Charities Committee

The Charities Committee was established early in 2005 in response to the Asian tsunami which devastated large parts of South and South-East Asia. Its original focus was on helping a school in southern Sri Lanka - St. Thomas's, Matara - recover from the effects of the tsunami in replacing basic infrastructure needs and subsequently replenishing inventories in all areas of school life.

Since then the fundraising of the Committee has been more diverse with Naomi House, a children's hospice funded by the Wessex Children's Hospice Fund, and the Mango Tree, a charity helping to educate orphans in East Africa, being the designated charities in the previous year. In addition, the link with Sri Lanka remains as the school has provided help for the building of a hostel for blind and deaf children near Galle in the south of the island.  

The Committee meets weekly to arrange events: paintballing, a swimathon, a charity raffle, selling hot chocolate and mince pies at Illumina, making badges for XVs have all been aspects of Winchester fundraising.  

The following charities have been assisted recently (in addition to those mentioned above): ACE Africa support (for children in Kenya with Aids), Save the Children, Cancer Research UK, TAG, DebRA, Fairbridge, Children in Need, Roche Court International, Homestart Winchester, Mayor's Christmas/Annual charity, Macmillan nurses, Amnesty International, Buskaid, Kenneth Kettle Trust and Emmaus Hampshire.  

So far, in three and a half years, the Committee has been responsible for raising around £25,000. It aims to continue in the same vein.