TEN FLYING CLUB MEMBERS TRANSFORM A SCHOOL IN KENYA

In May 2008 ten enthusiastic Flying Club members collectively raised £35,000 from sponsorship and donations, and volunteered their own time to be involved in the week-long building programme. They also donated hundreds of new books and stationery, school uniforms, pen-pal letters, sweets and games for the children.

They spent the week working hard putting their DIY skills to the test by painting, decorating and furnishing the buildings for the children. The new facilities have provided the children with separate boys and girl’s dormitories as well as a solar powered water pump system, a kitchen garden, new bookshelves plus updated educational murals.

The Sekenani Primary School is situated 100m from the main gateway to the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. The school was established in 1989 as a kindergarten school and 19 years later provides education for 650 boys and girls from the Sekenani township. The school has achieved exceptional grades in the National exams and sends many of its pupils on to National, provincial and district secondary schools.

Sir Richard Branson opened the school and said 'The skills of our volunteer Flying Club members have been invaluable and we thank them enormously for their fundraising and practical contributions. Their hard work has brought a much better standard of living for the children, who are the future of Kenya.'

As part of the official opening ceremony, Flying Club member Jacqui Cooper said 'Coming here, we left family and friends behind. But here we are now, amongst a new family and with many new friends; not only within our team but amongst all of you. You have all been so welcoming and friendly. True Kenyan hospitality! It is hard to convey how surreal this week has been. It truly has been a rollercoaster of emotions - a lot of hard work, so many tears but also laughter along the way. We have learnt what a paint brush is for but I am sure most of us will be quite happy to never see one again!'

The volunteers:

Amanda Annan

Mark Brazier

Jacqui Cooper

Amaresh Joshi

Sonal Kadccha

Andrew Luck

Jill McMillan

Stewart Monk

Andy Reuthe

Emma Thompson

Each week we'll be telling you about a magic Virgin Atlantic moment from our 25 years in the skies. If you have a story to tell about how Virgin Atlantic has changed your life for the better and you don't mind us sharing it with everyone else on this website, let us know.