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ACS owners’ unforgettable flying visit

Monday, January 16th, 2012

HEAL sponsors Chris and Tina Leach, from the global aircraft charter company Air Charter Service, had an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives when they paid a flying visit to the Children’s Village in Guntur.

ACS raised thousands of pounds for Heal last year after agreeing to sponsor new computer labs at the new Paradise Village project in Thotapally, Andhra Pradesh.

Chariman Chris Leach, who formed ACS in his basement in 1990 and has turned it into a global company spanning five continents with revenue in excess of US$450m, and Tina, company secretary and treasurer, were due to visit Mumbai where ACS were opening a new office.

While in India, they decided to take the opportunity to visit the Heal Children’s Village in Guntur to see how their donations would help – and were genuinely overwhelmed by what they found.

Tina takes up the story: “I head up the ACS charity committee and each year we ask staff to help us choose three charities to support – one international, one national and one local.

“However, last year, the committee decided to choose one charity themselves which would be more ‘hands-on’, something staff could get involved with personally if they wished.

“I found Heal after doing an initial internet search for ‘sponsor a child’. It seemed to tick all the boxes – for example, a sponsored cycle ride, the ability to volunteer and the chance to raise funds for an actual building in the new Paradise village. Thankfully, it captured everyone’s imagination.

“Chris and myself were then due to visit Mumbai as ACS are opening an office there. We decided to take the opportunity while we were in India to visit the Guntur Village to see what could be achieved and also see the new site for ourselves.

“I remember I was very concerned about bothering the people in charge there in order to show us around. We were therefore absolutely overwhelmed, astonished and extremely grateful for the reception we received.

“We were literally treated like royalty. We were initially very embarrassed, but once we realised what a special day it was for the children to receive visitors, that feeling soon subsided.

“We found the visit to the Guntur village and the school extremely interesting and moving. The basic layout for the Heal village was particularly inspiring with the housemother system.

“The children seemed genuinely loved and cared for and it was an absolute pleasure to talk to them and see their work and, more importantly, their smiling faces.

“Meeting the children had a real impact on both Chris and me and we will never forget the experience for the rest of our lives. Meeting children face to face who had experienced such hardship somehow brought the problem much much closer to home.

“The new site was very exciting also and the project manager there Steve, Doctor Prasad’s sister Lakshmi and another local benefactor, Dahna Prakash, described the vision for the new Heal Paradise Village.

“It truly was one which made sense, especially due to the plans for the children to learn vocational skills as well as academic subjects.

“We felt this would very much be needed to help build an infrastructure to support the rapidly expanding Indian economy. They explained that Dr Prasad also aimed for high standards of care and education, meaning that the project had exceptional goals.”

Last September ACS’s London staff took part in the Great River race which, thanks to ACS matching the monies raised, brought in over £6,000. Glorying in the name of ‘No Plane No Gain!’, the crew of 17 braved dreadful weather as they paddled a dragon boat 21 miles from Grenwich to Ham on the River Thames.

Not content with that, ACS’s European offices Christmas party, ‘The Aviator Ball’, raised an amazing £14,000.

“We decided, for the first time, to ask a few of our suppliers (airline operators) to sponsor a raffle prize at our staff Christmas party when we planned to hold a raffle for our three chosen charities,” said Tina.

“We did not expect very much, but they seemed to be so interested in Heal particularly and their support was very generous, enabling us to provide some magnificent prizes.”

But, inspired by what they saw in India, ACS, who employ more than 250 staff worldwide, have no intention of forgetting about the children they met in Andhra Pradesh.

“We very much hope that we can meet Dr Prasad one day soon to discuss further plans and will be continuing our support for Heal,” added Tina.

“We also look forward to visiting the site again to see the progress and bring back more photos for our staff to see.”

Posted in Charity Donations, Heal Children's Village, Heal Paradise Village, Heal UK | No Comments »

ACS help get Paradise IT block off the ground

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

HEAL founder Dr Koneru Prasad has welcomed the generous support of a private jet charter firm, Air Charter Service, which has recently taken the charity under its wing.

