Human Appeal
I rarely write about events on the news but after the awful events in New Zealand on 15th March I want to share a poignant story:
The next day, on the Saturday, in the driving rain and gusting gales of Storm Gareth I supported a group of students from the University of Manchester’s Islamic Society on a fundraising hike. They were raising funds for Human Appeal and had got up in the middle of the night to get to Langdale in the Lake District. From start to finish it poured- the rain was horizontal, the valley sides were cascading and the paths were flooded- shin deep. It was clear from the start we were not going to progress very far and in turn out we couldn’t even cross the raging becks at the head of the valley. And so, after a few hours, soaking wet and wind-blasted we returned to the start.
Uncomplaining, appreciative, mutually supportive- the students of engineering, pharmacy, medicine and bio-chemistry etc headed back. Most were second generation immigrants and very aware of their responsibility towards their parents who had sacrificed so much for their education. For many it was their first time in the hills. And here they were- in the mountains, in wild weather, having travelled half the night… raising money for others. They were amazing and I told them so.