Land Rover Experience - Charity Auction
The Silent Auction is open!....
Naomi Booth :: Monday 29th January 2024 :: This Story
Would you like to gift someone a Half Day Land Rover Experience?
And raise money for the work of Ocean Stars Trust?
Join our silent auction email oceanstarstrust@gmail.com with your bid!
You will be notified of our highest bid till our closing date Sunday 4th February 2024 12noon. Starting bid £400.
Your Land Rover Experience Includes:
- Your day of adventure begins with a briefing from your dedicated Land Rover off-road expert. Here you'll get to know your vehicle's key features and the challenges that lay ahead.
- Whilst behind the wheel you will navigate multiple terrains, including inclines, descents, water, low traction surfaces, rock crawls, bridge crossings and wheel articulation obstacle.
- Your instructor will guide you beyond every rut and rock. Building your off-road expertise while demonstrating your Land Rover's impressive capability.
- Price is for 2 drivers or a driver & a passenger.
Here are the details:
- Half Day Experience (2 ½ hours) Experience for 2 people-either 2 drivers , a driver and a passenger or a single passenger. There is space in the vehicle to add a third person at no extra charge- but we do not recommend that the 3rd person shares the driving time.
- The expiry date is 31 December 2024
- Location: Land Rover Experience London, Luton Hoo Estate, Bedfordshire, LU1 4LF
- One of the drivers must have held a full current licence for at least 3 years and be aged at least 23 years and the licence must be clear of points, penalties, endorsements or disqualifications. The second driver can have reduced requirements- i.e. must have held a full current driving licence for at least 1 year and be aged at least 18 – and the licence must be clear of points, penalties, endorsements or disqualifications. The second driver will however not be able to drive the on-road element between the Club House and the off-road driving tracks.
experience.landrover.co.uk/london/overview.html
Please email your Bid to oceanstarstrust@gmail.com
Voucher Value: £480.00
OST Trustee Meeting
In January
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 24th January 2024 :: This Story
The Ocean Stars Trustee Board had their first meeting of 2024 on Thursday 18th January which was the 115th meeting of the Board since the Charity was set up in 2005. These meetings are a combination of zoom participants and in person participants. Reports on Sponsorship, Social Media, the Child Development Programme, Finance amongst others are submitted beforehand and circulated to all the Trustees.
This meeting was focused on finalising our Strategic Goals and looking at our 2030 Goals.
We would like to say a BIG thank you to our Trustee Board who work tirelessly to make sure that our Governance protocols are all secure as we carry out our work empowering children through education in Sri Lanka.
OST Teacher Training
For our 75 teachers
Naomi Booth :: Monday 22nd January 2024 :: This Story
Ocean Stars Trust strives to offer our teachers regular high up to date teacher training. Providing a high quality Early Years education for the 1000 + children who attend our preschools is a priority for OST. This means that the teachers need to be confident in latest teaching trends and methodology.
Around 75 teachers meet every 3 months at our Ocean Stars Lanka office and share ideas and network. As our preschools are situated so far apart from each other these sessions provide a valuable experience for our teachers. Our teachers are very grateful to their sponsors who give them the opportunity to earn a living and provide for their own families. If you would like to sponsor a teacher then visit this page.
Thank you to our teachers
Ocean Stars Trust runs 30 preschools providing a livelihood for 65 teachers in rural locations in Sri Lanka.
Naomi Booth :: Friday 19th January 2024 :: This Story
As we begin a new year we would like to extend a big thank you to all our preschool teachers who work tirelessly all year to make sure that our 1000 + students access a high quality early years education. Our teachers often work in very difficult conditions and with few resources.
Some teachers travel long distances to get to their workplace. Often there is no electricity so no fans and during the hot season temperatures can be unbearable. Our teachers always work with a smile on their face and our warmly supported by the parents.
Ocean Star provides regular training for all our teachers and ensure that they are up to date with latest teaching methodology.
It costs £25 to sponsor a teacher for a month. To find out more about our work in preschools please have a look around our website.
Quiz Thanks
We would like to thank everyone who attended are Annual Ocean Stars Quiz on the evening of Saturday 13th January.
