Hi everyone! Well, we are at the halfway point of 2025, so it’s time for a review of this first 6 months of the year.
I have to admit it has been a bit up & down so far, but I can feel things are starting to change for the better. Friends of Pakati have had some important things going on in the background, which are just starting to come to fruition and almost teady to announce.
I did find something I hadn’t published at the time. Mr Chizenya sent it to me in March this year, with an explanation of the picture.
“☝️ Pakati Secondary School learners competed and won in the Modern Dance Category, at the recently held Cluster Annual Sports Science and Arts Festival (CASSAF). They qualified for the District Annual Sports Science and Arts Festival (DASSAF) to be held next term.”
The first half of 2025 has really been a story about both Friends of Pakati and its links with Scunthorpe United FC, plus with our own regular donor. These have come together in the development of a board of Trustees as we apply for formal charity status here in the UK.
Below are the links to the key posts so far this year. Firstly, about finances:
From that day, we met someone who is keen to help us progress in our desire to be a registered charity, and access more funds to help Pakati schools – a Mr Cuan Forrest:
I thought it would be a good idea for Friends of Pakati to give a brief look at each of the five prospective trustees. We are also looking at adding potential reserve trustees should we need to change any of the original members or decide to add additional trustees to help us progress.
The current list of potential trustees is as follows:
Sharlom Chaitika, Cuan Forest, Bradley Mell, Bothwell Riside, & the author, Chris Walker. All will be familiar to regular readers & followers of Friends of Pakati. Here are their brief biographies & a photo:
Sharlom Chaitika
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Sharlom Rumbidzai Chaitika is a Specialist Biomedical Scientist with expertise in Biochemistry, Haematology, and Transfusion. Alongside her professional career, she is deeply committed to improving the lives of young children, particularly those from underprivileged communities.
Sharlom brings her passion for education and healthcare to her role as a dedicated board member of Friends of Pakati, where she also contributes as a regular donor. Her efforts focus on supporting orphans and vulnerable children, championing access to quality education and healthcare as tools for long-term empowerment.
In addition to her work with Friends of Pakati, Sharlom serves as an ambassador for Challenge Ministries UK, where she supports fundraising efforts and initiatives benefiting communities in Eswatini. She is also the founder of the non-profit organisation Created4Purpose, which aims to develop and support schools and healthcare facilities in rural Zimbabwe.
Sharlom’s unwavering commitment to uplifting children through education and health continues to shape her work across all her roles, driven by a firm belief in creating lasting change in communities most in need
2. Cuan Forrest
Cuan Forrest is the Managing Director of Ellipse Energy, a Leicester-based company he founded driven by a passion to eradicate fuel poverty by helping communities reduce carbon emissions and develop sustainable energy sources throughout the UK.
What sets the company apart is its ethical approach, working with clients that include local authorities, social housing providers, and charities across the UK. The company is at the heart of creating more energy-efficient, comfortable, and sustainable environments for all its clients.
The company has received several national and regional awards in recognition of the work it has done in the communities it serves.
Cuan is a former winner of the Institute of Directors East Midlands Director of the Year award in the small business category.
Born in Salisbury, Harare, his connection to Zimbabwe led to his involvement with Friends of Pakati. It is an honor and privilege for him to serve as a Trustee of the charity, which has already completed important projects for the enhancement and benefit of Pakati schools.
He looks forward to continuing this work by helping increase awareness of Friends of Pakati and driving forward its fundraising objectives for future projects alongside his fellow trustees and other stakeholders.
3. Bradley Mell
Brad Mell is a writer, producer and theatre maker based in North Lincolnshire. He has worked with organisations such as the National Youth Theatre, the National Student Drama Festival, HOME Theatre Manchester and 2021 Visual Arts Centre Scunthorpe.
He was the original host and one of the co-creators of the successful Iron Bru Podcast. As of 2025 he produces and hosts the interview based podcast Artron Energy.
In 2022 Brad first started working with Friends of Pakati, owing to a shared passion with founder Chris for Scunthorpe United. This was initially offering digital assistance, but he has since gone on to produce the Friends of Pakati podcast and produce a number of live fundraising events.
On becoming a trustee Brad says: ‘I’m incredibly honoured to be entrusted with this role and, having seen the plans, am really looking forward to working with my fellow trustees on projects that I know will provide significant and long lasting benefits to the students at the Pakati schools.’
