English UK members are completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in October to raise money to the Eddie Byers Fund, which will finance English language lessons for schoolchildren in Palestine and Tanzania and asylum-seekers in the UK.
“Eddie believed in the transformative power of education, and we’re really proud of what we’ve able to do in his name,” said Helen Kind, who chairs the EBF awarding committee.
The Fund was set up in 2016 in memory of the late chief executive of English UK, Eddie Byers. In its first year, the fund raised over £16,000 after a hiking team completed the Three Peaks challenge.
“Our industry was so generous and supportive, it helped drive us on”
“So far around 250 refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK have been helped to learn English and integrate because of the Fund. This year we’ll not only be supporting over a hundred more, but also around 3,500 schoolchildren in Tanzania and Palestine,” Kind added.
In 2018, money from the Fund has been awarded to the Tanzania Development Trust to deliver English courses and a continuing language club for up to 800 children starting secondary school, and The Hands Up project to train 125 teachers of English in Gaza and the West Bank.
EBF has also contributed towards UK projects including Asylum Link Merseyside, ASHA to train volunteers to teach English to beginners who cannot access any other courses, and Oasis Language School in Ipswich.
Kind will be joined by twelve other English UK members and friends on the 12 hour hiking challenge, including English UK board of trustees chair Steve Phillips and vice-chair Mark Rendell.
The group will walk 24 miles and three mountains in 12 hours, with Eddie’s widow, Sam Byers, joining to climb the third peak.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Kind added, “but our industry was so generous and supportive when we did the National Three Peaks two years ago that it helped drive us on. And anyone who gives us £500 or more before we get our Challenge T shirts printed will get their logo on those as well as our website.
“We want to carry on transforming people’s lives in Eddie’s name, so please donate anything you can to our Three Peaks Challenge, and help us hit our £15,000 target.”
The climbers will complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on October 20 and you can donate here.
