Pembs raises £23,000 for START in four months

Pembrokeshire people can be very proud of themselves. In only four months they have helped START, the Sri Lankan Trust to Aid and Rebuild Tangalle, to raise over £23,000 for the people of Tangalle. Gareth Hopkins from Neyland Town Council has rung START to add a further £500 to the total. The talk by Paul Cowper at Rosemarket Church was well received, while the video made by Brian Cook, husband of BBC TV 'Watchdog' presenter Sue is ready. "We will announce when it will be shown on TV as soon as we know," said START trustee, Jo Hammond. Meanwhile, START has also been offered a stand at the summer spectaculars. The CD from the concert at Folly Farm and the book 'East meets West' will be on sale. The launch of the book 'East meets West' is scheduled for May 18. It will take place at the New Zealand Embassy in the Haymarket, London. The book is a collection of recipes by chefs from all over the world published by Pembrokeshire's very own Accent Press. Many of the chefs who have contributed are household names such as Nigella Lawson, Antonio Carluccio, Rick Stein and Ross Burden. The book will be packed with some fabulous mouth watering pictures. START has been taken on by the organisers as one of the three beneficiary charities. This means that the charity will receive a percentage from sales of the book. So we all need to go and buy it enthusiastically! The event will be a high profile one as so many of the celebrity chefs will be there. START will benefit from the publicity it will generate. START will be helping in the Tangalle hospital where demand is acute and also the schools. Paul has already contacted schools that would be keen to link to schools here in Pembrokeshire. Music and dance therapy, as well as swimming therapy for children now terrified of the water, are other proposed projects. In addition, money will be made available for new equipment and resources. The rebuilding of houses will come later when there is more certainty about government policy in this area. At a meeting of the trustees last Wednesday, it was decided to put £5,000 into improvements for the hospital where patients lie on blood-stained mattresses and bathroom facilities are primitive and extremely unhygienic. Secondary schools to be linked with Pembrokeshire are Rahula School and Kaduapokuna. At Rahula School, there used to be a dance studio where Priantha, a specialist in Kandean dance had taught. This was washed away when the wave hit. The dance school is now housed in a Buddhist Temple, but has lost its equipment and costumes. It is proposed that START should replace these. At Marwella, the school was completely swept away and the children are now catered for in a neighbouring school. START has already re-equipped the school band. During his recent fact-finding mission to Tangalle, Paul was treated to an impromptu concert before he left. "It was wonderful to see the children smiling again," he said. The two primary schools chosen to link with schools here are Unakuruwa and Kaduapokuna. These were not hit by the wave themselves, but much of their catchment area was along the shoreline so many pupils are traumatised and distraught at the loss of parents, relatives and friends. The schools are very poor and lack resources. Money will be allocated to provide books, and a library.

Pembrokeshire people can be very proud of themselves. In only four months they have helped START, the Sri Lankan Trust to Aid and Rebuild Tangalle, to raise over £23,000 for the people of Tangalle. Gareth Hopkins from Neyland Town Council has rung START to add a further £500 to the total. The talk by Paul Cowper at Rosemarket Church was well received, while the video made by Brian Cook, husband of BBC TV 'Watchdog' presenter Sue is ready. "We will announce when it will be shown on TV as soon as we know," said START trustee, Jo Hammond. Meanwhile, START has also been offered a stand at the summer spectaculars. The CD from the concert at Folly Farm and the book 'East meets West' will be on sale. The launch of the book 'East meets West' is scheduled for May 18. It will take place at the New Zealand Embassy in the Haymarket, London. The book is a collection of recipes by chefs from all over the world published by Pembrokeshire's very own Accent Press. Many of the chefs who have contributed are household names such as Nigella Lawson, Antonio Carluccio, Rick Stein and Ross Burden. The book will be packed with some fabulous mouth watering pictures. START has been taken on by the organisers as one of the three beneficiary charities. This means that the charity will receive a percentage from sales of the book. So we all need to go and buy it enthusiastically! The event will be a high profile one as so many of the celebrity chefs will be there. START will benefit from the publicity it will generate. START will be helping in the Tangalle hospital where demand is acute and also the schools. Paul has already contacted schools that would be keen to link to schools here in Pembrokeshire. Music and dance therapy, as well as swimming therapy for children now terrified of the water, are other proposed projects. In addition, money will be made available for new equipment and resources. The rebuilding of houses will come later when there is more certainty about government policy in this area. At a meeting of the trustees last Wednesday, it was decided to put £5,000 into improvements for the hospital where patients lie on blood-stained mattresses and bathroom facilities are primitive and extremely unhygienic. Secondary schools to be linked with Pembrokeshire are Rahula School and Kaduapokuna. At Rahula School, there used to be a dance studio where Priantha, a specialist in Kandean dance had taught. This was washed away when the wave hit. The dance school is now housed in a Buddhist Temple, but has lost its equipment and costumes. It is proposed that START should replace these. At Marwella, the school was completely swept away and the children are now catered for in a neighbouring school. START has already re-equipped the school band. During his recent fact-finding mission to Tangalle, Paul was treated to an impromptu concert before he left. "It was wonderful to see the children smiling again," he said. The two primary schools chosen to link with schools here are Unakuruwa and Kaduapokuna. These were not hit by the wave themselves, but much of their catchment area was along the shoreline so many pupils are traumatised and distraught at the loss of parents, relatives and friends. The schools are very poor and lack resources. Money will be allocated to provide books, and a library.