Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Before Giles and I were married we travelled to India together to trace his families ancestry, his father Anthony having been born in India. For me it was also an opportunity to meet the man who had inspired me to study medicine, Dr Jack Preger. This man had left his life in Wales as a Sheep Farmer and studied medicine with the aim of alleviating suffering on the streets of what was then known as Calcutta. He set up an illegal street clinic, when he was denied a work permit, and from that tiny beginning below the flyover connecting the Howrah Bridge a whole organisation has grown up of street clinics and schools giving the poorest the opportunities to be educated and have a chance of a better life.

 He encountered continual set backs and opposition but he was determined to stay and help. He operated his street clinic 6 days a week from 1979 to 1993. He would have help from volunteer nurses and Doctors who visited and stayed on, tourists saw his work and set up support groups in their home countries. He was eventually granted official registration and was able to set up permanent clinics. When Giles and I visited in 2001, we saw the schools and the clinics and the day to day struggle of just trying to survive in the conditions of absolute poverty. The ingenuity and determination it took, it was a humbling experience. 

Dr Jack retired at the age of 88 years in Jan 2019 due to declining health, he has returned to the UK after 40 years of service to the poor in Calcutta. Work continues in his 3 clinics and 2 schools and 2 vocational training centers which employ 150 local staff. 

Seeing first hand the difference Dr Jack made to the children and the sick in Calcutta means that I know every penny we send will go to continue the vital work of Calcutta Rescue Fund. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your support, it will make me very happy to know that I am helping to support Dr Jack's legacy.

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