What a heroine!

 

We are delighted to be able to share with you the photograph, below.  It is of Yodit, a Year 6 pupil at Derwentwater Primary School, in Acton.  She went on a sponsored silence, for a day, for the benefit of Sohm Schools Support, and her friends in the Gambian village.

Well done, and enormous thanks to you, Yodit.  You are an inspiration to us all; not the least your friends at both Derwentwater and Sohm Lower Basic Schools. All the very best to you in your new school, in September.

As a result of your efforts, we will be able to get an additional £5 from the British government.  That £20 will mean a new set of exercise books, for every one of the Year 6 equivalent pupils in Sohm, as the new school year starts in September.

Yodit, Year 6 pupil at Derwentwater School, Acton raises funds for Sohm via a sponsored silence!

Video hit

 

We hope you have had a chance to look at the video that our good friend Ian Wiggins shot for us in February.  It is professionally produced and only six minutes long - so give it a viewing - please.

 

It gives a good insight into what Sohm is like and how the money from our generous sponsors has been spent.  It also gives a few ideas on what and future donations could be spent on. 

 

Sit back, enjoy and reach for your wallets!!

 

 

 

 

 

Grand summer raffle winners

 

We are pleased to announce the prize winners of this summer's raffle.  We raised over £300, mainly through the generous contributions of parents, pupils and staff at Derwentwater primary school, after our attendance at their summer fair, early in July.

 

That money should be able to bring back into use a badly damaged classroom, whose broken windows and fragile roof have made it unsafe for use for the last two years.  Thanks to one and all.

1st Digital Camera: Canon Power Shot A810, Win: Valissya, orange no: 673

2nd Either: Harley Davidson ride, or Photo sess, Win: Mrs Smart, lilac no: 693

3rd Mrs Bridges Breakfast Set, Win Scarlett, orange no: 708

4th Sparkling White Wine & Leonidas Chocolates,  Win: Alex, orange no: 780

5th Jamie Oliver Cookbook & goody bag, Win: Tracy, orange no: 538

6th Slow Gin Liqueur & Turkish Delight, Win: Aine Ryan, white no: 228

7th 3 Bottles of Wine, Win: Sandra Teacher 6C Derwentwater, orange no:697

8th Houseplant in a basket display, Win: Harsimar pink no 451

 

Thanks to you all, and to the other, less lucky ticket purchasers.

 

Summer Auction

 

And, finally ... The winners of the auction for Sadlers Wells Tickets, for their autumn production of Cirque Eloize iD at the Peacock Theatre in October were .... Sandra and John Walker!  So, thanks to them for their £50 bid.  We'll be in touch soon to tell you how to pick up your tickets!

Enjoy the summer, folks

July 2013 Newsletter

 

 

It's a few big thanks from us and a couple of great opportunities for you, this week. Not to mention a couple of mouth-watering teases for the future. So, read on!

Richard, Barbara and Bruce!

First, the thanks. To our good friends Barbara and Richard who bid over £200 for the two tickets we were auctioning for the Bruce Springsteen gig in Stratford last week. That was very generous of them, and with the Gift Aid we can claim amounts to almost £300 that can go towards rebuilding a crumbling classroom in the Sohm Lower basic school, next spring.

The weather was wonderful, the Boss was fantastic and a great time was had by all 40,000 in the Olympic Park. Can there be a better, more honest, hard rocking, crowd pleasing, totally energising 60 year old around? Bruce, that is!!

The Boss provided a great gig for Barbara, Richard and us - but most of all, for Sohm's youngsters   Derwentwater pester power

Next - at the other end of the age spectrum, the kids of Derwentwater primary school in Acton. They invited us to their summer fair last Friday, when we were able to recycle last year's unwanted Christmas gifts and raise almot £400 on the day. Pester power is great, the kids nagged their parents, and lo and behold the parents' purses opened and the pounds came tumbling out! So, that little lot, when added to Richard and Barbara's generosity will probably pay for the complete restoration of a classroom. Great stuff.

 

Natalie with Biker Bill at Derwentwater summer fair

 

It wasn't just the brik-a-brak, however, Derwentwater pesterpower probably raised £60 as kids old and young alike sat on Biker Bill's Harley and could only imagine the thrill of the open road. At £5 a photo, not bad. So, thanks Bill. That little stash will go towards the Bike Fund that your and Bab's' efforts are keeping going in Sohm.

Then, there's the raffle. Probably £100 raised for that on Friday. Results not declared until next week's exciting instalment of this newsletter. So, be ready - keep watching and see who the lucky few will be!

