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NEWS

Solar Power Project and 2020 Marathon Fundraising

December 2019

Welcome to our final newsletter of 2019. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and wish you all a happy holiday season and New Year!

2019 end of year update

201712 Pupils 7

We are pleased to report that the school has had another strong year, maintaining a healthy intake of pupils. Thankfully, the civil unrest which caused major disruption in the Darjeeling region two years ago has not resurfaced but many of the tea plantations still face challenging economic and social conditions. We are also delighted to share the news that next year will see the start of a major project to bring solar power lighting to the school, kindly provided by global lighting company, Signify. The project will create a number of benefits for the children and we look forward to sharing more details with you in the New Year. We want to say a special thank you to Neil Pattie of Signify for making this happen.

Matt Cross to run the 2020 London Marathon for Hannah Memorial Academy

Keen runner and Hotwire PR Director, Matt Cross, has accepted the challenge to run the 2020 London Marathon on behalf of the Hannah Memorial Academy. This will be Matt's first full road marathon and he is also training for an Iron Man in October next year. Hotwire, a London-based PR agency, have been long-time supporters of the Hannah Memorial Academy and we want to say a big thank you to Matt and his colleagues for their on-going generosity. If you would like to sponsor Matt ahead of the marathon you can on his JustGiving page here. We wish Matt good luck with the training over the winter months!

The gift of giving this Christmas

As we exchange gifts and celebrate the festive period with our friends and family this month, we encourage you all to consider those that are less fortunate than us. The children that attend the Hannah Memorial Academy come from one of the poorest regions in India, where an average worker earns less than one pound (£) a day. No matter how little, your money really can go a long way in helping to support the school and give the children a good start in life. With the money raised through the charitable trust we have been able to provide uniforms, books and better building facilities – just some of the many ways your money can make a difference. But we rely on your generosity to keep the school going. If you would like to make a donation to the Hannah Memorial Charitable Trust, please visit our donations page here.

If you want to find our more information about the school or local area, please email us at admin@hannahmemorialacademy.org for all the help and information you need!

The Trustees of the Hannah Memorial Academy are: Christine Browning, Roger MacLaverty, John Higham, Margaret Mattingly, Ben Pattie, Ram Varma, Helen Wilde. We hope you are happy to receive occasional news about the progress of the school, but if you would prefer not to receive our newsletters, please email us at admin@hannahmemorialacademy.org to unsubscribe

Support us now

Hannah’s school has united people of every age, from two continents, who want to help create a memorial for Hannah and benefit a whole community in one of the poorest areas of India – please join us in supporting Hannah’s school.

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Jason’s story

How the school was started

The Hannah Memorial Academy is the vision of Jason Lepcha who was inspired to build a school in memory of Hannah Foster.
The school, in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden, is a lasting legacy to Hannah Foster, a 17-year old Hampshire girl who was murdered in the West End District of Southampton in March 2003 by Maninder Pal Singh Kohli.

Just over a year after Hannah’s tragic death, Jason Lepcha, a local taxi driver with a good understanding of English, was hired as a driver in Darjeeling by the chief murder suspect. He subsequently responded to a national appeal for information that led to the arrest of Mr. Kohli in Darjeeling in July 2004. In return for providing the police with the vital information, Jason received a reward of £4569 from the Hampshire Police.

Jason is an educated man from a modest background but he always had a dream to provide free education for the children in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden, one of the country’s poorest regions. Instead of spending the reward on himself, Jason used the money and help from the local villagers to secure a plot of land suitable to build a school on.
In 2005 Jason’s vision became a reality, with the opening of an English school in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden. The school is situated in the village of Santi Gram, 21 km from Darjeeling town, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Today, Jason and his wife Isabella manage and administer the school under an Indian trust, with the support of 7 local Trustees. Most importantly, the school is named after Hannah and serves as living memory to her while helping the regions children to get a good start in life.

Jason pupil and pony Jason looking at progress Darjeeling 4650 Jasons pony

Christine and Roger’s story

How the trust was formed.

In November 2006 Christine and Roger had been travelling in Darjeeling, when their driver, Jason told them about his school. One day they visited it and immediately decided they would like to support such a wonderful, practical memorial.

They came home to Hampton and with the full support of Trevor and Hilary Foster, Hannah’s parents, started collecting funds. The school had opened with one building, 5 teachers, a few teaching materials and 22 pupils. Gradually, with a lot of hard work and cajoling, funding has enabled the school to grow to a maximum roll of 125 pupils.

Gradually, Chris and Rog involved their friends, sending books, funds and anything they could muster. Then in August, realising how much more funding is needed to guarantee the continuation of the school, they set up the Hannah Memorial Academy Charitable Trust.

IMG 2348 IMG 0868 Carpentry Building the school IMG 2353

The Charitable Trust

How the trust supports the school.

Purpose

The Trust supports the school through Jason, his family and the staff – who have the skills, knowledge, determination and vision – but not the financial wherewithal.

The Trustees:

  • Christine Browning, BSc (Hons) –  Company Director
  • Roger Maclaverty, LLB – Retired Solicitor, Notary Public
  • Camilla Maclaverty, LLB(Hons), MSc Overseas Development
  • Ben Pattie – Public Relations and Social Media
  • Ram Varma –  ACA Chartered Accountant, Treasurer
  • Helen Wilde – Charity Fund Raiser and former High Sheriff of Bristol

The work of the Trust is fully supported by Hannah’s parents Hilary and Trevor Foster, who are kept informed at all times of what we do and what is happening in Hannah’s school.

How we manage the Trust

The Trustees give all their time for free, charge no personal expenses, and apart from minimal essential costs, every penny raised is used entirely for the benefit of the school and its pupils.

Even our interest bearing Bank Account is free! School Budgets are agreed in advance, all expenditure is recorded and monitored, and our aim is for at least annual visits by one or more trustees.

The school complex Reception Class Working Hard Picture15