Thank you to everyone who came along to this year’s fundraising walk and dinner, and to everyone who has donated “For Thame”. We’ve raised over £9,000 so far and donations for Thame Flood Relief are still coming in – thank you all. This means we will be able to continue with our planned projects for 2024/2025 in addition to providing funds for Thame.

A big thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle, Hesket Newmarket Brewery for the beers and Mae’s Tea Rooms for the afternoon tea voucher, The Castle Inn, Old Crown Pub, all the WI ladies, Gemma Knight, Boo and Heather, Garry, Fish and Aly and to everyone else who gave their time and energy and helped make the day such an enjoyable success. A big shout out to the washing up and tidying up teams!

It was a fantastic day – wonderful weather, cracking views from Ullock Pike, ‘atmospheric’ on the top of Skiddaw and beautiful valley views – and an extra Wainwright – on the descent back to Bassenthwaite Parish Rooms for gallons of tea and mountains of cake followed by a lovely evening featuring curries, more cakes, the raffle and a stunning sunset. 

The 2024 LED Charity walk will take place on Saturday 7 September in the North Lakes and we hope that many of you will be able to join in what has become an enjoyable event which raises essential funds for the charity.

Full details of the walk will follow nearer to the event. The walk will finish at Bassenthwaite Village Hall where you will be welcomed with refreshments, followed by an evening meal. 

To register, please:

• Complete the registration form
• Make your donation via the LED JustGiving page

In previous years, we have raised a significant sum towards our annual fundraising requirements but we hope that this year, we can better this! With that in mind, we are focusing on two particular key areas of the work undertaken by LED. 

This year, we are hoping to distribute solar lights to 3 villages in the Cordillera Blanca and in Nepal, to communities in the Nubri and Na Phu areas. Solar lights are the backbone of our charity work in these remote areas where life is incredibly hard and the people living there have little access to healthcare or electricity.

For those donors who have not had the opportunity to travel to these areas and see our work, you may be thinking, what can light do and how can it bring significant change to these communities?

The lights are transformative. They change the way that people can live.

They help with health issues by reducing chest infections caused by the burning of kerosene for light or cheaper candles.

They allow for development by providing opportunities for children to study in the evenings, and for better social interaction between families and friends.

They provide safety and have helped in the reduction of predators attacking livestock such as scaring away wolves from yak herds in the Thame valley.

And indirectly they have reduced the birthrate in many villages in Peru where families are already on stretched incomes.

The costs for running these two projects will be in the region of £10,000. ALL of your help is greatly appreciated, whatever you can provide is all gratefully received. 

We are looking forward to receiving your registration forms and payments.

If you can’t attend, then please consider making a donation, however small – it all helps and it ALL makes a difference. 

Thank you!

Val and the Trustees of LED

Happy New Year (a little late!)

Thank you all for your continuing support for the work that LED undertakes in remote mountain communities in Nepal and Peru. 

2023 was a great year for us. We undertook a number of new projects including eye clinics in the Quishar and Cachipampa regions of Peru and a new solar light project in Numbri, Nepal. We of course continue to support existing vital projects such as the teacher at Thame school in Nepal and the medical post in Quishar, Peru. 

We would like 2024 to be even better and hope that you can help us with this. 

Our annual fundraising walk will be taking place on Saturday 7 September 2024 in the Lake District. This year we will be setting off from near Bassenthwaite for a walk in the glorious Skiddaw region, returning for the popular drinks and an evening meal at Bassenthwaite Village Hall to round off what we hope will be an enjoyable and sociable day.

Full details of the walk, accommodation options and registration forms will be circulated next month but please now SAVE THE DATE!

It would be wonderful to see as many of you as possible and raise more funds to continue our work. 

Val and the Trustees of LED

A quick update with a few pics from our 2023 fundraiser last Saturday, from Portinscale in the Lake District up, round and down the Newlands Valley.

A huge thanks to all who came along and supported us, and to the local businesses and LED supporters who provided raffle prizes.

We’ll update soon on the total amount the event raised but a great time was had by all on a hot, humid but fun day and evening.

Donations to support LED’s work in Nepal and Peru are much appreciated at any time via our JustGiving page – www.justgiving.com/lighteducationdevelopment