Great chance to see modern dance, at its very best

A big thanks to our good friend Elin and her employers, Sadler's Wells, for their generosity. They have kindly donated a couple of tickets to us for the exciting Cirque Eloize's iD show at the wonderful Peacock Theatre, just off the Strand, for Tuesday 1 October, this year.



Cirque Eloixe's iD - Saddler's Wells - Peacock Theatre

Who?, you might well ask. Let us help:

"Award winning contemporary circus company Cirque Éloise have wowed audiences from Broadway to the Sydney Opera house with stunning performances that combine breathtaking circus with dance and music to create highly original shows. Their latest creation, iD is coming to Sadler’s Wells West End venue the Peacock Theatre this October for a limited three week run. Set against an urban backdrop in the heart of the city, iD is a blend of circus arts and street dance accompanied by an original soundtrack that draws on rock and hip hop music, and a talented cast of 14 international performers.

“You’re not going to find a more energetic, mind-blowing, roofraising piece of entertainment” Toronto Star"

Not convinced, yet? Well, just have a look, here

Wow!! All you need to do to guarantee a pair of £24 plus each seats for this hot show is to make a bid to us, before 21 July, by e.mail, post, phone, carrier pigeon. All monies received can be gift aided up and will be used in Sohm next Spring. So, get bidding, folks!

Too energetic for you?

If your pleasures are more sedanatry, you can plan some fab winter evenings huddled around the fire now, playing chess on an exquiste all glass set.

Now is your big chance to bid for this super set. We can't promise it will improve your play, but your enjoyment will be enhanced and the pleasure of your game boosted as you fondle the lovely little pieces!

 

Stunning glass chess set

We guarantee that every gift-aid topped up pound raised by the best bid for this will be spent on chess and other, similar games for the Sohm youngsters when we are there next year.

Bid! boost Gambian play,!and posess an aesthestic delight!

 

Best offer by 21 July gets the set. Go on - you know it makes sense!

 

Future promises

 

So, next week it will be the raffle results, but even more exciting - if that is possible - two video clips from the absolutely wonderful Ian Wiggins.  Baftas and cannes prizes await these fantatsic productions.

 

Book 10 minutes in your busy diaries to be wowed by earwiggy and Sohm's youngsters au natural - but not till next week!

 




Digital divide widens in The Gambia

Top English national newspaper, The Guardian, has just published - on-line, its shortlist for its prestigious international development journalism prize.  We are delighted that Sohm Schools Support friend and relative, Sarah Shearman, has joined that illustrious list of 12 journalists, from an original entry of around 500 articles.

The shortlisted journalists will have their articles published in a future supplement of the paper and be invited to do some blogging and writing for the paper, on international development issues, in the future. 

The prize winners will be announced later in the summer.  But we'd like to congratulate Sarah now for her great distinction in making this highly-regarded short-list.

Sarah may end up as a prize-winner.  We believe that the people of The Gambia, and of Sohm in particular, are real winners for having their plight highlighted in such a professional way.

Sarah's article and that of the 11 other shortlisted applicants can be found from the Guardian's website,  here.

We'll keep you upto speed with further developments in this great story, as they emerge.

International media attention for Sohm schools

 

Sohm schools are becoming the focus of international media attention at present, in both print and via video.

Videos

Our great friend Ian Wiggins has put together two short videos for us on the charity's work in Sohm.
 The first is a six minute package, Report from Sohm featuring the village, its two schools, our aims and objectives and how we are meeting them. It's a pacy, professionally produced, well shot film, that gives a great flavour of local life and the kids we are trying to support.



Report from Sohm

The second, Perfect Day is a film on one very special day in January, when our good colleagues from Football Gambia came to Sohm and regally entertained and sports-trained the village's youngsters.


Perfect Day

Credits: We are eternally grateful to Ian for working long, hard and for almost nothing to produce these two great products.  You can find out more about him and his work via:EarWig Media.  You can follow him on Twitter: @earwiggy.

And, the international link? Ian is a Brit who took up film making some years ago, and travels the world shooting low (and no) budget movies for a host of good causes.  He is currently based in Cambodia and has worked with Football Gambia, over the years. No doubt based on his great videos for them, he has recently been commissioned by the Gambia Tourist Board to produce half a dozen promotional films. Watch this space, for further details!

We'd also like to thank Dennis(Commissioner)Roberts for the use of his studio and facilities in helping to create the voiceovers. Responsibility for the atonality of the voice, however, is ours alone! You can get a much better feel for the quality of the studio's capabilities, by tuning in to his weekly internet radio show: Cruising with the Commissioner, where Dennis will entertain you imaginatively with the very best of rock, soul and real rhythm and blues music.

