Latest News

Cecily's Fund Summer Newsletter 2010 out now

This year's Summer Newsletter is packed with inspiring stories as usual, from an interview with our marathon fundraiser, Nick Moglia, to the stories of Simon, Carla, Cecilia and Brave - just a few of the courageous young people you are helping us to support at Bwafwano Community School, in primary and secondary schools in Kitwe, at teacher training colleges and as peer health educators. In this issue, we also launch our new Friends of Cecily's Fund scheme which we hope as many of you as possible will join. >>Summer Newsletter 2010

Cecily's Fund Diva Opera evening triumph

130 guests enjoyed Diva Opera's hugely enjoyable performance of Verdi's Falstaff at Cecily's Fund's annual gala opera evening on Saturday 19th June. In contrast to last year's torrential rain, the sun shone down on the marquee and lit up the magnificent Wotton House where the event was being held. Guests enjoyed tea and later champagne across on the lawn and views, designed by Capability Brown, down to the lake. The evening has raised over £17,000 so far - enough to send nearly 700 vulnerable children to primary school for a year - and brought us many valuable new friends.We are very grateful to David and April Gladstone for allowing us to use their beautiful home, and to all the guests for their generosity. >>more photos on Flikr.

Inspiring UK visit by partner, Paul Kasoka

Paul Kasoka, co-ordinator of the peer health education programme that we fund in Kitwe, visited the UK for two weeks in May. His visit began on World AIDS Orphan Day, when he was interviewed on BBC Radio Oxford. He gave talks in several schools, met students at Cambridge University, was the guest of honour at three well-attended receptions for supporters, held meetings with donor organisations and with other organisations working in the field of HIV prevention and even managed to squeeze in some sightseeing! As well as speaking very powerfully and eloquently about his work, young people in Zambia and HIV, he also shared with us his own story as an orphan who was supported through school by Cecily's Fund. Everyone who met Paul was both charmed and inspired by him. Paul described England as "very beautiful and organised" and added "I hope to learn new things which I can take back home."

Bishop of Dorchester runs for the Fund!

Colin Fletcher, The Bishop of Dorchester has kindly agreed to support Cecily's Fund by running the Great South Run, Europe's leading 10 mile road race in October. The 10 mile distance is also very apt as this year marks Bishop Colin's 10th anniversary as Bishop of Dorchester. We all wish him the very best of luck with his training and if you would like to sponsor him, please check back soon for details of his online sponsorship page.

Nick Moglia, Marathon fundraiser

Marathon runner, Nick Moglia, has raised a phenomenal £26,900 in sponsorship for running the Marathon in aid of Cecily's Fund. That's more than any individual has raised in a single event in the history of Cecily's Fund >>read more

Jonathan Thompson holds another great concert for Cecily's Fund

Singer, songwriter and guitarist, Jonathan Thompson, returned with some new songs.. >> read more

Pumpkin Soup Lunch raises record amount!

Our faithful supporters in Switzerland have once again combined a warm and welcoming pumpkin soup lunch with some impressive fundraising.

>> read more

Sarah Wilson cycles through Vietnam for Cecily's Fund

In October, Cecily's Fund supporter Sarah Wilson, set off for Vietnam to cycle over 400 miles through some of Vietnams most beautiful countryside. >> readmore

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Cecily's Fund has teamed up with Virgin Money Giving, a 100% not-for-profit charity fundraising website. It’s the official fundraising site of the London Marathon – the biggest annual fundraising event on the planet. It’s designed purely to help people raise more money online, without taking a penny in profit. If you taking part in an event why not create your online fundraising page now!

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"A life enhancing evening"

19th October 2009: Last night's performance of Crazy for You at the London Palladium, in aid of Cecily's Fund, exceeded all expectations - in terms of talent, energy, audience numbers and sheer feel-good factor! In the first review of the show to appear so far, Laura Woodfield sums up what one audience member described today as "a life-enhancing evening"; "The energy and enthusiasm of the cast was infectious and the musical numbers whistled by at breakneck pace that joyously carried the audience along with it." >>read the full review

Photos, videos and more reviews will be published here and on our Facebook page as soon as they are available! Not all the pennies have been counted yet, but early indications are that, with the help of a wonderful audience of about 1,600, the evening has raised around £17,000 for Cecily's Fund.

