Dedicated fundraiser Jayne Lofthouse is hoping people will support a project close to her heart – helping villagers living in “appalling conditions” in a holiday hotspot.
Jayne, a team secretary from Consett in County Durham, has raised funds for a local donkey sanctuary and twice taken aid out to Poland for the people of Ukraine in the past.
Now she is setting her sights on improving the lives of people in Sri Lanka with the help of a group of friends – by providing basics such as toothpaste, sanitary products and stationery.
“The first time I ever visited Sri Lanka was back in 2017, and I just fell in love with it,” said Jayne, who works for our Trust’s neurodevelopmental assessment service in Stanley.
“The country is so beautiful, and the people are so friendly. They will do anything for you, even though they have very little themselves. That’s why I want to try and help.
“It would be lovely if people across our Trust area could help by providing a little support too. It doesn’t have to be much; every little bit really does help.”
Helping locals a little at a time
Jayne, 57, found herself so enchanted with Sri Lanka on her first visit that she has since returned three more times – striking up friendships with several local people.
Her holidays, however, have not all been spent sightseeing at tourist spots. Instead, she has visited rural villages, old hospitals and schools with local guides.
“People tend to be either very poor or very rich, there isn’t a middle ground. Some of the huts people live in are just bits of corrugated metal, not proper homes,” said Jayne.
“Seeing the poverty at first hand is what really made me want to help. Most visitors probably won’t realise how bad things are, as it happens out of sight of the usual tourist areas.”
Jayne and three her friends – who call themselves One Good Deed – spent months fundraising for donations of clothes and sanitary products before their most recent trip in September.
The pals also raised £500 towards the costs of upgrading nurse accommodation at a hospital for villagers, which has black mould, rickety beds and bare concrete floors.
“During our most recent stay, I was introduced to some of the nurses. They have similar qualifications to ours, but the hospital conditions are awful. Clean, but dilapidated,” she said.
“It was a very humbling, very moving experience – and made me all the more determined to help out. The staff are all trying their best to help people, despite having very little money.
“It was also really moving to meet some of the children we were donating items to. They were over the moon and had learned to say Thank You. They even sang to us in English.”
Can you help support the appeal?
Now, just weeks after returning home, the pals are planning a further fundraising drive – this time to provide hygiene products and clothes for village children aged one to 15.
And, in addition to hosting coffee mornings once a month at Lanchester Methodist Church Hall, they are also organising a Christmas Fair at Lanchester Community Centre on December 14.
“When we gave the families what we had collected this year, you’d have thought we had given them the world. They were so grateful for every little thing,” said Jayne.
“These people live in appalling poverty, just scraping by. A little gift of sweets or clothes can mean the world to them, and I’d love for people across the Trust to help me out with this.”
- Jayne and the One Good Deed team are planning to send regular parcels of aid out to Sr Lanka. If you would like to support the appeal, please contact Jayne via email at: [email protected]
