Introductions!

This is me, Isabel Hill. There's a good chance you know me already, to be reading this. If not, you soon will! There's more about me in my "Profile" section (helpfully titled "about me and my project" - just click on it), and you'll soon find out even more from my posts. But don't worry, I'll try not to bore you with TOO many details!

So here I am, all ready to start this project I'm describing as "two marathons - two charities - two weeks". As with most of life, I feel underskilled and underprepared, but determined to complete the task I've committed myself to. Determination won't be enough. All my efforts will be fruitless without your support! But since I can't expect you to support in a vacuum, intermittent posts will aim to let you know some more about the charities I'm supporting, as well as how my training is going.

For starters, what are these charities?

"RTU" stands for "Reaching the Unreached of Village India". Brother James Kimpton, of the De La Salle Brothers, founded RTU in 1975, and since then he's been working to meet the needs of the poor in part of Tamil Nadu, India's southernmost state. There are children's villages (for orphaned and abandoned children), schools, medical services, a house-building project, drilling of wells, creation of employment opportunities... While Brother James, now in his 80s, gradually reduces his involvement, the very competent local team is gaining confidence in keeping this amazing work viable and effective in the long term. I will tell you a little about all the different aspects of the work of RTU in the coming months. I can't remember how my connection with RTU started, but for several years now I've been reading their newsletters with admiration and interest. I am always captivated by the very personal interest in the people served, which comes through so clearly in the accounts of their work.

WPF Therapy was founded (as the Westminster Pastoral Foundation) in 1969, when "talking therapies" were in their infancy, and since then the vision of providing skilled and affordable therapy has been maintained throughout its evolution into a well-established centre of excellence. High-quality counselling and therapy are provided, using a sliding scale of fees such that nobody is excluded due to low income. In addition, a wide range of professional training is offered, for example in psychotherapy and counselling. I came across WPF Therapy when I moved to Kensington last year, and have been consistently impressed with the dedication and kindness of the staff. I want to use this opportunity to speak out about the difficulty for so many people struggling with mental illness in accessing talking therapies, and the role WPF Therapy can play in filling that gap. Following their move to a new site near London Bridge, I'm sure this is going to be a particularly fruitful period in the development of WPF Therapy.

So, 6 months 12 days until the first marathon, and two wonderful charities to publicise. I hope this is a reasonable beginning! Training has started too; more of that in my next post.

Thanks for your attention!