New book about Kolkata-Derby partnership

Two of the Trustees of the UK Friends of CRS, Alison Brown and Anita Matthews, have written a book about the experiences of setting up partnerships between schools in the UK and India.

They have been actively involved in building the links between the Diocese of Derbyshire and the Church of North India over recent years, including the group visits by headteachers, teachers, classroom assistants and trainee teachers each year which have paired primary schools in Derbyshire with CRS education centres.

Sustaining Global School Links, which is available from Grove Books for just £3.95, explores some of the theological and educational reasons for setting up and maintaining global links between schools. Reflecting on the partnership between Derby and Kolkata, it seeks to give an honest appraisal of benefits and challenges that are involved.

 

New uniforms and equipment at Topsia

Children attending the CRS Education Centre at Topsia now have new uniforms, shoes and socks, wool cardigans for the winter, lunch boxes and water bottles thanks to funds raised by children at Ashgate Primary School in Derby. The school room will also be equipped with a ceiling fan and shoe rack. This follows the visit of two teachers from Ashgate to Topsia earlier this year as part of the Derby Diocese partnership.

Warm welcome to Gumla

In February, CRS Director, Rig David, together with two members of the CRS Executive Committee, the Treasurer, Kevin Roberts, and Member, Probir Ghose, visited Jharkhand.

The multipurpose community centre in Gumla, funded by a donation from the UK Friends Legacy Fund and completed in 2014, is used for a variety of activities to benefit about 250 families in the area. They were met by nearly 150 children from the Swarwagin school and their teachers, who were so excited to receive visitors from so far away.

Rig says “It was wonderful to see the new building put to good use. It is made from concrete and has multiple rooms, as well as toilets – a vast improvement on the two-roomed hut made of bamboo and mud that was used before. The children clearly enjoyed playing in the safe surroundings around the centre.”

 

Major bequest received

We are very pleased to report that a substantial bequest has been left to the CRS under the will of Mrs Patricia Payne, who passed away on 15th July 2015. Pat and her husband John, shown in picture attending a wedding, lived in various cities in Pakistan and India over a 17 year period. During their posting in Calcutta, Pat worked as a teacher at the Cathedral School. They both retained an abiding love for the two countries and Pat kindly remembered CRS in her will. The UK Friends of CRS are managing the bequest. To date, an initial payment of £107,000 has been received with a further amount of around £40,000 expected when the estate has been fully wound up. The bequest is being treated by the Trustees as a capital sum to be invested in the long term and ensure the future viability of CRS. Read the full press release.