Teacher raises £4k for ActionAid (From The Oxford Times)

Teacher raises £4k for ActionAid

7:00am Wednesday 4th April 2012 in Wantage

MOST people considering retirement are thinking of slowing down and relaxing.

But not for Jeanette Gill, a semi-retired teacher from Stanford in the Vale.

The 62-year-old instead raised £4,277 for the anti-poverty charity ActionAid and travelled to India to help people directly.

While there, she helped completely renovate a homeless shelter for men in East Delhi.

She had been raising money for ActionAid for years, but it was the first time she had seen where it was spent.

Mrs Gill, who works at Brimble Hill school in Swindon, said: “These kinds of trips really are life-changing experiences.

“They widen your horizons, and my time in India made me all the more appreciative of what I have.”

She also spent three days and nights trekking in the Himalayas, visting villages and learning about the way of life there.

Mrs Gill travelled to India as part of the First Hand Experiences scheme, run by ActionAid.

To take part in a sponsored trip, visit actionaid.org.uk/adventures or call 01460 238047.