Chris Mann

As a former student of St Joan’s I have been involved since the very beginning of the school’s involvement with Udayan in 2004. On hearing Mrs Weldon talk so passionately about the work of the home I became hooked and it’s amazing to see the school community still generating significant funds for the charity 11 years on. rnrnSince leaving St Joan’s in 2007, I have been the secretary of City of Joy Aid, UK (the charity which supports Udayan in the UK) which has allowed me to stay in touch with the progress Udayan is making and how funds from the UK are spent. I thoroughly enjoy working with the trustees to promote the good work of Udayan and the other NGOs in and near Kolkata which the charity supports.rnrnThis will be my third trip to India with St Joan’s, having been a part of the 2007 and 2011 teams to visit Udayan and other projects supported by City of Joy Aid, UK. On both occasions it is fair to say we all had a great time but witnessed some very moving scenes which really made us all appreciate how lucky we are. I look forward to sharing similar experiences with the 2015 team. It will be wonderful to be back at Udayan again and see the progress that has been made in the past four years, as well as to spend many more hours with the children both in class and during their recreation time. We as a group look forward to sharing photographs and our activities with you through our daily diary (technology permitting).rn