11 pupils. The day finished with some netball coaching and the obligatory cricket match – at which (surprise, surprise) Team GB lost.

Day 19 (Friday)

Extra Cover agreed to pay for children from a number of our schools to visit a nearby Tropical Rainforest – a far cry from their own jungle habitat – and Brighton College went along as chaperones. Caves, ancient trees and waterfalls were part of a fascinating long walk in Kenaliya. This was a wonderful outdoor lesson for all involved.

Days 20 & 21 (The Weekend)

As with Trip 1, Brighton College moved from Unawatuna to Mirisssa, sightseeing in Galle before travelling to Weligama by train. Watersports were the order of the day on Sunday – the high waves proving a challenge to “surfers” and casual swimmers alike.

Day 22 (Monday)

A return to Bembada for some to finish off the painting and decorating of the Pre-Prep (now all decked out in pink and blue) while others went a visited a brand new school for all concerned with Extra Cover – namely Gonalegoda – see “Five new Schools?” – where we taught some advanced maths to the older children and played English playground games with the younger ones.

Day 23 (Tuesday)

A sort of consolidation day – most students spent the day in Mirissa, with the morning dedicated to sorting out our plentiful resources and writing lesson plans for the final two days of intense teaching, while others went out to various markets to buy materials, not least paint and posters.

Day 24 – (Wednesday)

Most College students descended upon Polwatta School where they continued on from the sterling work started by Team 1 on Day 7. The transformation was simply breath-taking.
Some six pupils visited three Extra Cover schools, where they handed out “dry rations” and played with the children while Extra Cover business was done.

Day 25 – (Thursday)

Our last teaching day – exclusively at Polwatta – was a “Sri Lanka’s Got Talent” with a twist. Since Polwatta is a comparatively small junior school, we spent the first part of the morning teaching “horizontally”, followed by a quasi “Olympics-cum-English Summer fete”, with events including three-legged races, egg and spoon races, the long jump, and face painting. The day culminated with everyone receiving awards and sweets, and the singing of our respective national anthems.

Day 26 – Friday

Back to Colombo via the Madu River Safari and turtle hatchery for a wonderful final evening out on the tiles.

Day 27 – Saturday

After the best breakfast ever at the Galle Face Hotel, it was off to the airport and the long flight home.

Five New Schools for Extra Cover?

Posted on October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 by carl

During the trip out to Sri Lanka in July 2012, Robert visited five new schools, all of whom are keen to be brought under Extra Cover’s umbrella. The schools are collectively in the Galle to Udugama “corridor” in the Galle District – not far from our existing schools – and all are overseen by hugely caring and thoughtful principals and teachers.

LELWALA

A few miles from the two Yatalamata schools, the school at Lelwala has 150 children from grades 1-11. From the moment you arrive, you sense that this is an industrious school, with an ethos of discipline and mutual respect.
The school has benefited from donations from other charities in the past, most notably HSBC, which provided about 50 beautiful state of the art desks which far outdo anything found at Brighton College.
The problem (there always is a problem!) is that the senior classroom has no window grills, and since it is foolhardy to leave them out in out of school hours, they have to be moved into the (grilled and secure) junior classrooms. Wild animals make a mess in the senior classrooms every night, and the first lesson of the day is manure removal.
The principal has asked us to provide 80 breakfast buns a day for pupils in grades 6-11, who do not receive government food. He says that several of the older children regularly faint in morning assembly because of hunger, that he has a special “fainting” room set aside for them.

NAVUNGALA

Just 3 kilometres from Nawala School – and like Nawala on a severe slope, surrounded by tea – Navungala School caters to some 80 children from grades 1-5. On the second trip in July Brighton College pupils spent a day there and loved every moment of it. Two “structural” concerns were clear to see: 1) the playground equipment is completely broken and unusable, and 2) the principle set of stairs from the lower tier to the upper tier of the school is crumbling so badly that exuberant children keep falling off and badly injuring themselves. Might Extra Cover consider helping to replace both?

WATOGALA

With Ella Ehela school (see below) Watogala must be one the most remote, and certainly poorest schools in the region. 8.5 bumpy kilometres from Kottawa, there are 35 children in grades 1-5, all using a single classroom.
The school has few resources; no playground, insufficient blackboards and furniture, not even a school sign.

ELLA IHALA
A similar size of school to Navungala, Ella Ihala is the easternmost school in the Galle District. It is also one of the poorest. The atmosphere is vibrant and cheerful but like so many other schools currently on Extra Cover’s books, the pupils could benefit from school uniform and shoes, something more to eat every day, classroom furniture, and some new playground equipment.

