This idea is perfect if you are the creative type! If you have some spare time at the weekend or in the evenings or while catching up on your favourite TV shows, get in the festive spirit by making your own crackers! Grab the glitter, glue and ask your friends to help you out. Check […]
Author Archive | Lauren
Lauren does The Major Series
Lauren, our Programme Manager, has (bravely? stupidly?!) decided to sign up for the Major Series in 2013 to raise money, it is taking place on the 9th March in Tunbridge Wells. If you don’t know what the Major Series is, it is a MAJOR CHALLENGE (according to the website!), involving running, mud, water, hills and […]
Festivals in Kerala
When you think of India a lot of people thing of the bright, vibrant, loud festivals that occur across the country throughout the year. Each state has different festivals so here we have bought you some of the famous Keralan festivals so you can see what is on when you’re out there! (more…)
Fundraising Idea: Christmas Grid
A great way to raise money is by creating a grid on a piece of A4 paper and ask people to donate a pound and sign up to a square on the grid. You can theme the grid to anything, but a great way to theme the grid at Christmas could be: Help Santa find […]
VESL team up with Lupus Travel Ltd
VESL are pleased to say that we have partnered up with Lupus Travel Ltd, a travel agency based in Tunbridge Wells, to offer competitive flight deals to all of our volunteers. This will enable volunteers to access great deals and the possibility of paying a deposit on a flight and paying the remainder closer to […]
Volunteer Diary: A Day in the Life, Sri Lanka.
Melissa has written another excellent blog for us (you may have read her last one, if not catch up on it here), this time about her day to day life in Sri Lanka.Warning: If you read this you are more than likely going to want to jump on to the next plane to Sri Lanka […]
Every Little Helps…
The VESL team were very excited to open the post this morning and receive this letter: So to who ever our ‘Secret Giver’ is a HUGE thank you from the VESL team, it was a lovely surprise! We will be adding it to our Wild Fund which is in need of a top up and every […]
Fundraising Idea: Christmas Meal for Friends
You may not be thinking about your Christmas dinner quite yet, but it might be a good time to start… invite your friends round for a Christmas meal at the beginning of December and ask them to donate £10 each. It is a great deal for them, for £10-£15 they get a (hopefully) tasty Christmas […]
Video Diary: Thailand Rural School Project
Andrew Durrant and Sandeep Rajgopal volunteered in a rural hill tribe school this summer. The school they volunteered at made a thank you video for them, check it out to get an idea of what it would be like to volunteer in Thailand! (more…)
Fundraising Idea: Santa Dash
It is November and although I am sure you don’t want to start thinking about Christmas (the television advertisements and the Christmas light arrivals may disagree), it is probably the BEST opportunity to fundraise and to make a big dent in your fundraising target! So over the next seven weeks we will be bringing you a Christmas […]
Volunteer Diary: Don’t Think: ACT!
“If you are thinking about volunteering with VESL my message would be don’t think – act! You are guaranteed an incredibly rewarding experience you will never forget. The schools here in Sri Lanka desperately need more volunteers to help improve their English speaking and listening, and your efforts will be more than appreciated. Come and […]
Fundraising Idea: Non-Uniform Day/Dress Down Day
An easy way to raise a couple of hundred pounds! “It felt great to go back to my old School, they were more than happy to help out and I raised almost £300 in one day!!!” James Hallworth, Student Leader, Thailand, 2012 Why do a non-uniform day? This event gives you the opportunity of raising […]
Travelling Tip: Toilets
Kath McGuire has recent an excellent and insightful post about how to use toilets in Asia. Most recently Kath spent the summer in Thailand as the Country Coordinator for our Summer volunteers and found that a lot of volunteers were worried about using squat toilets. Kath has travelled and lived in India, Sri Lanka and […]
Video Diary: Life in Thailand
Jodie Thackray volunteered with VESL in Thailand in Summer 2012, here she has put together an excellent video of her time there, from teaching in school to eating crickets! Jodie recently graduated from MMU and is a freelance film-maker, photographer and artist – check out her website. Thailand 2012 VESL from Jodie Thackray on Vimeo. […]
