THREE PEAKS FOR PALESTINE!
This autumn, I was proud to fly the Palestinian flag on the summits of the three highest mountains in the UK (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Mt Snowdon), to raise funds for two fantastic small charities which develop links of friendship and solidarity between people in the UK and Palestine; raise awareness about Palestinian life and culture; and work for peace, justice and freedom for all who live in this troubled region.
The two charities are:
Bradford on Avon Friends of Palestine (BoAFoP)
Britain-Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network.
The funds raised will be used to continue their excellent and much-needed work.

As well as its regular events, BoAFoP have ambitious projects for 2020, one of which is to support two remarkable youth projects in the West Bank with which there are long-lasting links.

One is based in a West Bank village called Tubas and is run by two inspirational educators and youth workers Jalal Khudairi and Abed Alraziq. They are now seeking support to fund a range of projects for their young people, involving sport, theatre and higher education opportunities.

The other plan is to support the amazing Ghirass Centre in Bethlehem which two of us visited in 2017: it's a haven for the youth of the city and surrounding area which provides them with educational and creative opportunities, as well as psychological support to cope with the realities of occupation, and build the best possible future. Currently the Centre is facing quite a desperate situation due to swingeing cuts to its funding - it very much needs all the support it can get to continue its fantastic work - the consequence for the young people of it not being able to continue supporting them does not bear imagining.

Besides supporting our Palestinian friends' work with their community, we also have an ambitious plan for 2020, to organise a conference type around mental health in Palestine and Israel - a burning issue in the UK and globally - and even more so people who are living in such traumatic situations as conflict and occupation.

The other charity is the Britain-Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network, of which BoAFoP is a member; and which supports groups around the country to develop links with villages, towns and cities in Palestine. These grassroots connections can be very powerful and are crucial for the Palestinians, who feel they have been abandoned by the international community. These networks of friendship and solidarity are key both to offering hope to the Palestinians, and to raising awareness in the UK of the situations that Palestinians have to encounter in their day-to-day lives.

The fundraising is still open and will be till mid-December, please consider contributing - we can guarantee that by supporting the above projects, your generosity will really make a difference!