GONALAGODA

Under a rolling programme, Gonalagoda School is changing from an institution catering to children from grades 1-11, to a “primary” school working exclusively with children in grades 1-5.
Remote, poor and very, very proud, the school is run by a visionary principal who clearly wants every child under his care to thrive academically, and be a proud Sri Lankan national. Mr Andawatta Hemapala would like us to consider providing his charges with a daily breakfast and purchasing “scholarship packs” (including mock papers) for the all-important Grade 5 exams.

Sewing machine for Niluka

Posted on April 28, 2012May 3, 2012 by carl

Niluka Kapuge has just started sending her oldest son to Pathawelivitiya school. As with all the parents there, Extra Cover offered her the chance of developing a new business of growing tea, but unfortunately Niluka and her family do not have their own home. Instead they move from house to house, depending on what is available and what they can afford.

After some discussion, she asked if it was possible for us to supply her with a sewing machine, in order that she could then develop a skill and start working for local companies on a ‘piece rate’ agreement. Matthew and Newton drove to a ‘Singer’ store, purchased a magnificent-looking pedal-powered machine and delivered it to a shocked Kapuge family! Niluka was speechless for a while, but when recovered she promised to make the most of her new machine. We have organised for her to be trained, and when her new baby is old enough (born in Feb 2012), we hope she will be able to produce a decent income for the family.

An interesting coincidence happened. When the England cricket management visited Pathawelivitiya, Richard Halsall (fielding coach) met Niluka and Rishini (who had been born just a few weeks before) and found out hat his own first baby was born on the same day as Rishini. An emotional moment occurred and there may well be a bond there for many years as Richard kindly offered to pay for the sewing machine.

Extra Cover will use this as a test case; it may well be that it worthwhile offering this to other families with little or no income where no land is available for growing tea, but we will wait and see how Niluka gets on.

England Cricket team focus on Extra Cover

Posted on April 5, 2012April 7, 2017 by carl

The English cricket team, recently out in Sri Lanka, took time out to help and support Extra Cover. The squad interrupted their warm-up for the test match against Sri Lanka in Galle to spend an hour or two with some of the country’s poorest children.

Coordinated by Matthew Hansford and Robert Easton, children from the remote Nawala Junior School travelled to Galle Stadium where Sussex County players Matt Prior and Monty Panesar, and the rest of the national team, chatted over tea, signed autographs and competed in a geography quiz conducted by ‘teacher’ Graham Swann. The 30 children were split up into 5 groups and 3 players were assigned to each group to help the children answer Mr Swann’s questions! Andrew Strauss, Stuart Broad, Kevin Peterson, Alastair Cook and all the others seemed to enjoy every minute, interacting through our able interpreters, and using I-Pads, Phones etc. to help the children. The smiles on the children’s faces showed very clearly how much it all meant to them, a once in a lifetime experience.
Matthew said it was a humbling privilege to see all of the England players “mucking about” with children from such desperately poor backgrounds. “This is a fusion of two of my passions,” he said, “cricket and Extra Cover. Every single member of the England squad and management has been amazingly generous.”

Members of the support staff, including team coach Andy Flower and batting coach Graham Gooch, had spent the previous day visiting two of the Extra Cover schools, where they took part in a cricket match using tennis balls on one of the craziest cricket grounds, where the cover boundary was 30 feet up over a cliff edge!! The teams played for the Halsall cup (Richard Halsall is the England fielding coach who kindly made these days possible) They were then treated to a wonderful lunch and then visited some to the families who are growing tea, funded by Extra Cover.

“Both the children and the touring squad were winners” Robert said. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for pupils, and a positive opportunity for the players and their staff to focus briefly on something different, important and really rather wonderful.”

FEED 400 CHILDREN FOR £40

Posted on February 8, 2012April 18, 2012 by carl

Every school day about 400 children receive a meal from Extra Cover. The total cost of this is a mere £40.

At all 8 of the schools that Extra Cover support a good proportion of the children have far less nourishing food than they need, all the children come from very poor families many who struggle to put even one meal a day in front of them . In the past we have witnessed children fainting in morning assembly, simply because they have had too little food. We decided this was intolerable and now help supply a small meal to every child, every school day of the year. The energy levels and ability to concentrate has certainly improved recently as we witness both studious classes and then energetic and often noisy break times when children are seen having a great time.

How you can help feed 400 children for £40

It is incredible that £40, not far off the price of one meal we often pay when going out, will feed 400 children! We are hoping to get you to sponsor a day or 2. As of February 1st we have already had 100 people sign up, often taking a date as a gift to friends and family. We hope that we will fill every day of the year to support these wonderful children.

Please contact matthew@extracover.org.uk if you would like to sponsor a day or would like more information. You can either send a cheque to the address on the contacts page (please fill in the gift aid page that can be printed from our Home page) or hit the ‘Donate Now’ button below.