Journalism

New York journalist, Sarah Shearman, has been selected for the long list of the prestigious Guardian International Development Journalism competition, for an article focusing on the Digital Divide, in Gambia. And, specifically, how pupils in the Sohm schools are in desperate need for lap top computers to prevent them falling further behind, educationally and economically in the electronic age.
You can read Sarah's insightful piece here:Digital Divide in The Gambia
The competition attracted over 500 applicants and Sarah made it to the long list of 40 recently.  The final short list will be published on 24 June.  You can follow her progress on Twitter, either personally via @Shearmans, or via the Guardian's customised link @journalism_comp.

The Shearman household has been very helpful to Sohm Schools Support, with her husband sponsoring one of our students and generously paying for over 100 of Sohm's youngsters to have the school trip of their short life times, before in the near future.  They will visit Gambia's capital, Banjul, its zoo, airport and archeological ruins in the near future.

We hope that these fine efforts by our friends, family and colleagues inspire you to add your weight to help Sohm Schools Support's activities.

Sandra and John Walker

June 2013 Newsletter - Number 6

 

 Welcome to our first newsletter posted directly on to the website.  We are featuring four topics:

• Auction for tickets to see Bruce Springsteen
• Upcoming Derwentwater School summer fair
• The search for unwanted laptops
• Buy a 'Red Letter Harley Day' and solve a gift problem

Blind Auction

 

We have been given a pair of tickets for the Hard Rock Calling gig on the re-opening weekend of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford on Sunday 30 June.

The day-long event runs from 1pm - 11pm.

We are holding a blind auction for the tickets (face value £69.75 each). The best bid received for the pair be e.mail by midnight Sunday 16 June wins.

Bruce Springsteen

Gig line-up

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

The Black Crows

Alabama Shakes

Doc Brown Band

Flamin' Groovies

and many more

Full details of the gig can be found here

How to win the tickets

 

Bid, direct to us, by e.mail.  All bidders will be informed of the outcome of the auction on Monday 17 June.

Help improve the life of Gambian school kids - and have a great day out at the re-opening of the Olympic Park, in the company of The Boss.

Please feel free to forward details to anyone you feel may be interested in bidding

Thank you

Derwentwater Summer Fair

 

When we were in the Gambia earlier in the year we were able to cement the schools friendship between Derwentwater Primary school in Acton and Sohm Lower Basic school.  The London school has already raised over £700 to help the children of Sohm.  The two schools have shared letters and class diaries and we have run some assemblies in Derwentwater in life for their opposite numbers in Sohm.

Our stall at last year's Derwentwater School Summer Fair

We are delighted to say that we have been welcomed back to Derwentwater to run some assemblies in June and will be having a stall at their summer fair. We hope that more funds will be raised, to help rebuild some of the badly damaged classrooms at the Sohm Lower Basic school.

Rehoming unwanted laptops!

 

We were able to take five generously donated second hand laptops with us to Sohm last year, and they have transformed the teaching of ICT in the schools, which lack a mains electricity supply. Gone are the days of the pupils relying on clapped out desk tops operating sporadically when the (expensively fuelled) generator runs.

We know that when people upgrade or replace laptops they are reluctant to throw the old one away - but, in reality nobody in the UK wants it and there are few takers in the second hand market for them.


Sohm Lower Basic's deputy head gratefully receiving a donated laptop, earlier this year

We have been offered a limited amount of free storage space in a container going to the Gambia at the end of September.  We would love to help fill that space with a dozen unwanted laptops (with pretty decent batteries). If you could clean them up, and give us the wink, we will be able to get them picked up and dispatched to Sohm at no cost to you, us or the students.  We can assure you.  They really do transform lives, and help prevent some African youngsters from getting left even further behind the developed world in a rapidly developing technological era.


 Make it a Red Letter Harley Day, as a gift for Father's Day - or any other special occasion!

 

Live your dream, or make another's come true with a Harley ride.  It will also benefit the education of Sohm's children.

Biker, Bill Carson, will pick you up and take you on an hour's ride on his Harley (pictured below), on a route of your choice. We'll provide the leathers. There'll be rock 'n roll ablarin', and a photographic memento of the experience
And all for £60.

Longer trips, by negotiation, are possible; including a visit to the iconic Ace Cafe, or central London.  Just call us for the details (minimum age 18).

 

Red Letter Harley days - from £60