Team Sally Army is taking on the TCS London Marathon 2026, raising funds to support The Salvation Army's vital work every step of the way.

I am seeking to support Chatham Salvation Army Tweenager’s project to raise funds for the Matumaini School in Tanzania.

The Tweenagers of 2016 wanted to do a project that made a difference to other children and specifically wanted to support Africa.

The focus was all about children making a difference for other children in the world.

The school at Matumiani (meaning hope) was chosen. At that time the school needed a library and were desperate for metal beds, as they were all wooden and rotten.

The school cares for 220 disabled children who would be left on the streets as outcasts and around 30 albino children who would be killed if not in the school.

The Tweenagers chose the target of £10,000 and by 2018 we reached it through the young people hosting quiz nights, craft mornings, bacon butties, Car boot sales and a couple of concerts.

Each young person took on a project role and they led from the front. Choosing what fundraisers they do and when.

Our first 10,000 ensured we could provide shelving for their library and the start of replacing beds.

At the time The Fundraising Team in the Salvation Army enabled us to take the tweenagers to visit the children at the school in Tanzania, taking a range of toys, games, teaching resources. Meeting the.children themselves was amazing and has shaped a number of the tweenagers lives.

Since then we raised a further £6000 which went to help replace mattresses and some further school equipment.

The tweenagers in the first group also handmade 220 pencil cases so every child had one of their own.

This group of tweenagers wanted to continue the project and to try and raise the same amount as the previous group and some more. So they asked for a target of £12000. We suggested 10,000 as a starter and by end of 2025 they smashed it! So they want to do 2 more fundraising events to increase to £12,000.

I have sought to support this project over the years and in 2023 I ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon myself raising £981.25. I repeated the event again 2024, this time with my son, Sam, who was 17 at the time, raising £883.13.

These funds will have gone towards buying some of the metal beds and mattresses.

Every penny really does make a difference and I would be grateful for your continued support for this vital cause and support of our amazing Tweenagers.