St Teresa's fund raisers get morale boosting talk

For 25 years the congregation of St Teresa's Church in Beaconsfield has been sending funds to The Leonard Cheshire children's home in Mongu.
Mr Patterson, of Baring Crescent, had just been on a return holiday trip to that region and visited the home along with old friends when he discovered the connection with St Teresa's through a friend of a friend.
On Thursday evening (April 23) he spoke of his experiences there and of of his wider knowledge of the region to fund raisers in the Borlase Hall, Warwick Road.
The home lies close to the mighty Zambezi river which swells for six months of the year to become fifty miles wide. Located in an elevated position on the edge of the forest, the temperature is a pleasant 27 to 30 degrees all year round, but mosquitoes are abundant.
Mr Paterson, said: "When I was working there (in the colonial service from 1960 to 1969) children with disabilities had no life at all. A boy or girl with a club foot for example could only hope to look after cattle or work at a sewing machine. "
The home looks after around 75 children each year while they are recovering from treatment or operations to improve or cure their condition.
During his visit Mr Patterson was able to speak to children in Lozi, their own language.
He said: "I couldn't believe that children with such disabilities could be so happy, there was a real feeling of warmth about the place."
Fund raiser Lesley Morant said: "We've got an awful lot of people raising money and here we had an opportunity for somebody who has lived there to talk to us not only about the home but about the economy, the agriculture, the infrastructure and so on. It's been a tremendous boost for the fund raisers."
St Teresa's will be holding its annual summer fete in aid of the home on June 22 in the church grounds in Warwick Road from 10am to 2pm. It expects to raise over £7,000. Last year it sent £25,000 to the home.