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

Join Val and friends for a day in the hills raising money for our work in Nepal and Peru.

Our annual LED charity walk will be held on Saturday 9th September 2023 and we’ll be based in the village of Portinscale, near Keswick in the Lake District.

We plan to head off from the village hall at Portinscale which is just behind the Farmers Arms (grid reference: NY249237, What3words: watching.coasting.typed, Post code: CA12 5RW, Google maps) at 9.30am and ask you to all be there by 9.00am for a safety and update briefing.

We will then all then walk to the foot of Cat Bells with the hope we can all get to the top for a group picture (NY244199). After that there will be choice of 3 “guided” walk options (distance, ascent & timings all advisory!) which are as follows

1. Short route: Descend to Hause Gate (NY244191) and drop down towards Derwent water and walk back along path above the road (D: 11km, A: 550m, T: 4 hours)
2. Medium route: Go over Maiden Moor and High Spy and after dropping to the saddle (NY231153) with Dale Head, follow the footpath back into the Newlands Valley (D: 20Km, A:900m, T: 6/7 hours)
3. Long route: From the saddle climb up to Dale Head (NY222153), follow the ridge north west, then north round to Hindscarth (NY216165)and drop back into Newlands Valley from its north east ridge (D: 22km, A: 1200m, T: 7/8 hours)

You are of course free to choose any other variant of the above!

We will then all enjoy tea and biscuits at Portinscale Village hall before commencing the evening dinner around 7.30pm.

As many of you know, Portinscale is a charming Lakes village just a short walk from Keswick. Whilst there is lots of accommodation available in Portinscale, Keswick or Braithwaite, this is the Lakes so we would advise you to book early!

We’d love to see as many of you that can make it come along and so we can plan the logistics and catering we would be grateful if you would complete the registration form by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/uw4g75Qj1Fpb1zp78

If you have any further questions now or beforehand please do not hesitate to email us. We look forward to seeing you all on 9th September!

Val & the LED Trustees