Simon Hawkesley
Simon Hawkesley's 'Sajan Appeal' 2018
Fundraising for Fine & Country Foundation
Story
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I need another £1,600 !!!
I've now been to Everest Base Camp. (Loved every second).
I have also visited Paul Campbell's adopted Nepalese village and... I loved that too... but it was a wake up call.
We ( you the Donators) have raised £1,600 to which I am grateful BUT I now need to do the same again.
A small 9 years old, very bright and very inquisitive 'Sajan Tamang' hung around with the Trekking Team when we arrived at his broken village. He was a very typical 9 year old.
We learnt that he had a younger and an older sister and a Mum and Dad. His clothes, shoes and general grubby-ness would have cast him in any 'Dickens Novel'. But this is 2018.
On leaving for the UK... the thought of the plight of this small chap broke many hearts within the trekking group. So further investigation has been made to discover why his family had 'fallen off the radar'.
Paul Campbell and his family flew back to Nepal to find out. It appears that Sajan's home had effectively 'flat-packed' in the 2015 earthquakes and there was not enough structure left to create a make-shift structure. Therefore Sajan's Dad had a look around and stumbled across a remote animal shelter up in the hills, no services or water or electricity, around 20 minutes walk back down to the village.
With little or no other option, Sajan's family gathered their belongings and moved out of the village and installed themselves into the animal shelter and continue to inhabit it along with the animals.
My Facebook page has video's or both Sajan, his family, the site of his former home and the animal shelter they have been living in since 2015.
I need £1,600 to purchase the materials required to re-build Sajan's family home. Sajan's Dad will actually do the rebuild with his village friends but he couldn't possibly find the money required to buy the materials required.
Help me with any donation that you can
Thanks
Simon
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MY STORY: Hummm where do I begin...
An age of Exploration:
It was 1961. John F. Kennedy was the president of the United States. He wanted to land humans on the moon. The United States had just started trying to put people in space. Was NASA ready to go to the moon? The president and NASA knew they could do it. They were ready to put people on the moon. Apollo 11's mission was to land two men on the moon. They also had to come back to Earth safely.
Apollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969. Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins were the astronauts on Apollo 11.
Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon.
That year was my final Summer Holiday before I, like all British 'nearly 5 year olds', succumbed to a formal education. That summer filled
the minds of nations across the globe with Space Travel and Mans achievements. It was no great surprise that, on enrolling into my Primary School, a great focus was placed on the 'Age of Exploration'.
As my fist school year ambled along, I came to realise that 'Going to the Moon' may not be as achievable for me as it had been for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin so I set my focus on other exciting quests !!!
Mountains:
My first School Summer holidays arrived and was complemented by a trip to Wales. It was fascinating, adventurous and worthy of great exploration. Wales was the playground of George Mallory, the first Everest Explorer and the training camp of Edmund Hillary, the first confirmed to stand on Everest's Summit. For me.... My first summit (age 5) 'Cader Idris' Snowdonia, Wales. AND I got a sew-on badge for my anorak. The cast was set and the wanderlust would not leave me my entire life.
Obsession:
Trip after trip. From Hills to Peaks and Peaks to Mountains. By the time I had reached my 20's I had solo'ed Mt.Blanc ( Europe's Tallest ) plus a handful of other European victories and clocked up so many miles going to and from Wales with a group of likeminded thrill seekers.
Driving distances progressed to the Scottish Highlands and Islands. BUT never had the funds to travel beyond the capability of my car or cheap European Flights. George Mallory, Edmund Hillary and EVEREST never left my mind.
Not so Happy 50th Year: (The Earthquake claimed 8,700 lives)
I got it into my head that the year I turned 50 would be my Everest year. Everest has 2 climbing seasons (pre and post Monsoon) As I
turned 50 in October 2014 I looked forward to following 'Everest activities' in April 2015 with a view to travelling to the Himalayas
'post-monsoon' before my 51st Birthday in October 2015.
Sunday 26th April 2015 : The Press wrote: "Deadly Everest avalanche triggered by Nepal earthquake. With at least 17 people believed to have been killed on Everest, and 61 injured, climbers in the camp sent frantic messages calling for helicopter assistance to evacuate the most badly wounded. The avalanche began Saturday on Mount Kumori, a 7,000-metre (22,966-foot) mountain just a few kilometers from Everest, gathering strength as it headed toward the base camp, where climbing expeditions have been preparing to make their summit attempts in the coming weeks.
All of the dead and injured found by Sunday were at the base camp".
As each day passed the statistics grew. With the highest death toll recorded since 1975, the 'roof of the world' remained deserted in 2015 following the Himalayan earthquake, which hit Nepal on April 25 and claimed 8,700 lives - 22 of which were climbers killed by an avalanche that struck Everest Base Camp.