4. Bothwell Riside
Mr. Bothwell Riside Principal – Primary Years, Southbridge International School Cambodia
Mr. Bothwell Riside is an accomplished school administrator, educator, and educational technology enthusiast currently serving as the Principal for the Primary Years at Southbridge International School Cambodia. With a solid foundation in Mathematics and Computer Science teaching, he brings a strong academic and technical background to his leadership role, promoting excellence in both pedagogy and digital integration.
A former student of the Pakati schools in Zimbabwe, Mr. Riside is a proud and passionate member of the Friends of Pakati initiative, actively supporting educational development in his home community. Before relocating to Southeast Asia, he taught at several of Zimbabwe’s most prestigious schools, earning a reputation for academic rigor and innovation.
Mr. Riside is known for his visionary approach to school leadership, with a particular focus on integrating technology meaningfully into learning and administration. He combines his expertise as a political analyst and educator to bring a global, critical perspective to the evolving landscape of international education. Driven by a belief in equity, empowerment, and lifelong learning, he continues to inspire both staff and students to reach their highest potential.
5. Chris Walker
Founder, Friends of Pakati
Chris Walker was born & raised in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, and has been a supporter of its local football club since childhood, Scunthorpe United (The Iron).
Chris has been a Civil Servant for the last 20 years Bradford, West Yorkshire. Prior to that, his principal career was in teaching, having taught in Zimbabwe (via VSO), Botswana (via the British Council), and in the UK.
Having revisited Zimbabwe in 2018, Chris returned to Pakati Secondary school to see how things were. It was this trip that inspired the setting up of Friends of Pakati.
Chris has wanted to become registered as a Charity for some time, and is am delighted that there is now a team of Trustees in place to make it happen.
The future for Friends of Pakati looks bright, so that should bring further development to both Pakati schools &, by extension, the local community.
This week, a small group of us held an online meeting to discuss a number of things regarding the future of Friends of Pakati.
Those taking part were Cuan Forrest, plus two of his associates Emma Armstrong & Bina Sitaram, along with Bradley Mell, Sharlom Chitika & myself.
Bina (left) & Cuan (centre) with Bina’s daughter Jessica (right)
The main things we talked about were: Charity Status, Trustees, immediate plans, fundraising, & future potential projects.
We agreed a procees for getting that official Charity status, likely to be in the next couple of months, all being well.
These are the prospective Trustees: Sharlom Chaitika, Cuan Forrest, Bradley Mell, Bothwell Riside & Chris Walker. We will also need some reserve Trustees who can interchange as & when required.
Following discussions with the Heads of the two Pakati schools – Mr Mahachi (Primary, above) & Mr Chizenya (Secondary, below) – we have some idea of the priorities of both schools for us to focus on when raising funds.
Here are the main items the two schools said they would like to have, and we are waiting for a full list of quotes for each item accordingly. We posted this on our Friends of Pakati WhatsApp group chat –
“Hi all, following contact with the two Pakati school Heads, below are their priorities as sent to me yesterday:
Mr Mahachi, Pakati Primary priorities are as follows
IT suite
new classroom
Renovation of teachers house and classroom
Solar power upgrade
Mr Chizenya, Staff members and SDC members agreed that Pakati Secondary priorities are as follows;
Water
New toilets for learners
Renovation of teachers houses
Renovation of classrooms
Solar power upgrade
So far, we have a quote for surveying & for drilling a borehole, at $350 and $1800 respectively.”
Pakati Primary, open air classroom, photo taken in 2022
The benefit of getting the Charity status is we can then apply for grants, some of which are substantial, which will allow us to do more for the schools and local community. It also will boost our ability to fundraise towards our targets, & get to apply for Gift Aid too.
One of the potential fundrausing ideas has come from our newest partner, Cuan Forrest (above). Following the recent success of our beloved Scunthorpe United in gaining promotion last weekend, Cuan was involved in part of the celebrations (including 125th Anniversary of the club), & has a ball signed by the squad. He is donating it to Friends of Pakati to help raise funds. This will be organised very soon.
That’s all for this post, but we have more to announce in the coming days!
As developments happen behind the scenes here at Friends of Pakati, an interesting question has come up.
For some years now, we have had a number of items of merchandise for sale. They have been t-shirts, mugs, coasters, key rings, and pin badges.
