Penny appeals for pounds in orphans' Christmas bed fundraiser

THE mum of international footballer Sam Vokes is aiming to raise thousands of pounds to buy 120 new beds for Kenyan orphans in time for Christmas.

Penny Vokes (51), from Lymington, was inspired to launch the £3,000 fundraising challenge after travelling to Nakuru in Kenya last month to spend time at an orphanage set up by her parents 20 years ago.

The facility, which is supported by the charity Children’s Aid International, is currently home to 120 boys who have been rescued from the streets after being abandoned or left orphaned when their parents died.

Her footballer son Sam, who plays for Stoke City and Wales, also arranged for the boys to be given football kits, which Penny and her partner Richard Thorne took out with them.

For Penny, the trip to Nakuru was an incredible eye-opener as she saw first-hand hand how the orphanage was transforming the outcomes of children despite its limited resources.

She said: “Twenty years ago my parents Jane and Mike Finch travelled to Kenya to help set up an orphanage for desperate and diseased street children.

“They talked a lot about it at the time and I was always really interested – but back then I had young children so it wasn’t possible to see it all for myself.”

However, after turning 50 last year, Penny and Richard signed up for a 400km cycling challenge from Narobi to Nakuru in support of the charity Regain which enables sports tetraplegics to lead independent lives.

Penny said: “I really wanted to do something to challenge myself in my 50th year so when I was offered the chance to take part in the cycle ride across Kenya I just knew that I had to do it because I could also visit the orphanage.”

As well as fundraising for Regain, Penny also set about raising money and collecting clothes for the children at the orphanage. This included hosting a charity quiz night at the Fisherman’s Rest in Lymington, which raised £4,500.

Penny said: “It was absolutely overwhelming to visit the orphanage – the young boys were talking about my parents and all they had done 20 years ago to help get it built.”

“What they are doing is fantastic but all the money they receive is spent on feeding the children and paying for their teaching and clothes, so there is very little left over for maintaining the buildings.”

“They are trying to grow their own crops so they can be more self-sustaining but it is incredibly difficult because they don’t have a facility to store rain water for irrigation, so during the dry season crops can be lost.”

In the longer term Penny and Richard are aiming to raise money to pay for a deeper bore hole which would enable the orphanage to grow crops all year round and sell them to become more self-sustaining.

Other plans include ceiling repairs, guttering replacement and new flooring for the dormitories.

But for now the couple are focusing their energies on replacing the old ripped mattresses and bedding in the boy’s dormitories.

Penny said: “When I looked round I was quite shocked by the state of the boys’ beds. The mattresses were very old and tatty, and I just felt a huge urge to do something to help them.”

“The cost of a new foam mattress, sheet and blanket for each bed is £25 so I’m desperately trying to come up with enough money to replace all 120 beds by Christmas.

“To many people living in Lymington £25 is a very affordable amount – but it really can make such a difference to these children.”

Penny has already raised around £1,000 thanks to pledges from friends and family, but in order to meet her target she needs to raise a further £2,000 by mid-December.

At the time the orphanage was set up two decades ago, Jane and Mike’s fundraising campaign and subsequent visits to Kenya were covered widely in the A&T.

Mike, a well-known quantity surveyor for 35 years, took a key role in drawing up the plans for the ambitious orphanage and street rescue centre, which includes dormitories, classrooms, common areas, a kitchen, bathrooms and dining areas.

They also led the local fundraising campaign and were involved at every stage from the purchase of the 100-acre farm site, to the construction of the building and ongoing financial support.

During numerous visits to Kenya, the couple, who were both members of the Boscombe Salvation Army, were shocked by the appalling conditions in which street children lived, often scavenging for food in rubbish dumps.

Penny said: “My parents have lived in Lymington for 40 years so lots of people will remember when they were first involved in setting up the orphanage.

“They work so hard and it meant so much to them that now I feel like it’s time for me to take on that mantle and continue helping. There’s a lot to be done but I’m excited by the challenge.”

To support Penny’s Beds for Christmas fundraising challenge email pennyvokes@hotmail.co.uk or call 01590 675254.