On 23 and 24 August 2021 we; Kirstie Philcox, 11, a pupil at King's School, Gloucester, and her parents Josephine Murray and Ken Philcox, will walk 26 miles of The Clarendon Way from Salisbury Cathedral to Winchester Cathedral, 13 miles a day for two days, to raise money to enable children in Dornakal, India to go to school.

King's School Gloucester has helped Dornakal Diocesan English Medium School for 14 years by donating items such as books, musical instruments and IT equipment, and sponsoring children from disadvantaged famillies who would otherwise be unable to attend the school. Most of the children at the school, aged 4-16, are from the poorest families who struggle to give their child an education. The pandemic has made it even more difficult for these families, many of whom are daily labourers who work in the fields, quarries and mines, to send their children to school.

The photo shows Narasimha, an orphan looked after primarily by the Dornakal school, who is sponsored by King's. We want to raise money to give more children like him an education. It costs between £80 and £120 to sponsor a child for a year including uniform, books, stationery and lunches.

Education is the way out of poverty and over the years children who have had an education in Dornakal have gone on to have trades, become teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers and scientists. In addition, receiving education beyond the age of 11 reduces the likelihood of girls becoming child brides.

The Dornakal school re-opened on 1 August having been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic. With your donations we can help more children return to school, and enable the school to buy the books and equipment it needs.