Sponsored by
Couple who fund school invite village to Kenya beach wedding
FEEDING 55: Sharon Kerr and David Hoggart with a picture of the village children.
When a couple who set up a school in an African village tie the knot next week all 55 pupils will play a starring role in their big day.
Grandmother Sharon Kerr and partner David Hoggart will travel to Mombasa in Kenya this Friday clutching suitcases packed with 35 bridesmaid dresses and 20 page boy outfits.
And there will be around 500 guests from the village of Shanzu at the beach wedding next Wednesday.
The couple set up the school in 2008 to help dozens of needy children aged up to six years old.
Miss Kerr, 42, runs second-hand charity shop ‘Little Hope’ in South Elmsall near Pontefract to raise funds to meet school bills and pay three teachers.
Miss Kerr and partner David, 51, plan to throw a huge party in a marquee for Shanzu villagers.
She said: “We are really looking forward to seeing the children. It has been a years since we last went out there and we will see a big difference in them.”
The school is named ‘Karen in Mombasa’ – in honour of Sharon’s sister Karen Kerr, a Pontefract Hospital nurse who lost a cancer battle aged 45 in January 2007.
Sharon and Mr Hoggart visited Mombasa later in 2007 and decided to start a school in her memory.
Miss Kerr said: “If our kids lived there they would be saying ’where’s my Play Station?’ The kids in Kenya have got nothing, but are happy just to go to school. The schools have about 300 children in one class.
“We have got 55 kids.We feed and clothe them and give them an education.”
The couple are raising funds to buy a new van used to collect second hand goods for the ‘Little Hope’ charity shop. Their old van worth £1,200 was torched by arsonists last month.
To donate visit: www.charitygiving.co.uk/kareninmombasa
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.