The company, which has offices around the world, selected HEAL as its international cause for 2011 and has been in discussions about sponsoring new computer labs at the charity’s Paradise Village project in India.

Each year, ACS supports a selection of chosen charities, with a dedicated committee helping to organise an array of fund-raising events. All the money raised is matched by ACS, doubling the total amount.

As well as supporting Cancer Research and the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice this year, ACS has set itself a goal of funding an IT block within the new self-sustaining village in Thotapally, Andhra Pradesh.

To make this happen, the company set an ambitious target of £12,300, but were confident of achieving this thanks to the dedication and success of their charity committee.

“I believe that Air Charter Service are going to be a great asset for us at HEAL,” says Dr Prasad. “They have looked into sponsoring computer labs at the new Paradise Village and I know they are excited by the project and want to be involved.”

Tina Leach, ACS company secretary and treasurer, recently visited the Paradise site and the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur and described what she saw as “absolutely inspiring”.

ACS, founded in 1990 by Chris Leach as a small specialised aviation company, now employs over 200 staff around the globe and counts Middle Eastern royalty, the British government, major multi-national corporations and non-profit organisations among its customers.

Their reputation was enhanced when they helped in recovery operations following the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean.

In a testimonial, Government Department of Transport official Alistair Darling wrote at the time: “The Prime Minister has asked me to pass on his thanks to you for your organization’s part in the response to the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

“The industry’s role in the aid and recovery operations further underlines its importance in the world, as by far the quickest means of bringing survivors home and transporting vital equipment and expertise to the disaster scene.

“I, too, am grateful for your swift response, and would like to send my sincere thanks to all those involved in the relief effort.”

In September, an 18-strong ACS dragonboat team – named ‘No Plane No Gain!’ – took part in this year’s Great River Race down the Thames, completing the gruelling 21-mile course in a respectable time of just under three hours and raising almost £6,000 for HEAL along the way.

Among a host of different charity functions, a raffle was also held at the Air Charter Service staff Christmas party in support of HEAL and their other chosen charities.

Posted in Charity Events, Fundraising, Heal UK | No Comments »

News from the recent Heal AGM

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

MEMBERS, directors and trustees of HEAL were delighted to hear at the charity’s Annual General
Meeting this week that Phase One of the Paradise Village project is going ahead with a view to
accepting its first intake of children by the middle of 2012.

The Village in Andhra Pradesh, designed to accommodate as many as one thousand disadvantaged
Indian children in a self-sustaining environment, could take as long as five years to complete,
but work is already moving forward following the ceremonial laying of a foundation-stone in mid-
November.

In his report to the AGM, HEAL chairman Carl Brodie said that the charity faced a year-on-year
battle for funding, but remained determined to press ahead with its most ambitious project to
date.

He said many thousands of poverty-striken children in India needed HEAL’s support and fund-raising
for the Paradise Village would be a key part of the charity’s work in the coming years.

“We need to raise substantial amounts of money to support the Paradise building programme, but
remain hopeful that part of it can be open by the middle of next year,” said Mr Brodie.

Addressing the meeting, HEAL founder Dr Koneru Prasad confirmed that the building of a temporary
bridge at the Thotapally site would allow for work on Phase One of the estimated £3million project
to press ahead.

Early construction, he said, would focus on an elementary school building, a vocational training
centre and accommodation for the children.

As well as fund-raising in the UK, it was hoped that a new sponsorship scheme in India could raise
a significant amount towards future running costs of the Village and the aim also was to increase
financial support from HEAL’s presence in the United States.

Dr Prasad said that “negative thoughts” regarding the charity’s ability to raise funding on such a
large scale should be dismissed. “It is eminently achievable. I am fairly confident that we will
reach our target,” he added.

“India has the largest number of malnourished and poverty-trap children of anywhere in the world -
even more than in Africa. A lot of people are in desperate need and have the need of our new
project.”

He was encouraged and grateful for the promise of backing from HEAL supporters such as the Chundury family from Birmingham to cover the cost of building an institute for the blind, Drs Arun and Rita Agarwal, who are contributing towards a classroom, and London-based company Air Charter Service who have raised money for a much-needed computer lab within the Village. The nearby Nagarjuna hospital is also offering funding for a health centre.

