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Pete's Triple Challenge - An Update

Well done to Pete!

Peter completed the half marathon, his first ever, in 1 hour 46 minutes!

Pete is running Bournemouth Half Marathon, London to Brighton Bike Ride & Yorkshire 3 Peaks - all in aid of Ocean Stars Trust - If you would like to sponsor him, please go to his page on Just Giving, click donate and then follow the instructions,  Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

For more information, read this

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-05-18 11:43
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Ocean Stars Curry Evening

Ocean Stars Curry Evening - Saturday 19^th May

At Fleet Methodist Church

7.15pm for a 7.30 start

£10 a ticket - family concessions available

ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS FUNDING SELF SUSTAINING LUNCH PROJECTS WITH PLAYGROUPS.

The Ocean Stars Curry Evening is one of our main fund raisers.  To support Ocean Stars and eat great curry, please come along, all are welcome.  It takes place this Saturday 19th May, 7.15pm at Fleet Methodist Church.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-05-18 11:29
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Ocean Stars Trust London to Brighton Cycle Ride

A team of 15 will be cycling from London to Brighton to raise funds for the work of the Ocean Stars Trust.

If you feel you would like to sponsor us then please click on the link below and make a donation through just giving who also claim your gift aid for us. If you feel you know people who may like to support us then please pass on this link.

http://www.justgiving.com/OST2012londonbrighton

The money obtained from these donations will go towards building playgroups in remote communities in the east of Sri Lanka where children have no access to per school education as well as buying resources for the playgroups we work with already.

Many Thanks as always for your on-going support.

With Best wishes from

 Dilanee and CYCLE TEAM OST 2012.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-05-18 11:27
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SPONSOR APPEAL

We understand that you may already donate to other charities and may not be able to support us on this occasion. However if you feel you would like to sponsor us then please click on the link below and make a donation through just giving who also claim your gift aid for us. If you feel you know people who may like to support us then please pass on this link.

http://www.justgiving.com/OST2012londonbrighton

The money obtained from these donations will go towards building playgroups in remote communities in the east of Sri Lanka where children have no access to per school education as well as buying resources for the playgroups we work with already.

Many Thanks as always for your on-going support.

With Best wishes from Dilanee and CYCLE TEAM OST 2012.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-05-15 21:12
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Palmeirah Weaving Project

New to 2012 has been the launch of Palmeirah Weaving classes for women who live in the communities that Ocean Stars works with. All the women who attend these classes live at home and are unemployed. The aim of the project is to give the women the opportunity to make items to sell at local markets and amongst their communities. The project also aims to empower women to work and increase their self esteem. The classes take place at the same location as our playgroups. Classes take place twice a week from 2.00pm – 5.00pm. At the moment we have 20 ladies who attend each class.

The teacher who takes this class is called Thusanthini and she is 23 years old. She is very grateful to Ocean Stars for offering her an opportunity to use her skills and give her an income to support her family.

The teacher's wages are £25.00 a month. If you would like to support Thusanthini by donating even a month of her wages then please contact us:

Dilanee Bunter
C/O Ocean Stars Trust,
2, Netherhouse Moor,
Church Crookham,
Fleet,
Hants GU51 5TY

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-03-12 23:01
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Pete's Triple Challenge

Hi, my name is Pete Barton and over the coming few months I am taking on a triple challenge in aid of Ocean Stars.  I will be running the Bournemouth Half Marathon on Sunday 1st April, the London to Brighton Bike Ride in June and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks in August!  I will be going out to Sri Lanka in October with the team so I am trying to raise some extra funds to take out there with us to spend on our projects. I have helped out with various Ocean Stars funding raising events over the past few years so I have been aware of the projects and I am very excited to be able to go and visit them myself and make a difference to the lives of the children over there

If you would like to sponsor me, please go to my page on Just Giving, click donate and then follow the instructions,  Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-03-12 22:47
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Matt's Canoeing Challenge

My canoeing challenge was to raise funds to complete the building of my nursery project in Sri Lanka. In early 2011 I began to think of something I could do that would really challenge myself and raise the necessary funds at the same time. After discussion with family and friends I decided upon canoeing the length of the Basingstoke Canal - 36 miles from Weybridge to Odiham. I had been an avid kayaker when younger but had not trained or been in a canoe for a number of years - my fitness levels were also questionable at the start of training!

Nevertheless in May I bought the equipment and began training both on the canal and also on occasion in the sea, all with the help and support of my parents.

I set a target to complete the challenge before the group trip to Sri Lanka at the end of October and over the next few months worked to increase the distance covered during each training session. During my training I set up a just giving page and invited friends, colleagues and family to sponsor me.

The day of the challenge arrived and I had lots of support from friends and family cycling and walking alongside en route. The challenge began in the cold and dark at 7am at Weybridge and finally at about 4pm I completed the challenge, arriving at North Warnborough.

