Just last week, on Monday, I was starting to wonder about whether anyone was paying attention to the blog & what Friends of Pakati was trying to do. The statistics were unusually low in spite of what I thought was a great blog post last Sunday – https://friendsofpakati.com/2022/01/16/past-present-future/ – then THIS week…well, read on & find out more!
Assembly at Pakati Secondary school in 2019
The first thing that happened was on Tuesday, when the local newspaper here in Bradford – the Telegraph & Argus – published an article about one of oyr fundraising events planned for this year, the ‘Get TIED UP for PAKATI’. Here is the link to the article:
Not surprisingly, my work colleagues & several friends saw & read it, saying good things about the article.
Also on Tuesday, I plucked up the courage to go into the offices of a local radio station, BCB (Bradford Community Broadcasting) to see if they would be interested in what the paper had published. They said Yes Please! So, after work on Friday, I went back to them & had a very enjoyable interview on their evening slot around 5.30pm. Many thanks to all at BCB for the interview, and the open invitation to return. Definitely I will do that as often as they will have me!
Next, late on Saturday night, I got a message on whats app from someone I wasn’t expecting…but am.delighted to hear from her. Below is one Lucy Kamufetu, who is the daughter of one of my former students!
I am hoping this means I will finally get to tell the story of one family whose siblings were academically very bright, and I also found them to be very friendly when I once was invited to their homestead. In particular. I helped Hatipedzi Tsinyah with school fees in her final year at Pakati Secondary, while her brother Lawrence was also taught by myself and Debbie Chadbon. Below is Hati, Lucy’s mother, picture taken in 1991.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for me, this morning I got a message from another former student…much more recent than Hati (above)…someone who would have completed Form 4 in 2020, but her exams were delayed into 2021 because of Covid 19. She is called Angeline Mavunga & still lives in the Pakati area. I hope to tell her story in time to publish next Sunday.
Other news
Planning is now going ahead for the two fundraising events discussed in last weeks blog. I am in contact with people who can help, and will give more details when I can. I have started to get offers of things to sell on our behalf, including some cycling gear from a fellow Scunthorpe United fan, Chris Brader. Football shirts & the FIFA22 mentioned recently are not likely to be the last things to help us rause the funds to meet our vision https://friendsofpakati.com/2020-vision-friends-of-pakati-the-project-continues/ & if you want to find out why I do this project, please read the rest of that page undermeath the vision.
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