Dr Prasad will accompany a group of cyclists from the UK, United States and India to Kerala for a
five-day cycle challenge early in the new year, an event which is hoped will raise around £35k for HEAL.

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Posted in Charity Bike Rides, Cycle India 2012, Heal Paradise Village, Heal UK | No Comments »

Rag-time boost for Heal

Monday, November 7th, 2011

FOR the second year running, the fund-raising efforts of London medical students have proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Heal.

Barts and The London Students’ Association, the representative body for medical, dental and occupational therapy students, have developed a fantastic reputation for their charitable efforts and over the last eight years have raised more than £1.5million for their adopted charities.

Heal was thrilled to receive a donation of £2,000 from the student body last year, all the money going straight to help needy children receive vital healthcare, shelter and education in Andhra Pradesh.

Barts (formerly St Bartholomew’s) and The London is one of Britain’s leading medical and dental schools with 1,600 undergraduate and 750 postgraduate students and a growing reputation within the field of research and many other disciplines.

And when Rag – or Raise And Give – Week came around this year, the students pulled out all the stops as they collected record-breaking amounts through an intensive week of fund-raising activities. So much so, in fact, that Heal received a cheque for £4,000 – double the previous year’s donation.

Rag Week students were out in force as they planned ‘tube raids’ in London, street collections, cake stalls and pub crawls, while others took on individual sponsored challenges such as sky diving, cycling, trekking or running.

“This academic year we had our biggest Raising And Giving week yet and collected a record-breaking amount for charities such as Heal,” said Meera Lakhani, Barts and the London Rag Captain for 2010-11.

“All of the students and staff at Barts and the London Medical School are proud to have raised this money and we feel privileged in being able to give to such a worthwhile cause.”

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Posted in Charity Events, Fundraising, Heal UK | No Comments »

Autumn ball raises £6,700 for Heal

Monday, November 7th, 2011

HEAL would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who helped make our first Autumn Ball a great success.

The princely sum of £6,700 was raised, all of the proceeds going towards the cost of building the new Paradise Village in Andhra Pradesh.

The Fleet, in Peterborough, played host to 180 people for the Ball, a black-tie event which included a fine sit-down dinner, live dancing and musical entertainment, as well as an auction which raised almost £3,000.

“The Autumn Ball was a change to the Heal India Nights of previous years and it was good to see some new faces among our many regular attendees this year,” said event manager Helen Rome, who acted a MC on the night.

“The money raised, £6,700, will make such a difference to hundreds of children’s lives as it will go directly towards building the Paradise Village.

“We would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who donated auction prizes – your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated!

“So many people have helped in organising the event, and I would like to thank Peterborough Renewable Energy for donating their time, as well as Win Rome, Christine Williams, Liz Chick, Lee Dane and Ann Garrett for their help in dressing the hall.”

Auction prizes included hospitality tickets kindly donated by both Peterborough Football Club and the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Marco Cereste, leader of Peterborough City Council, was the auctioneer for the night and musical entertainment was provided by Fabio D’Andrea and friends and DJ Nuch Sounds.

Guests were also treated to traditional dancing from Surishi and Sindhu and a fabulous four-course meal was provided by Ali’s Balti House in Peterborough.

In addition, while enjoying a lively social gathering, those in attendance were reminded why they were all there as Rebecca Newsom and friend Gabbi, who had attended the Heal Children’s Village in Guntur for a week earlier this year, gave a heartfelt presentation and talked about their experiences.

The next Heal India Night is already being planned for The Cresset in Peterborough – the date for your diaries being Saturday, October 6, 2012.

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Posted in Charity Balls, Charity Events, Heal UK | No Comments »

Fundraising ideas for Heal

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

MAKING a donation or sponsoring a child are just two of the ways you can help HEAL carry out its important work in removing children from the poverty trap in India.

But have you considered the many other ways you could make a difference?

If you are planning to take part in an endurance event or a sporting challenge, why not take the opportunity to ask family and friends to support your efforts by sponsoring you for a worthy cause?