For the first time in more than 41 years, nobody had successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest.
My opportunity was lost. My hopes dashed through a most disturbing and horrendous catastrophe.
Sean & Paul:
I have known Sean Newman and Paul Campbell for over 30 years. Both great guys. Paul Campbell visited the Himalayas after the earthquake and saw the devastation and impact on the Nepalese and their homes
and communities with his own eyes. He was horrified.
Sean and I had discussed going to Everest Base Camp during an evening in the company of Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
When Sean learned of Pauls quest to rebuild a village he took the plunge and decided that this was the perfect justification to go to Everest Base Camp and use the opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of the Nepalese and for what Paul was trying to achieve.
For me ? My opportunity had returned 'to finally see Everest, for real, with my own eyes'.
Money Raising for Paul's great cause:
There are still thousands of people left homeless, displaced and in need
of desperate help. Paul has adopted a village called Thangpalkot1. So far Paul has amazingly organised for around 26houses to be built, but more than 50 are yet to be funded.
This Everest Base Camp Trek and money raising challenge is to raise awareness and donations for the village of Thangpalkot1. A house costs only £1,600 to build. It doesn't sound a lot, for a house, so please be generous as your contribution will make a real difference.
Thank you for reading. Thank you Very Much if it encourages you to
donate.
Love & Peace
Simon xx
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PAUL CAMPBELL'S STORY:
Hello and thank you so much for taking the time to read and allow me to please share this story with you.
I have a goal to finish re-building homes in Thangpalkot1 Nepal - we've re-built 26 already but there are 55 still to go, just in this one village.
I've teamed up with my good friend Sean Newman from the Fine and Country Foundation who was the inspiration behind this next challenge - we need to make the world more aware of the poverty and homelessness in this particular village, let alone the rest of the remote villages in Nepal that have lost everything since the earthquakes in April 2015.
I have been to Thangpalkot1 3 times to stay and they have hardly had any help - you have to be there to fully understand it.
If you would like to come and visit then please just ask - we need volunteers.
To find out more and to meet the individuals you are going to help please visit my facebook page and you will see - it is a fascinating story!
www.facebook.com/campbells.foundation/
Now if you want to help me support these families it's pretty simple, fast, secure and straight forward - just click on the donate button and follow the simple instructions.
Can I just tell you that every penny we raise from this team event will go into Thangpalkot1 - I am personally responsible for how the money is spent and I promise you that every penny is well thought about.
To find out more look at the videos here: www.facebook.com/campbells.foundation/
Please like the page and you will soon see where your money has been spent.
I am part of a team of 7 and all of us are fortunate enough to pay for our own flights, our guide, our accommodation, our equipment, our food, our personal trainers, Â our training trips and every cost involved in making this challenge and awareness successful.
However I and the rest of the team would very much like your support and your encouragement as this is no easy task I can tell you!
Click on the donate button and give what you can - please please tell me who you are so I can at least say thank you and appreciate your effort. I can't tell you how much more motivation we get to, not only keep going with this challenge, 'but finish re-building' Thangpalkot1 - every penny counts.
Although I have helped raise substantial funds for 26 homes with the help of many many other kind individuals who trust me this particular challenge is personal - I can't expect everyone else to help with other crazy events if I'm not prepared to do it myself.
So, just one home is £1600, that's all. You give as much as you think this is worth not only to encourage me but to help at least one family.
Let me just explain, so I make it clear what this money is for. The Nepalise do not need to have their homes re-built for them and they don't need changing either. They are very proud and lovely people and have the capabilities to re-build themselves - well with exception to the welding.
And they will bring their own sand up from the river to the village too.
What they haven't got though is the resources to buy the materials and transport it 6.5 hours up to their village - I arrange that all for them.
Now that's where your help comes in - with £1600 made up of individual donations we can re-build one home. One home at a time.
Some individuals, companies and other charitable organisations have sponsored whole families and one home entirely.
Some individuals have sponsored half a property.
Some work colleagues have teamed up and bought a home.
Some individuals and kids have saved up £1 coins in a jar or their coffee money and made a contribution.
I've heard so many great generous stories.
The generosity we have received so far has been phenomenal it's just that we need some more to re-energise and continue the work.
Every penny counts so please donate whatever you can afford or feel appropriate.
Thank you for your interest, thank you for your donation and thank you for sharing our project. Most of all - please keep in touch.
And thank you from the families in Thangpalkot1 - you only have to watch the faces and body language on the videos to see how grateful they are.
Paul xx
Ps If you enjoy our stories and journey please feel free to share with your friends on Facebook - the more people we get on board the quicker we can make a difference.
www.facebook.com/paul.campbell.mypropertycoach