Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

It's been nearly a decade since my last Great North Run, I've been persuaded to come out of retirement to give Mo something to worry about. I'm running on behalf of Hope Community Village, a charity with roots in my home area, the Calder ('Happy') Valley. Hope do great work for orphans in Kerala, India and deserve lots of help. Please give what you can, and wish me luck, it's not as easy as it used to be!

Hope's Story

Hope Community Village in Kerala, South India is an orphanage with a difference. It is modelled on the idea of children living in a real community and has several houses in a village setting, with children living with their “siblings” with a house-mother and auntie. They go out to school and live the normal life of other children in their neighbourhood. They also receive full support right up to a stage when they are able live independently. At present, it has over 80 children of all ages with a full complement of support staff. In addition, there is a kindergarten with up to 80 children from poor local families and an I.T. Centrefor use both by the children and by local people.

It is entirely supported by a small group of trustees and supporters, all volunteers, from Halifax and the Calder Valley, their friends and families. They are ably led by founding father, John Veitch, a now-retired local businessman whose company had strong trade links with that
part of India. It was during one of his many business trips to the area that John became aware of the plight of destitute children there and he determined to give something back to a neighbourhood he had come to know and love. Thus Hope was born in 1995 with a modest house and five children looked after by one housemother.

Since then, it has gone from strength to strength
but now costs £6,000 a month to run. This is a big responsibility for all of us but one we gladly shoulder with the generous support of the good people of the Calder Valley and beyond.

So Thank You All For Your Support!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.