We are particularly grateful to Cecily's old schoolmate, Esther Biddle who made the link between Cecily's Fund and Eyebrow, and to Showtime Challenge producer, Ian Haig, who has led his entirely voluntary team to accomplish, with polished professionalism, a venture that Stephen Fry described as "insane" - putting on a full scale Broadway musical with 120 performers doing just 48 hours rehearsal!

And on behalf of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Zambia we are eternally grateful to every single member of the cast, the orchestra, the front of house team, the publicists, and the organisers involved in this magical Showtime Challenge by Eyebrow Productions.

Cecily's Fund meets the President

President Rupiah Banda of Zambia was kind enough to grant an audience to Sue Skaf, Development Officer and one of the Directors of American Friends of Cecily's Fund on 24th September. The President thanked Cecily's Fund for the work we are doing. >>Read more

National President of Institute of Chartered Accountants to visit Cecily's Fund

On September 24th Cecily's Fund staff and trustees were delighted to welcome to our Witney offices the National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), Martin Hagen and President of the Thames Valley Society of Chartered Accountants, Graeme Gordon. The visit follows the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and ICAEW's award to us for our Online Annual Report and Accounts. We were very proud to be awarded first prize in our category in June this year. We hope that the award and the meeting will help us to forge links with local businesses who can support our work in a variety of ways (not just donations which we understand is difficult for companies at this time). For more ideas on how your company can support our work see our Your business can help page.

Click here for a press release or contact Sabita Banerji on sbanerji@cecilysfund.org for more information.

10th Sept - Cecily's Fund latest Annual Report out now

Our Annual Report for 2008/09 is now ready and was presented to supporters at our Annual General Meeting on Cecily's Day - Saturday 5th September. It contains up-to-date information on the children you are helping us support in Zambia, our fundraising (and yours!), and a summary of financial activities. It also contains background information on the three Zambian organistions through whom we work.

At Cecily's Fund we pride ourselves on our openness and accountability and hope that this year's Annual Report reaches the same standard as last year, when we were awarded first prize in our category for On-line Accounts by the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Charities Aid Foundation. (see below for details)

Hard copies of the 2008/09 Annual Report and of the detailed Statutory Annual Report and Accounts are available on request, or you can read it on-line here.

5th Sept - Cecily's Day success

On Saturday 5th September over sixty Cecily's Fund supporters, trusteees, staff and volunteers gathered in the beautiful grounds of Stonesfield Manor to witness the release of our latest Annual Report to celebrate the achievements of another busy year of fundraising and supporting orphans in school in Zambia and to share lunch on the lawn under a miraculously rain-free sky.

We are very grateful to all those who made the journey to share this special day with us, and especially to Charlotte and Evelyn Oakeshott for allowing us, once again to use their lovely garden for the event. A team of very hardworking volunteers - Lauren, Maia, Maren and Pip - joined staff and trustees in organising the event - we are very grateful to them for all their help.

Photos coming soon!

ASICS British London 10k run a sellout success >>read more

Cecily's Fund wins award for transparent accounting

We are absolutely delighted to announce that our 2008 Annual Report and Accounts on our website has been awarded first prize* in the Institute of Chartered Accountants' Charities On-Line Accounts Award. Judges commended our clearly stated vision and mission, easy sign-posting of the report and the fact that we make clear links between money raised and money spent. We're particularly pleased to have received this award as being transparent and accountable to our supporters, our partners and the young people we help them to support is fundamental to Cecily's Fund's philosophy. We are very grateful to the ICAEW for the award and the prize of £1,500 which will go a long way towards supporting our partners' work with extremely vulnerable children in Zambia. *(for charities with income £100,000-£500,000)

Download a press release here

How being a volunteer can lead to managing Cecily's Fund!

"I had wanted to work in some capacity in international development since the age of 14 - long before I knew there was a term to describe it... I spent all of my holidays volunteering in the UK and in Africa."

says Cecily's Fund manager, Caroline Horne in an interview with International Service. Caroline's career in international deveopment began when she took up a voluntary post in West Africa for International Service. Read an interview with her about her experiences and how it helped her get where she is today.