£1160 had been pledged for the nursery by this stage, which was more than the original fundraising target. My franchisee from Domino's Pizza has always taken an interest in my trips to Sri Lanka and the work of Ocean Stars - he generously agreed to match the amount I had raised making a total of £2320 and on 24th October 2011 we opened Little Stars nursery during the group trip. The excitement of the local people during our visit and knowing the essential part the nursery will play in community life made it all worthwhile, I hope to revisit Little Stars on upcoming group trips.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2012-02-02 09:36
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Fund-raising at Comrie Croft, Scotland

‘You’ve come all that way for this?’ the guest at the lodge kindly remarked on hearing we had travelled all the way from Brighton via a combination of cars, planes and bendy bus, to arrive 12 hours later at the beautiful setting of Comrie Croft. It really brought home that unique Scottish welcome I had heard so much about! ‘Well Yes’, feeling exhausted but trying to sound enthusiastic. ‘We wouldn’t have missed it for the world’.  I lamely replied. And, just when I thought the beautiful setting Calum had kindly driven me through and too couldn’t get any better it soon did; enhanced by the first of several welcome drinks offered me by Carole, Helen’s sister. However, having left my notes in Scotland, specific details of the Saturday at Comrie are impressionistic rather than precise. (Particularly the latter part of the evening which ended for me at 3.30 am in a haze of songs by Bob Dylan and, strangely, Paper Lace, I think). But let's face it; most weekends spent in Scotland turn out, in one way or another, to be hazy...

But this one was going to be different. We were there to raise funds for Ocean Stars Trust and so the weekend took on an extra meaning and significance in different ways for all of us there.

So....here I am, back home in Brighton, a week after having returned from our Scottish weekend, preparing to write a summary of the wonderful weekend we all shared. And the photos of the weekend serve as a valuable reminder of how fortunate we were to have met and made so many new friends over the weekend. Of course though, the connection which brought us to Comrie in the first place, namely the shared wish to improve the lives of children and families living in tsunami struck Sri Lanka so many miles away, was strong and yet it is still the strength of Janaki and Helen’s friendship which simply meant the weekend was bound to happen.

Anyway, you will be pleased to learn that despite Saturday’s poor weather, our joint companionship overrode the rain, mist, cold and damp to take to us all to a shared interest in helping those so far away and less fortunate than ourselves.  Many things stand out from the weekend but a few key ones are.....

Drive to Comrie and arriving in haven of peace

Halfway through chatting with Calum en route to Comrie by car I looked up  to see that the landscape of grey motorway and traffic had been replaced by a wonderfully green and peaceful view leading towards the foothills of Perth. On arrival at Comrie we continued to be welcomed by tranquillity and separation from the busy life that had led up to arriving at our destination. It felt, I guess, like a retreat. Not away from the world, but deeper into the real world; a place where people were connected by a shared humanity and the music, energy, love and food they could bring to it.  We all knew that the next 48 hours of music, food, friendship and dancing would be very special indeed.

Sitting outside in the evening dusk, I watched the sun go down over the hills surrounding me. The landscape was framed by the varying shades of blue and purple skies above. The only sound around (apart from Sheila and Carole laughing loudly in the background!) was that of lost sheep bleating and I finally felt we had arrived. Interestingly this inner peace brought on by arrival was reminiscent of travelling all day by river, bus and 4 x 4 to the borders of Thailand and Burma during the mid 90’s. The chaos of the modern world became reassuringly detached from me as we all became increasingly attached to the ‘lost world’ of people, nature and reality.

Curries, food and drink... (What, no haggis?)

From entering the kitchen area of Comrie, the generosity, warmth and creativity of everyone there was all around and early chat with the Geordie cousins, Helen’s sister Carol eand Calm’s great friend Mike soon put me at ease. It also enabled me to mentally match the puzzle pieces of friends and family described by Helen together. Meeting so many of H and C’s and Sheila’s friends in one place was a real treat and helped me understand so much more about their lives.

Top marks to us all but A star plus perhaps to Grant for his lamb curry!

OST presentation

The sincerity of all the Ocean Stars team to the cause shone through here. All of their efforts towards the weekend ensured that everyone knew that, whether they had opted to cycle, walk, jog or a combination of all three, were genuinely benefiting children and families in Sri Lanka. It also saw a new skill of Calum’s come to the fore; that of health and safety executive for the weekend thus ensuring that no-one could talk to their lawyers if they had an accident during the challenge!  As Helen and Sheila and lastly Janaki spoke I wondered what our children, Samina and Jehan, sitting there, looking at and seemingly absorbed by the words and images they were seeing and hearing, made of it all. Why, I wondered if they asked themselves, were other children’s lives so poor compared to their own? As John Lennon wrote, ‘nobody told me there would be days like these’

Sheila in one of her more serious moments

WALK!  What is it good for?  Absolutely everything!

Despite the rain, play was not stopped at all, and to varying extents, we all greatly enjoyed and appreciated the challenge events planned by Helen and Calum.

The morning began though with much milling about in the kitchen as people busied themselves making breakfasts and packing lunches. Soon it was time to set off and following after a windy, windy (as in bendy) yet scenic drive, we arrived at a point in the hills from where the challenges began. The rain continued to fall – not unpleasantly, as though our faces were being gently sprayed by an expensive shower at a health spa. A choice of routes, lengths and ways were provided but given the weather and the children we planned to do the 8 KM walk. We all set off on a brisk pace and felt pleased with our start, yet we did, we noticed Graham’s figure disappearing in the distance as ran the 18 km walk. 

