A Northumberland woman has helped raise more than £10,000 for a children’s charity in India.
Tessa Sayers, from Acklington, did a sponsored climb of the iconic Suilven mountain in Scotland’s North West Highlands for the Faith Welfare Trust.
Suilven is a serious undertaking for any hiker: the round trip covers around 12 miles with over 2,000 feet of ascent, much of it across remote, pathless terrain.
Tessa has been involved with the Faith Welfare Trust for more than 35 years and has visited India more than 15 times as a trustee and chair.
The charity aims to give a home, hope and a future to destitute children who have lost parents and are living in poverty in the south east of the country.
It supports over 350 children each year across two children’s homes and a school, providing safety, good food, education – and loving kindness.
Tessa has seen first-hand, over and over again, how its work transforms children into confident young adults.
“From being dogged by poverty, abuse and tragedy, they grow into a future full of promise,” she says. “They have a mountain to climb – and Faith Welfare Trust makes the journey possible.”
For Tessa, climbing Suilven felt like a fitting symbol of the journey the children supported by FWT must make.
Faith Welfare Trust is now hoping to build on the momentum of the challenge by reaching new donors.
“Steady long-term income is every charity’s dream,” said Tessa. “However small, a regular donation makes an enormous difference to our ability to plan and to reach more children.”
