Khandel light Advent Appeal - December 2020
Why we need your help
This year the lives of people all over the world have changed. This year people fell ill. This year people lost jobs. This year people couldn't afford food. This year people didn't have enough clean water. This year in Rajasthan was hard. So this Christmas we're asking you to spare the luxury of Advent Calendars and Christmas Cards and donate to families who urgently need your support.
At Khandel light, we've been working extra hard to continue providing clean water for 400 families, to give educational bursaries to over 100 students, to supply women with the sanitary products they need, all while sticking to the COVID-19 guidelines in India.
But we have done more than just that. Those people who were living daily paycheck to paycheck have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and could no longer feed their families. We've been able to step in and provide essential food items to families throughout the Rajasthan region.
But this all comes at a cost. Fundraising in 2020 has been near impossible for small charities like ours. And yet these crises continue and we must support communities globally. So with more going out than is currently coming in, Rajasthani families and communities need your help more than ever.
So, this Christmas, we're asking you to donate the cost of a Christmas luxury - maybe your advent calendar or your Christmas Cards - to Khandel Light to keep this vital work going into 2021.
And if you're wondering what to send your family and friends instead we've created a downloadable Christmas Card that you can send virtually, or head to our Facebook and Instagram pages for our very own Khandel Light Advent Calendar, or head to our Virgin Money Giving fund-raising page at https://rb.gy/nrs2w0
The first review of the Barley Parish Plan, which was first produced in 2015, has been published by the Parish Council.
The Council asked for volunteers to form a committee for this process.
The Committee has reviewed what has happened over the last five years and how the previously identified village aspirations have been met.
In tandem with the first review, the Committee compiled a new questionnaire to canvas the current views of villagers over a range of key topics, to allow the plan to be updated and to remain relevant.
Visit the Barley Village Plan page to read the full review.
After months of knitting, crocheting and stiching, the beautiful Barley Flower Tower is complete and St Margaret of Antioch Church is adorned with a colourful display of flowers.
Barley resident Alison White, who runs the Barley Knitting Group, came up with the idea to keep everyone going through lockdown by busying themselves creating the beautiful blooms to decorate the church, and raise some much-needed funds.
She encouraged the community to help make flowers for display, originally aiming for 500 to be created. Inspired by her idea, contribrutions were made by community groups including the Barley Tennis Club and Barley Gardening Club, the beavers and cubs, Margaret House care home residents plus individuals living locally and as far away as USA and Australia.
In June, the 1452 flowers, which took four weeks to be stiched onto netting by a team of 12, were hoisted onto the 15m tall church tower and draped from the windows, with the help of Royston Fire Station.
It is hoped the display will inspire people to make a donation towards the running of the church - and also to help expand its use to the community. Ideally Alison would love to raise £10 per flower.
The church's Rector, Ruth Pyke, told BBC Look East: "The money will be used to maintain the building so it can continue to be a warm, welcoming place for weddings, funerals and Sunday Worship, but beyond that we want it to be a place for the community. We have a vision for disabled access and an area where we can welcome people in for coffee mornings, exhibitions and concerts."
To donate towards the incredible display please visit the Barley Flower Tower Justgiving page, or visit the donation boxes located in Barley Stores, Fox and Hounds pub, Chequers pub or Drayton's Garage.
Visit the Barley Flower Tower Facebook page for more photos, videos and information.
If you would like to add a club, society, news story, event or anything else to the website, please contact Clare Edwards on thebarleywebsite@gmail.com.