The walk itself was many things at different times; part exhilarating - beautiful views greeted us from all around - but also fun as we tramped along the path keeping our heads down from the rain whilst avoiding puddles and potholes along the way. Joined by Grant’s wife, Fran, Samina and I chatted about her back ground in South Africa and Ghana to my experiences with UNICEF visiting Ghana and working in Thailand. To cut a long and rainy story short, everyone completed the 8 km walk/stroll and returned to base sodden though safe. The route was isolated and green with ferns yet higher up, where the 18km had gone, thick clouds and a drop in temperature made the trek seem less enjoyable in part than it may have been on a clearer day.

We all arrived back at Comrie in a heightened state of awareness of the beauty of the nature but also relief at being back at the croft. The subsequent afternoon was spent in a haze of rest and refreshments as we prepared ourselves for an evening’s entertainment of music and dancing...

Family and friends of Helen, Calum and Sheila!

Just spending a weekend together with Helen, Calum and Sheila’s friends and family made me realise what good and kind people they all were. I wished the world could have been as lucky as us to be together in this safe and warm environment in which everyone got on and the children played together. What a lively group of characters they were and, without being stereotypical (or wishing to curry favour from H and C!), there is something naturally warm and giving about the Scots!

Hanging out at Comrie Croft

This image suggests the layout of the downstairs kitchen and sitting room.  What a great idea these large hostels are for enabling a ‘gathering’ of friends and family to mix and meet together on neutral territory, sharing and connecting in a way that usually, given the size and location of people’s houses, would hot have otherwise happen.

Ceilidh! The evening proceeded with a great session of Scottish dancing in which lots of mistakes were made and people ended going the wrong way. However, not having fun in Scottish dancing is impossible. It takes place at a breakneck speed which seems to increase as the evening goes on. The music in all encompassing as one literally is swept away by the atmosphere. Following the dancing the evening wore on with the auction of a beautiful painting by  one of Calum and Helen’s best buddies,Pauline, in aid of OST and also the very thoughtful presentation to the children there of special Comrie I was there 2011 t – shirts. How thoughtful!

Samina and Helen demonstrating how lots of linking, swirling and Scottish jigging takes place in Scottish dancing 

Events thereafter become a little sketchy. Although no photographic evidence survives it is generally agreed that around midnight the final event of the night/morning was what is formally known as a ‘right old sing-song’. This was where various named (me, Mike and Ian) and unnamed guests sang, played and drummed the evening away to a wide collection of classic songs and melodies primarily from the renaissance period of the early 1970’s. Rumour has it that Graham even performed his legendary number on the buckaroo (child’s too) At any event, Knocking on Heavens Door, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree, Sailing and California Dreaming were some of the numbers enjoyed by all until the wee hours...

Nearly over – the weekend not lost but found.

Well, that is a general but certainly not comprehensive summary of the weekend – particularly the Saturday, at Comrie Croft 2011. Top marks to the Scottish Stars gang for organising a very special weekend in aid of wells and toilets for children in Sri Lanka.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2011-09-28 10:39
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Matt's kayak challenge

Please support Matt who is planning to paddle a kayak the length of the Basingstoke canal, in support of Ocean Stars.

Matt says "Somehow I came across the idea of this challenge, armed myself with the necessary equipment and began training. About 6 weeks into my training, and with a month to go, I think the challenge (which consists of 26 miles of kayaking along with about 4 miles carrying my canoe around locks) is going to take me roughly 8 hours.

"It's a massive challenge for me and it's all for an extremely worthy cause, so I'd like to take this opportunity  to ask you donate whatever you can afford, and 'like' this page on facebook so that word spreads. The smallest amounts of money can make the most incredible changes to people in Sri Lanka's lives."

Thank you Matt and good luck.

Why not support Matt now?  You can visit Matt's Kayak Challenge page on Just Giving.

By Chris Booth - Published: 2011-09-28 10:23
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Trip to Sri Lanka - April 2011

Dilanee and Shona distribute t-shirts to playgroup teachers. These t-shirts were bought through donations received from the gift catalogue.

I was so please to be able to take Shona to the East of Sri Lanka and show her all the projects we talk about regularly at our meetings in the UK. Being able to put names to faces makes it that more personal and real. One of the highlights was the distribution of our Gift Catalogue donations. People had come from afar to receive their gifts. The smiles on the children’s faces as they received their first pair of shoes will stay with me for a long time. Trying to get a sewing machine and boxes of chickens into a tuk- tuk was no easy task.

It is hear warming to see how much part of the community Ocean Stars is. Playgroups are on a waiting list to come under Ocean Stars so that teachers can be paid and children benefit from all the resources provided by Ocean Stars.

People in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa all said how much they valued our team visits and the personal nature of the work we do.

It was a pleasure to share the magic of Ocean Stars with Shona. It was great to be able to show her first hand all the places, people and projects we always talk about.

Dilanee

By Chris Booth - Published: 2011-06-29 21:18
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