We feel it is time for some newer items to offer for sale to raise funds for us in the future…so my question to you, our readers, followers & supporters, is – what would you like to see us offer? Different items? New designs? Something unusual, perhaps? What if anything do you like from our current range?
Please do let us know your thoughts, ideas and suggestions.
Since the start of the year we have managed to raise money from various sources, including the Community Day at Scunthorpe United (£115), individual donations (120), a sale if donated football shirts (£60) and a Dress Down day at my office (£108).
Hi everyone, I have just heard from my friend Mr Chizenya, Head of Pakati Secondary school.
Here below is what he sent me today:
“Andrew Mugove Tawabarira, one of our athletes, performed remarkably during the athletics season last term (term 1). Andrew competed in the Javelin under 18 age group. He began his journey at the zonal competitions held at Dombodzvuku Secondary School on 14 February 2025. He won a gold medal with ease and earned the right to represent the zone at the district competitions. At the district competitions held at Murewa High School on 28 February, he managed to win a gold medal sweeping aside all the other competitors in his category. He raised our flag high. He therefore qualified to represent the Murewa district at the provincial competitions. The provincial competitions were held at Peterhouse College in Marondera on 14 March.
At the provincial competitions where athletes from across the nine districts battled, competition was stiff. Andrew, much to our disbelief, defied the odds and won the gold medal in his category, leaving the hosting school’s athlete who finished second in tears in tears. He won with a throw of 45 metres. He was among only 10 athletes who attained gold medals for the Murewa district and earned the right to represent the province at the National competitions. He proceeded to the national competitions, a feat last achieved by an athlete from our school more than ten years ago (Tendai Chanetsa, a long-distance athlete). At the National competitions, held at Chipadze High School in Bindura on 2 April, the competition was very tough. Our pride, Andrew fought hard and finished 7th with a throw of 43 metres out of the 10 athletes, no mean feat.Thus his journey ended, but what an amazing journey it was. It made everyone at Pakati fill with pride. Andrew has set a great example and has shown that you can achieve great things with belief, hard work, and determination.”
Cuan Forrest with podcast host Bradley Mell. Photo by Chris Walker
As we mentioned previously, the podcast was facilitated by Scunthorpe United FC with particular help from Glyn Sparks at the club. We held our discussions in one of the Executive boxes (Andy Flounders) overlooking the pitch.
Below is the podcast, recorded after an excellent discussion with Cuan, Bradley, Maybelle Forrest, Bina & Chris.
After the meeting, Glyn allowed us to have some photos pitchside…
All in all, it was a very good day. We are now starting to implement some of the suggestions we discussed, & we will update you all as we make progress!
I am delighted to say that one of our good friends, Simon, a football shirt collector & fellow Scunthorpe United fan, has bought them as a job lot! Thank you Simon👍
Finances
Thanks to both our regular donor & 2 separate people, we now have moved the total in the bank to £376.28 as confirmed on our Finances page https://friendsofpakati.com/finances/
Brad Mell, Cuan Forrest & Chris Walker at Glanford Park/Attis Arena
Many thanks to Scunthorpe United for facilitating & hosting the meeting between Cuan Forrest & Friends of Pakati, a new partnership which we hope will lead to more help for Pakati schools
Coming soon…
Details of our meeting with Cuan, including a podcast
Developing new objectives & other possible changes
Greetings everyone once more! In a couple of recent blogs, I have hinted that there is something happening in the background here at Friends of Pakati. Today I can introduce briefly a new person on our team…
A very warm welcome to Friends of Pakati to Cuan Forrest! Below is a short piece by & about Cuan, who I only met very recently at our stall during the Scunthorpe United Community Day on 22nd March.
Cuan with his mother, Maybelle Forrest at the Community Day at Scunthorpe United
He had sought out the stall specifically to offer support to us in any way he can – something we are going to take him up on for sure! Our podcast host, Bradley Mell, and I are meeting him on 15th April to discuss things at length, with a podcast/vlog to follow soon after. In the meantime, have a read, & please share it across platforms with your contacts.
Our stall at Community Day qith my son Daniel, our friend Alison & myself
Friends of Pakati – Introduction
“I first discovered Friends of Pakati through their remarkable work supporting students at Pakati Schools in Zimbabwe. Meeting Chris, his son, and their colleagues at Scunthorpe United’s Community Day was a turning point that deepened my understanding of their mission. Since then, Chris and I have maintained regular contact, and I’m passionate about helping them achieve their fundraising goals and advance their important work.
