Miles Lovegrove, Fluid’s Managing Director, joined Lauren Sundercombe, the Chair of the Vanessa Grant Trust UK, on a recent excursion to Rongai, Kenya.
The party of nine, including both Lauren’s family and Mile’s son, Ethan, spent a week amongst the community. They enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, helping set up donated desktop computers, as well as learning how the Vanessa Grant Trust could help in the future.
The Vanessa Grant Trust is an educational charity based in the rural community of Rongai, Kenya. They provide and improve education in local schools by supporting the continuous development of facilities, helping teachers to develop their skills and acquire ongoing practical knowledge and training. They also develop bursary and mentorship support for students who need it most.
Becoming IT superheroes
Due to adopting a more flexible approach to remote working, Fluid Branding’s desktop computers lay dusty and forgotten back at their offices. To prevent these from going to landfill, Fluid’s Managing Director Miles Lovegrove reached out to the Vanessa Grant Trust to see if the students in Rongai could benefit from them instead.
And so begins Miles’ IT superhero origin story.
Miles, his son Ethan, and the Cornwall branch of the Vanessa Grant Trust delivered and set up the computers in six local schools during their trip.
The students and teachers were overjoyed with the new tech, and are already benefiting greatly from the amazing new resources.
Bus renovation magic
Not only did the school receive Fluid’s donated computers, but their old play school bus was also given a new lease of life thanks to donations from Cornwall Signs.
The bus enjoyed some much-needed TLC with a variety of excellent vinyl stickers expertly applied by the team led by Paul from Marnick Roofing in Cornwall and Ross from Sureflow Building Services. The children thoroughly enjoyed helping them get creative!
Artists discovered
Another highlight of the trip was the Gogar Primary School art competition, where the winning design will be made into a card to be sold in the UK to raise further funds.
The children had a fantastic time exploring their inner artists.
Meet Kalvin
The team were also able to catch up with Kalvin! The Vanessa Grant Trust’s Chair, Lauren, originally met Kalvin back in 2006. He was then a student at the Vanessa Grant Trust Special School, where a hearing and speech impediment meant he struggled in mainstream education.
However, thanks to the work of the Vanessa Grant Trust and the fantastic teachers at the school, Kalvin is now flourishing in his new role at a fishing company.
Kalvin is an excellent example of how the Vanessa Grant Trust is helping the children of Rongai, Kenya. However, not all are as successful as Kalvin, and that’s why there’s still so much that needs to be done. Every child deserves to reach their full potential!
Thanks to Soccer Aid Safari 2023, we raised a total of £16,000 for the Vanessa Grant Trust and Cancer Research. With the £16,000 raised last year, the children in Rongai enjoyed brand new classrooms that’ll help broaden their learning and development opportunities.
But, there are so many more opportunities to help.
That’s why Soccer Aid Safari is back this year!
As Cornwall’s biggest charity sporting event, get ready for a 2024 summer bank holiday packed with football, plus top-notch entertainment. This year, we’re raising money for the Vanessa Grant Trust and Cornwall Hospice Care, and we can’t do it without you!
The Vanessa Grant Trust will also have information stands at Soccer Aid Safari 2024, where you can learn more about their ongoing projects and how you can get involved. Whether you're interested in volunteering, donating, or just learning more about what they do, there will be sign-up opportunities for anyone eager to make a difference.
Want to help make a difference? Get Soccer Aid Safari 2024 in your diary now (Monday 26th August), and we look forward to seeing you on the football pitch.