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 17th January 2024 :: This Story
Over 74 people attended, and an enjoyable evening of quizzing and laughter was had by all. Thanks also to everyone who donated Raffle prizes. Over 20 prizes added another element of excitement to the evening.
Our biggest Thanks go to our Quiz Master Mr Mike Gardner who has hosted 13 Quizzes for Ocean Stars as well as 4 mini online zoom quizzes during Covid. Over the last 13 years Mike has raised around £15,000 for the work of Ocean Stars Trust and we are truly grateful for all the hard work Mike puts in to ensure that everyone has a wonderful evening. You are a star and legend Mike.
Thank you from all of us at Ocean Stars Trust.
Thai Pongal
Hindu families in Sri Lanka and around the world are currently celebrating the festival of Thai Pongal
Naomi Booth :: Monday 15th January 2024 :: This Story
The festival of Pongal is celebrated by Sri Lankans over two days. The first day is devoted to the boiling of milk in a pot to which rice, jaggery and the syrup extracted from crushed sugar cane is added. This sweet rice pudding is offered first to the Sun God and is then eaten at the climax of a family festive meal.
The first day of Pongal is called Bhogi. It is a day where cleaning and discarding of old belongings are carried out to signify a fresh start. New clothes are worn, houses are decorated in the spirit of the festivity. The second day is the main day of Pongal and is celebrated as Surya Pongal.
Ocean Stars would like to wish all our staff, communities in Sri Lanka and around the world a Happy Pongal.
Fundraising for OST
Quiz, coffee mornings and more...
Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 3rd January 2024 :: This Story
Fundraising is one of the main income streams for the work of Ocean Stars Trust. Our first main fundraising event for 2024 is our annual quiz on Saturday 13th January at the Key Centre Elvetham Heath 7.45 pm.
We look forward to seeing you there!
In 2023 around £25,000 was raised through fundraising activities.
A Ceilidh, our annual quiz, Team from Calthorpe Park School, Bake Sales and sponsored events all contributed towards this amazing total.
Would you like to host a coffee morning or do an event and raise money for the work of Ocean Stars Trust in Sri Lanka in 2024? Please email us on oceanstarstrust@gmail.com if you would like a publicity pack or would like to share your plans with us. Thank you!
Happy New Year
Naomi Booth :: Monday 1st January 2024 :: This Story
We would like to wish all our Ocean Stars communities in Sri Lanka, our donors, volunteers supporters and friends in the UK and around the world a Very Happy and Peaceful New Year 2024.
Ocean Stars will be 19 years old in 2024 and our work empowering children through education continues to grow and grow. Thank you for your continued support. From Team Ocean Stars UK and Sri Lanka.
End of 2023
What have our pre-schools been up to?
Naomi Booth :: Thursday 28th December 2023 :: This Story
As 2023 draws to a close our 1000 + preschool children have had fun focusing on Physical activities. As part of our Child Development Programme the students have to demonstrate they can move confidently and freely in different ways. They had great fun showing us that they can walk, run, skip and balance on one foot.
Ocean Stars runs 30 preschools in Sri Lanka.- take a look around this website for more information!
Boxing Day 2004
19 Years ago today a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high hit Sri Lanka.
Naomi Booth :: Tuesday 26th December 2023 :: This Story
19 Years ago today a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries. Sri Lanka, located about 1,700 km (1,100 mi) from Sumatra, was ravaged by the tsunami around 2 hours after the earthquake. The tsunami first struck the eastern coastline .
Our Founder Dilanee Bunter who was born in Sri Lanka but now lives in the UK was inspired to do something to help the children who had suffered loss and devastation due to the Tsunami. The idea of Ocean Stars was born that day and went on to become a UK Registered Charity in June 2005.
19 years later Ocean Stars Trust UK and Ocean Stars Lanka , both Registered Charities in the UK and Sri Lanka are growing and transforming thousands of lives. To read the story of Ocean Stars please follow this link:
https://oceanstars.org.uk/dilanees-story
and to find about more about our work please have a look at our website www.oceanstars.org.uk
If you would like to support our work please have a look at our website for ways you can donate.