Sports kit from Startforth school heads to Africa

TWO sets of football strips and PE equipment from the former Startforth school will be flown out to Ghana next month so poor children can put it to good use.
It comes as Clive Beecham, who is well known from his time teaching at Teesdale School, has organised a big band concert to raise funds for a remote township in the African country.
Since his retirement, Mr Beecham and his wife, Pauline, have been involved in a project to support a community in Ghana. They visit the township of Ho each year supported by their local methodist church.
Their ‘Grace Project’ has already helped to build three classrooms at the school by raising £10,000. On their last visit they bought and built a 4,000 litre water tank for use by the school and community.
Mr Beecham’s daughter worked as a teacher at Startforth before it was shut by Durham County Council last month due to falling pupil numbers. The school’s sports gear has been given to the Beechams, who will fly to Ghana on February 20 with the items, as well as donated IT equipment. Money raised by a celebration concert will also be taken to invest in the school. It takes place at Cockerton Methodist Church, on Friday, February 10, at 7pm. Tickets cost £3. The County Big Band will perform along with the Little Big Band who are both giving their services free of charge.
Mr Beecham said: “Every penny raised will go to the school and the community in Ghana. There are no admin costs with the Grace Project – we pay all our airfare, accommodation and expenses ourselves. People have been so kind with their donations and it’s making a real difference.”
The Grace Project bought land next to a leper village to build a school. By doing so, they wanted to make a statement to show they were willing to take on a site that the community believed no one would want. Leprosy is a declining problem and the school is now thriving.
“There are about 300 pupils who travel quite a distance to get to school. They get a rounded curriculum, but what they try to do is to try to bring in other teachers and pupils so they can empower other schools.”
Thanks to the donations, the school has even built its own IT suite.
“People out there are very, very friendly. We have no fears whatsoever, even though we’re both getting on for 70 and can be the only white people a market with 3,000 to 4,000 locals,” said Mr Beecham, who was a craft teacher at Teesdale School for a dozen years. He retired about seven years ago after spending 38 years in the profession. The Beechams, who live in Darlington, got involved in the Grace Project soon afterwards.
Mr Beecham added: “To me that’s what life is about – using skills and vision and getting on with it. The news depresses me – shootings and killings – but around us, there are hundreds of thousands of very positive people and projects.
“When I return from Ghana, you can stand in Darlington and see people looking very down and it’s such a contract from seeing people who are so cheerful over there.”
l For tickets to see the County Big Band concert, call 01325 462196.