Neil (a friend) and my mum (Maybelle Forrest) with Chris Walker helping to draw the raffleon Community Day in the Iron Bar
My connection to Zimbabwe runs deep. My grandmother, Julia Edwards, was born in Mukarakate in the Murewa district, while my grandfather Charles Langton Edwards owned the Shiri Yekutanga Bus Company operating throughout the Murewa District during the 1950s and 60s. My family lived in Arcadia, Salisbury (now Harare), and my father’s family hails from Ashington in Northumberland. My father was working as an engineer in what was then Rhodesia when he met my mother. I was born there before my parents and I relocated to the UK in 1979.
back row left to right (my friends Tom, James, Neil and Michael, front row their kids, Oliver, Polly, Clara and Nay Nay
These family ties to the region make Friends of Pakati’s mission especially meaningful to me. Their work resonates profoundly with my heritage, and I’m eager to contribute more significantly to their cause.
My friends kids again, Clara, Oliver, Polly and Nay Nay with Scunny Bunny & Hunny Bunny
Beyond our shared geographical connections, we also share a passion for football, particularly Scunthorpe United. This past season, I’ve had the privilege of supporting this extraordinary club in its ambition to achieve promotion to the National League and ultimately reclaim a position back in the EFL. The dedication and commitment I’ve witnessed from the owners, management team, players, and staff has been truly inspirational. I’m confident they’ll restore the club to it’s rightful place, on behalf of the fans and the wider Scunthorpe community.
My own football background harks back to the early 90’s includes playing at Nottingham Forest at both youth and professional levels, and an offer to represent Zimbabwe internationally. Interestingly, some of the players who were at Forest during my time, including Brian Laws and Chris Hope, went on to have successful careers at Scunthorpe United. During a loan period at Lincoln City, I commuted daily with Ian Barraclough, who later played for and managed Scunthorpe United.
With these interconnected threads between Zimbabwe, football, and Scunthorpe United, supporting Friends of Pakati feels like a natural calling. I’m genuinely excited about the opportunity to contribute to their mission and look forward to helping in any meaningful way I can.”
Cuan with friend Bina (left) and her daughter Jessica (right) outside the club ticket office& shop
Footnote – Cuan sent me this shortly afterwards:
“Hi Chris, just sent you a who’s who, they are my friends kids, yes on the day my mum and dad were there but for some reason my dad never made it onto any photographs as he spent most of the time in the Iron bar with his friends 😂”
Greetings, everyone! Welcome (back) to Friends of Pakati for another insight into life in rural Zimbabwe. This time, we are looking at how the people of the Pakati area live & work.
When I was getting ready to go to Zimbabwe as a newly qualified teacher, I was given a basic outline of what it was like at the school & the surrounding area. All Pakati students were day-scolars, coming from a local community of subsistence farmers – who grew crops for consumption, & any excess was sold in markets in nearby towns, or even as far as the capital, Harare, around 60 miles away.
One of the first of the local farmers I met was Mr Mdaziwa, who was widely respected in the area for his success using a mixture of traditional & modern farming methods, consistently growing a variety of crops, even in difficult seasons. I taught some of his children, the family lived close to the school & I enjoyed the their hospitality several times
Recently, I have been sent some pictures of this growing season in the area by a Friend of Pakati who comes from one of the local villages. Looks like it will be a bumper crop this year at harvest time across the area!
The photo & video above were taken in February this year, while those below were from early April in the same area
The principal crop is Maize, the staple diet of much of Southern Africa. It is used to make porridge, some beer, and what Zimbabweans call sadza. In th picture below it is shown with meat, vegatables & a relish/sauce and is eaten by hand.
A good season for the farmers usually means a good season for the schools too, particularly the Secondary, which charges fees which, although relatively low, can be too much in years of poor harvests. There have been droughts in the area, notably in the early 1990’s & early 2020’s
In 2022, I stayed at the home of one of my former student as Friends of Pakati delivered IT & other donations. This gave me an even clearer view of life in the area..
Pakati is an area I am always delighted to return to, a place I still feel at home in as I did back in 1989-1991.
Coming up next:
I now have the next podcast ready to publish, over the coming days – a great interview with our friend & donor Sharlom Chaitika! You can catch up on her history & recent exploits on the cast – it is one of our best for sure👍
