My fourth book about the Draycott Scarecrows, "Scarecrows on Safari", is at the printers right now - to raise money for schoolchildren in Nakuru. Please help me make a difference for them.
I have to admit that, hard as things can be sometimes, I'm pretty privileged here in the Westernised world.
I take running water for granted. I take food in my cupboards for granted. And I take free education and healthcare for granted.
Did you know that in Kenya girls cannot attend school if they don't have underwear and sanitary wear - and that many simply cannot afford these, so they miss school?
And girls who do not have underwear are more likely to be victims of rape and sexual assault - because in Kenya underwear is seen as a sign of status, and not wearing it says you are of low status and therefore prey?
This has to change. We have to do something to help.
I've been writing books over the last three or four years, and within this I wrote the 'Draycott Scarecrow Trilogy' - a series of books about the fictional adventures of a group of woolly scarecrow toys in my village in Derbyshire. The three books have raised money in aid of three local charities.
Last year I gave a set of the books to Marie Crowley, to take with her on her next trip to Kenya where she volunteers for a week or so each year. She returned from her latest trip this May with photos of the kids playing with the woolly toys, having made up their own stories for the characters after reading about them in my books. My books are part of their education, something that I'm really proud of.
She told me the conditions that the kids live in, how their lives are affected by the lack of money and food and uniform and school supplies and underwear and sanitary wear and and and..... and I knew that I just HAD to write another book about the scarecrows to raise some money for these kids.
The book is currently at the printers and will be ready to go on sale at my village's Scarecrow Festival (which takes place over the August bank holiday weekend 25-26-27 August). I've created a Just-Giving webpage, so that anyone wanting to help out with the fundraising can make a donation towards the printing costs for the book. This will then mean that ALL money made from selling the books can go straight to improving the lives and education of these kids in Nakuru, Kenya. Please help. Anything you can give will help to make a difference. The link to donate is: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/scarecrowsonsafari
Thank you.