Trustees
David Kirk, (Treasurer)
Dave Kirk is a retired Physics Teacher who learnt some of the challenges that face the children of the poor in Tamil Nadu when visiting the area annually over a period of more than twenty years. He has often seen the conditions in which a great many tribal families live and realises the very few choices that the children have after they leave what is usually a very short schooling. In Awake he sees there can be a bright future for these children, and therefore a brighter future for their families. He hopes that HAPsI can continue to be a stable and very active supporter of our sister Indian charity for many years and can eventually spread its influence into the tribal villages of the Palani Hills.
Louise Lythgoe ( Secretary)
I have been teaching for 13 years and am currently Headteacher of a large primary school in Folkestone, Kent. I first visited Southern India in 2003 with Canterbury Christ Church University and immediately fell in love with the people, culture and customs. I have returned four times since. Each time I received such a warm welcome from the Awake Mercy Home and renewed passion for supporting the deserving children who are cared for so expertly there.
Glenn Sharp (Chairman)
I am a full-time Primary School teacher and Senior Leader at Sandgate Primary School. On my friend Dr. Stephen Scoffham's recommendation, I took a few days to visit the Awake Trust, whilst on holiday in South India in March 2005. During these memorable days, I was humbled by the specialness of the home created by Krishna and Elizi which was for around 24 children at that time. It was exactly that: a home! Not an institution; but a place where the children were treated as members of one family; with love, care, warmth, respect and able to flourish. On one of my subsequent visits I was also lucky enough to meet my wife Jancy, whose family home is in the same district. We now look forward to the visits to the home as a family, with our two young children.
Lucy Neuburger
I am recently qualified primary school teacher, having completed my PGCE last summer. My involvement with HAPsI arose on the back of a dinner conversation with Stephen Scoffham during a teaching trip to South India in 2016. He talked with great enthusiasm about his relationship with the Awake Mercy Home and the fantastic and tireless work Krishna and Elsie do. I mentioned to Stephen that I would love to visit the home and offer my assistance as a teacher.� I did not think anything would come of it but 6 months later, there I was, teaching lessons and playing games with the wonderful children . It is happy, vibrant and often chaotic place but also one of the warmest.� I hope that becoming a trustee will allow me to support Awake Mercy in enabling it to continue providing a much needed safe and nurturing environment for the children who live there.�
Dr. Stephen Scoffham
Stephen Scoffham is a Visiting Reader in Sustainability and Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. He has taken many groups of trainee teachers to south India on study visits which he has devised and organised. This experience has stimulated his research into global learning and inter-cultural understanding. Stephen is an established author of books for schools and teachers and is President Elect of the Geographical Association (2018-19).