Holding a ‘curry night’, a pub quiz or perhaps a sponsored car wash are other ways of getting your loved ones involved in raising much-needed funds to help provide shelter, medical care and education to hundreds of disadvantaged children through HEAL’s volunteer work in Andhra Pradesh.

A glance through the news items on the HEAL website at heal.co.uk shows some of the imaginative ways in which generous fund-raisers have chosen to put their ideas to the best possible use, helping to raise thousands of pounds to support HEAL’s efforts, safe in the knowledge that the charity’s minimal administrative costs means that the money is going directly to where it is needed most.

Recent heart-warming stories include a group of family members glorying in the name of ‘The G8 Summits’, who completed their own Three Peaks mountain climbing challenge, and Usha Topiwalla, mother of one of the team members, who provided takeaway curries for more than a hundred of her fellow workers.

Schoolboy Vishal Patel raised money by taking part in a kayak race, while others have held concerts, coffee mornings, raffles and even a bedroom clear-out sale, organised by brother and sister Joel and Abi Knee.

And don’t forget the intrepid team of cyclists from the UK, United States and India who will take part in Cycle India 2012 to give HEAL’s latest and most ambitious project – Paradise Village – a financial boost.

The cost of buying land and creating a purpose-built village to lift a thousand orphaned and impoverished children out of poverty and into a caring, educational environment is high, but HEAL are determined to press ahead with their plans and intend to open the doors to a first intake of children in June 2012.

If you, or perhaps your school, church or other organisation have a fund-raising idea to help give these children a brighter future why not let us know through the HEAL website (heal.co.uk) and we will help you publicise your efforts.

Many of our supporters raise money through the Just Giving website (justgiving.com) making it easy to channel donations direct to HEAL, not forgetting the considerable benefits of gift aid which can greatly enhance the final amount raised.

So, go on, let your efforts make a difference and help us transform the lives of Indian children.

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Posted in Charity Balls, Cycle India 2012, Fundraising, Heal Paradise Village, Heal UK | No Comments »

Heal AGM – 4th December, 2011

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The Annual General Meeting of HEAL UK will be held at:

Westwood Clinic
Wicken Way
Peterborough
PE3 7JW

On Sunday 4th December 2011 at 10.30 am

The AGM is open to all fully paid-up members of the HEAL UK Charity. To view the agenda click on the link below:

HEAL AGM Agenda 2011.

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Posted in Heal UK | No Comments »

From peaks to pakoras!

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

LAST month the HEAL website reported on the remarkable fund-raising achievements of a group of family members, calling themselves The G8 Summits, who came up with a mission to climb the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales.

Nish Topiwalla, Heman Tailor, Kage Topiwalla, Mayur Jaldevi, Zach Tailor, Nil Tailor, Dom Tailor & Kamlesh Jaldevi, all related and with families of Indian origin, conquered their own Three Peaks Challenge and raised a fantastic £4,611 for HEAL in the process.

Well, the ladies of the family were not to be outdone and Usha Topiwalla, mother of Nish and Kage, came up with her own idea for boosting HEAL’s work with orphaned and disadvantaged children in India.

Usha organised a takeaway curry day at Barclays in Crewe – and the idea turned out to be real hot stuff!

Not only did the currys prove popular with hungry work colleagues, raising £1,150, but employers Barclays agreed to donate a further £750.

“This was a roaring success,” said G8 Summits organiser Heman Tailor. “I think this has been a phenomenal achievement by Usha and all the ladies involved.

“When we came up with the original idea of doing the Three Peaks Challenge and raising the money for HEAL, Usha wanted to do something too. She had the idea of making takeaway curries for her colleagues at Barclays offices in Crewe.

“Usha and Pushpa Jaldevi then proceeded to organise the event to follow our Three Peaks success. They started preparing the food from September 5, with Usha & Pushpa paying for all the ingredients themselves.

“They were joined by Nirmala Tailor, my mother, and Ruby Tailor, my wife, on September 8 and further prepared and cooked the food right up until 3pm on Friday, September 9.

