October Trips
October is always an exciting month for our communities in Sri Lanka as it is the month when Ocean Stars volunteers visit projects and spend time with them.
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 2nd October 2024 :: This Story
Preparations are well underway way in Batticaloa as Calthorpe Park school in Fleet prepare to visit their link schools.
The CPS Team 2024 recently had their final parent-student meeting, and the excitement was palpable. The students received their clothing for the trip and trip arrangements were consolidated. The students have been busy fundraising for the charity and are looking forward to seeing how their money has been spent on the ground. We would like to wish our CPS team 2024 a safe and wonderful trip to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka.
Trustee Board Annual Away Day
Find out what we looked at...
Naomi Booth :: Monday 30th September 2024 :: This Story
The OST Trustee Board met recently for their annual Away Day. The day started with a review of the Trustee's objectives over the last year. The OST strategy was looked at and discussed as well as OST's Finances. The Trustees also defined focus areas and goals for the year ahead.
Meeting together annually in person enables meaningful discussions to take place and plans to be put in place for the upcoming year. There was great excitement as planning for our 20th-anniversary celebrations are well under way. We are planning a calendar of 20 events to celebrate 20 years of Ocean Stars. We invite our supporters and friends to think about getting involved by organising an event such as a coffee morning, tea party, dinner party or a sponsored event to support our work.
Please let us know by email if you would like to support us at oceanstarstrust@gmail.com.
Emma and Keith
at Chenkallady 2 Preschool
Naomi Booth :: Monday 23rd September 2024 :: This Story
Emma and Keith who are visiting our Ocean Stars projects had a fun-filled morning at Chenkallady 2 preschool.
They were welcomed in the traditional way with Garlands. It can be a challenge trying to fit all the garlands round your neck! Emma and Keith entertained the students with an assortment of songs, games and origami.
They both commented on the importance of our work empowering children by providing a high-quality early years education for around 900 students.
Thank you Emma and Keith for all your hard work entertaining our young students and giving them experiences they will never forget.
Visiting Vision Preschool
As part of Emma and Keith's visit to Ocean Stars in Sri Lanka
Naomi Booth :: Thursday 19th September 2024 :: This Story
As part of their visit to Ocean Stars in Sri Lanka , Emma and Keith visited Vision Preschool with our staff .
Hearing about the visitors from the UK , parents and younger siblings of our preschool children also came along.
Emma and Keith took along a parachute and squeals of laughter filled the quiet rural countryside as children played games with the parachute . The children also made origami patterns from paper, sang songs and had a wonderful time.
A huge thank you to Emma and Keith for all the joy, laughter and happiness they are bringing to our Ocean Stars communities
Welcoming Emma and Keith from the UK
They are visiting our projects this week!
Naomi Booth :: Tuesday 17th September 2024 :: This Story
On Monday they visited Hope House 3 , one of our three women's empowerment projects. They spent the morning meeting the ladies who are currently attending our sewing classes and heard about how learning a new skill is transforming their lives.
Emma and Keith spent the afternoon at our Ocean Stars Lanka office and met some of our sponsor children. They did activities with the children who were delighted to spend time with Emma and Keith and practice their English.
Thank you Emma and Keith and we hope you have a successful week looking at our Ocean Stars projects and learning about the work we do.
Boxing Day 2004
was when a Tsunami hit the Far East and Sri Lanka, and thousands of people lost their lives.
Naomi Booth :: Monday 9th September 2024 :: This Story
It was also the day when the seed of Ocean Stars was planted in Dilanee Bunter's head as she went for a walk on Boxing Day evening. More about the Ocean Stars story can be found on our website in the section Our Story and by scrolling down to Dilanee's Story.
Amazingly Ocean Stars Trust will be 20 year years old next year. We plan to celebrate this milestone in every way possible!
We are hoping that supporters and friends will join us in organising 20 fundraising events to celebrate our 20 years of operations.
We are organising a celebration party on Saturday 22nd March which will be a ticketed celebration. Please put the date in your diary and come and celebrate this special occasion with us.
More information about our celebration will be available in due course.
Easyfundraising
Raise money for Oceanstars with your online purchases
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 4th September 2024 :: This Story
We would like to let our supporters know that Ocean Stars Trust are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online. Over 7,000 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself! These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we'd really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It's completely FREE and only takes a moment. You can find our easyfundraising page at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/oceanstars/
Thank you so much!
We currently have 22 supporters. Please help us to increase this to 100 supporters!!
Plus, for every new supporter we sign up before 30th September, we will earn a chance to win one of ten £100 donations for Ocean Stars Trust!* in our Big September Sign-up!
Twilight Runway Challenge
on Saturday 21st September
Naomi Booth :: Monday 2nd September 2024 :: This Story
Our next fundraising event will be the Twilight Runway Challenge on Saturday 21st September at 17.15 pm .
You are welcome to run, cycle, walk or scoot around the Blackbush Airport Runway. We hope you will be able to join us!Maybe you would like to get a team together and share the Flyer.
The link to our Ocean Stars Just Giving Page is below. Also a QR code if you would like to share that with friends and family. Help us to gather a big Ocean Stars Team of walkers, cyclists, runners or scoters!! This event will form part of our 20 events challenge raising money to celebrate 20 years of Ocean Stars Trust in 2025. To find out more do get in touch.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rachel-angel-1718210661398
Elephants
In Minneriya National Park
Naomi Booth :: Friday 30th August 2024 :: This Story
A highlight for Ocean Stars visitors to Sri Lanka is visiting Minneriya National Park and going on an elephant safari. The area was designated as a national park IN August 1997. Minneriya Tank, a large inland water reservoir was built by King Mahesan in 3rd Century AD. In the dry season elephants flock to the park to feed and to take shelter in the park's forests. To visit the park you need to go in a safari jeep. Minneriya National Park is the largest known gathering place of Asian elephants in the world.
Elephants
The highlight of the Kandy Perehara are the elephants.
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 28th August 2024 :: This Story
The spectacular sight over a hundred elephants, decorated in lavish costumes of colourful silk and fairy lights transform the streets into a magical majestic spectacle. Richly decorated it is hard to choose a favourite elephant. It is always the ;largest elephant , easily spotted with long white tusks who is given the honour of carrying the casket containing the Tooth Relic across the city. Some of the elephants that take part in the Perehara live at the Temple of the Scared Tooth. Other elephants come from all over Sri Lanka , from other temples or from their day jobs in tea plantations or forestry.