Operatic triumph

This year the annual Cecily's Fund opera took place in the magnificent grounds of Wotton House in Buckinghamshire. It was a very memorable evening – and not just because of the rain! Diva Opera gave us a beautiful production of Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, beautifully acted and beautifully sung. It was an audience of nearly 200 people from as far afield as Switzerland and Italy. The rain held off for champagne to be served on the lawn. We had wonderful views of the lake on one side and of the facade of the house on the other. Afterwards some had their picnics in the marquee; others enjoyed a sumptuous dinner in the splendour of Wotton House itself.

We are deeply grateful to April and David Gladstone for hosting us, and to our sponsors who again made the whole event possible. And of course our thanks go again to Diva Opera for a superb performance. We're already looking forward to next year!

Day Quy, Superhero

This summer, Dan Quy is taking part in gruelling events in aid of Cecily's Fund. They are:

1. Brighton "Superheroes" 10km run (17 May 2009)
2. Sprint Triathlon, New Forest (14 June 2009)
3. Olympic Triathlon, Worthing (16 August 2009)

Dan completed the first event, the Superheroes 10km in 45minutes and 10 seconds. A fantastic time, especially taking into account Dan's outfit! Look at some photos from the Superheroes run or support Dan.

The London Marathon - Cath Parsons

Cath completed the 2009 London Marathon in a brilliant 4h10. She said "I had a really fun time and was really spurred on by my friends and family who had turned out to support me. I must say, by the end they all looked shattered and I am sure it is a lot easier to run it than try to get round as a spectator! One of the things that really drove me on when others were struggling was realising what I had achieved with just a little bit of effort. I didn't start running until I left London less than 6 years ago. I have tried to get into the Marathon for the last 5 years so to actually achieve this goal was amazing. I had been wanting to do this for so long that when I turned the corner and saw the finish line, it felt like I had run onto a tv set, rather than being part of the actual event! I would recommend it to anyone and placed my entry for next year's ballot as soon as possible."

Cath raised a fantastic £626 and is hoping to double that through a matched donation from her employer. Congratulations Cath for your wonderful achievement! Cecily's Fund has one place on the London Marathon next year. More information.

Sarah's Vietnam challenge

This October, Cecily's Fund supporter, Sarah Wilson, will be setting off to Vietnam to cycle 391 miles, up and down hills, through the beautiful countryside, in great heat to raise money for Cecily's Fund. If you would like to support Sarah, please click here to visit her Justgiving page.. We wish Sarah lots of luck with her trip!

If you are interested in doing a challenge event in support of Cecily's Fund, please see our fundraising challenges page

Oldham Hulme Grammar School walk

13E and Mrs Kershaw took up the challenge presented by Cecily’s Fund to walk the distance between Lusaka in Zambia and Oxford. This is the latest in a series of events the form has undertaken to try to make a difference to the lives of Zambian children orphaned by AIDS by helping them go to school. Six students, Daniel Anson-Jones, Katherine Bradley, Shahid Mohammed, Ashley Sutton, Sandy Wang and James Ward walked four laps of Hollingworth Lake in very wintry weather and near freezing temperatures. This made a combined distance of seventy miles to go towards the 10,000 mile goal. The students raised several hundred pounds and the students enjoyed the well earned break from their studies. Thank you Oldham Hulme Grammar!

Find out how your school can help send Zambian orphans to school.

Number of HIV positive adults in Zambia down

According to the latest UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic, July 2008. Read more in News from Zambia

Take a look at our Events Diary !

For our tenth anniversary, Cecily's Fund has lots of things going on! See the events diary for more information.

NEW! Fundraising Challenges
We are looking for supporters with a taste for adventure to take part in a new range of sponsored cycling, hiking and horse trekking challenges - both in the UK and overseas. Click here for more information.

We also have places at a number of runs and marathons for supporters who would like to take part.

Fundraising News

Don't forget to check out the latestFundraising News with updates and pictures of our supporters doing what they do best - raising money and smiles for Cecily's Fund!