“The menu consisted of chicken pakoras, chicken curry, rice, home-made naan bread and desert.

“They sold in total 115 meals – 110 to Barclays staff and five more to neighbours who could smell the food being cooked!

“In total this has raised £1,150 and Barclays agreed to match pound-for-pound up to £750, so the total raised will end up being well over £2,000 with the addition of gift aid.”

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Come and have a Ball with HEAL

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

AN unforgettable night of Indian food, entertainment, dancing and fund-raising is promised when HEAL holds its first Autumn Ball in Peterborough on October 8.

Following the success of previous HEAL India Nights, which have raised many thousands of pounds for disadvantaged children in poverty-stricken areas of south-east India, organisers have decided to make this year’s event an even grander occasion.

The Fleet, in Peterborough, will host the first HEAL Autumn Ball, a black tie sit-down dinner, which will include entertainment from dance groups, a DJ, and a band.

Of course it is not only about having a fun evening, but an all-important chance to raise funds for HEAL and especially its current major project, the Paradise Village in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

“Instead of the usual raffle, we will be having an auction this year,” says Helen Rome, who has organised HEAL India Nights for the past four years.

“The event is very different with the Autumn Ball being a formal black-tie dinner, rather than the buffet-style arrangement of previous years.

“The gatherings are extremely important, giving people the chance to socialise and help a worthy cause, while keeping HEAL at the forefront of their mind.

“The large forum also allows new people to come along and hopefully help us to raise even more than the £6,000 or so we have achieved in the past.”

Ticket prices for the Autumn Ball are £50, with tables of 12 available.
Venue: The Fleet, Fleet Way, Fletton, Peterborough. Start time 7pm for 7.30, until midnight.
To order tickets, please contact Helen Rome, e-mail helen.rome@prel-online.co.uk or telephone 07863 178679.

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Posted in Charity Balls, Charity Events, Heal UK | No Comments »

Devizes to Westminster, the Everest of the Kayaking world

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

My name is Vishal Patel and I paddle for the Kimbolton School canoeing team, I am currently in training for the DW kayak race and hope that you will sponsor me to help support the charity Heal.

The Devizes to Westminster kayak race is an epic test of mental strength and physical endurance, for 125 gruelling miles paddlers from around the world test themselves, discovering and breaking their limits. “Pain is temporary, Pride is forever”, the immortal words of my coach rang in my ears as I started on the first day of my voyage last year. An early, cold and frosty morning last year, in the sleepy town of Devizes 12 Kimbolton kayakers prepared themselves to put their training to the test.

A picture of the team before the race

All in high spirits we set off one at a time, oblivious to the horrors that lay ahead.

There are 4 consecutive days in the DW races, each day having a different distance, Day 1 – 34 miles, Day 2 – 36 miles, Day 3 – 38 miles, Day 4 – 17 miles. However after the age of 18 paddlers are allowed to undertake the nonstop marathon in which they paddle the whole 125 miles in one, uninterrupted attempt. Of the roughly 700 paddlers that started the race last year about 450-500 finished the race. One of these people unable to finish the race was my partner, Stephan, who had to drop out after the first day after sustaining an injury to his wrist having fallen at a lock on the slippery mud 17 miles into the first day. However he is a key example of how paddlers push themselves being still able to finish the days paddling.
The following day I was paired up with a veteran to the race and was able to achieve some very good times at the following stages.

The Juniors in the race have to stay at designated camp sites next to the river after each day where we have to cook our own food and sleep in tents, not 5* Olympic hotels unfortunately.

Every year the race finishes under Westminster bridge opposite the houses of parliament, which are the mot beautiful sight a paddler will see as it is the marking of the end of the race.

This year I am embarking on this journey again in order to raise money for Heal, as I believe that it is a very worthwhile charity to support in order to stamp out child poverty. Every great race starts with small paddle strokes, please be the first paddle strokes in the great race to stamp out child poverty and sponsor me.

Thank you very much.

Vishal Patel

http://www.justgiving.com/Vishal-Patel0

Posted in Fundraising, Heal UK | No Comments »

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