Standing in a large circle we stamped our feet to the rhythm of the tune, wriggled our bottoms and spelled out the story with our hands. This was all good practice for those students who will soon be going to Tanzania and gave the rest of us who won't be travelling quite so far an insight into another culture's dancing tradition. This was no ordinary night in Cleator Moor Civic Hall because Friday 25 th January was the date for a fund raising barn dance for the Copeland-Rungwe link. Dancing was to the "Crab Apple" band which is based on the music centre at Wyndham School. Mary Kipling caller for the band led a happy mixture of adult supporters and students in traditional barn dances as well as the Tanzanian dances Timoti Sosi and Maria.
This year 15 students from Whitehaven, St.Benedict’s, Wyndham and St Bees schools accompanied by five leaders will make the journey to the Rungwe District in Tanzania to make a significant contribution to four secondary schools there. With a fundraising target of more than £15,000 to buy bricks and cement to build extra classrooms the impact on that rural area will be really significant. Recently Egremont Today happily donated £2470 to help to connect one of the schools to mains electricity and as a result our intrepid students will be able to install some computer equipment for the Tanzanian students.

At a time when the talk is all of selfishness especially amongst the young it is really delightful to be able to report on a group of young people coming together from different schools who are willing to put themselves out to raise money for people much less better off than themselves. This groundbreaking project which has been running for many years is something that we in West Cumbria should be really proud of. Chris and Lesley Reay presented Mary Kipling with a shield that they have donated to the Copeland-Rungwe Community link, which will have the name of the most successful student fundraiser inscribed on it every year.

So if your eye is ever caught by an appeal for the Link's fundraising efforts don't forget to support a group of students cooperating together from different schools, helping people many thousands of miles away and gaining a very special experience that will change their lives for ever.