Buttermilk Barn Charity Page

Buttermilk Barn is proud to be able to help a number of charities that make a difference in this world and when I choose particular organisation, I look at what they do, how money is spent and whether it is long term project & how it contributes to the village and country at large. What I don’t want is a charity that spends a load of money on admin costs and glossy brochures when the money raised could go directly to the people it is meant to benefit! When I planned my most recent visit to Nepal (ALWAYS using my own funds to travel there & for expenses), I was determined to help as many organisations that I could using profits from my own business, www.buttermilkbarn.com and through a number of fundraising events beforehand. Having a number of customers, friends, family, celebrities & companies who donate or contribute in some way is always a boost and I am sooo incredible thankful to those who have helped in some way.

My 13 yr old daughter Emily, has seen me work hard to help children in Nepal and I was only too thrilled when she expressed an interest in travelling there with me most recently. It was not to be a luxury sightseeing tour, but one where we visited the schools, orphanages & projects that I supported and got a first hand experience of what poverty was like in Nepal & India.

I show a few of the organisations here and invite you to contact me for more information or details on how you can make a donation.

Our Fundraising Evening with Jeremy Irons

On Dec 14, 2007, I organised an event that would benefit Nepal Orphans Home (www.nepalorphanshome.org) and Shiva Charity (www.shivacharity.org).

Our special guest for the evening was the extremely talented Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons
(Brideshead Revisted, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Mission, Elizabeth, Damage, Casanova, Stealing Beauty, The Merchant of Venice, Kingdom of Heaven, Dead Ringers, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Reversal of Fortune & many more incredible performances of stage & screen).

It was an evening with entertainment from Nepal & India, information about the children’s charities we were helping & a chance for everyone to hear Jeremy speak & then mingle with him. A very memorable evening indeed!

A very big heartfelt thank you goes to Jeremy, all our entertainers & Lobster Pot Catering for making it a truly special night. Photo shows Jeremy Irons with my daughter Emily.

Shiva Charity
www.shivacharity.org
http://www.justgiving.com/shivaschools

Many know that I have been sponsoring a school through SHIVA (Schools Helping India Voluntary Assoc) for a few years now. SHIVA combats poverty by providing children in Nepal, Sri Lanka & India with educations.

One of the best moments of my life took place this past April when my teenage daughter and I paid a visit to a remote village where the school is based. SHIVA has transformed so many lives here and it was probably one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had to witness it & be a part of.

In many countries, education is a luxury, please consider making a contribution.

http://www.himalayanchildren.org

The Shree Mangal Dvip School is simply amazing. We were given a tour by a girl who was the same age as Emily, but who had come from such a remote area of Nepal that it took more than a week of hard trekking just to reach it. Most of the Himalayan students at the school come from areas with no roads, no electricity, no telecommunications, no running water or sanitation, no health care and no schools. Their lives couldn’t be more different, but they became fast friends and were soon chatting together as if they had known each other all their lives.

The school provides an education, a home (for those who board there), food and the opportunity to retain their culture and identity – particularly those of Tibetan backgrounds. I was so impressed with all that they have achieved, but there is always the struggle to keep it going, so donations are greatly needed. Emily & I loaded up our suitcases with a number of items that were of use to the school such as vitamins, wart medicines, and educational items along with soft toys. I knew I wanted to also do a bit more & decided to sponsor a 10 yr old boy at the school. We met and chatted together for quite awhile. I’m quite certain that it will be the start of a long term friendship and we will meet again! Emily also donated money that she had raised herself through the sale of sweets at her secondary school, Watford Girls Grammar.

Having visited the school, I wholeheartedly endorse them and what they are achieving. It is my hope that Emily & I will have ties to the school and it’s staff/students for a long time to come.

Best of all… after visiting, my own daughter told me it was the best day of her life. To me, that was recognition that she “got it”. She truly understood why I wanted to devote so much time and energy to the children in Nepal and why it this school was so important. She was now part of the Buddhist philosophy/teachings that involve helping others.