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The Bunyan Sports Centre in Bedford recently hosted a five a side football tournament for
“The Central Federation Traditional Shotokan Karate" in aid of the Street Children of Lira,
Uganda. The charity’s full name Is “One Step at a Time” founded by Mrs Sandra
Murphy. The task of how to help the children of Uganda and Lira in particular
was so daunting Sandra didn’t know where to start. How can you help orphans, a
displaced community ravaged by war, neglect and starvation? That was how she came up with the charity’s name she now directs.
It was a target of Sensei Kidby’s to achieve sufficient money by organising the
tournament to buy a motorbike to help in the charity’s work. Too often we can
donate to a charity without actually seeing what your hard earned money has
done. With this more specific fund raising gratifying results are transparent.
The purpose of a motor bike is not only to assist with mundane everyday transport needs but
it also serves a much better need too. Some children living on the streets have
been separated from their parents by the effects of war. Some of them may have
parents living in displacement camps and some of them are orphans but may have
relatives alive in villages far away. An all terrain motor bike is a fast, easy
and economical method of getting about following up on leads which may re-unite
a street child with a loved one. It can also help transport youths in the care
of the charity to work placements where they are on apprentice schemes to
enable them to obtain work and become self sufficient.
The total raised on the day was £1102 which was more than sufficient money for the
motorbike with enough left over for a push bike too which will help with the
most local of journeys around Lira.
One of the reasons of charity fund raising, apart from helping a very worthwhile cause, is
to teach karate students that the true meaning of martial arts is not what it
does for your body that is important. Karate is more about what it does for
your head and your heart that truly matters and what better way than to help
those less fortunate than ourselves.
With regard to the football it self we can report the standard was very high indeed. Scouts
were out from the premiership clubs and those selected will be hearing in due
course. The winners after a tight match of the ladies and boys tournament was
Kempston Angels with Ampthill maniacs coming runners up. The runners up of the
mens tournament was Kempston beating Wolverton by one nil but as Sensei said
on the day - the true winners on this occasion has to be the street children of
Lira.
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Good quality 5 X 7 photographs of the event are available at £2 each generously being
donated to the charity by Steve Kavanagh of Kempston club. These need to be
ordered and pre-paid via your sensei, preview pictures can be viewed at www.englishbayphotography.co.uk/portfolio39581.html (password is: CFTSCharity - it is case sensitive!) by 24/09/08.
Many Thanks must go to all who supported the event in whatever capacity they participated.
The day really will make such a difference to many lives.
Thank you!
OSS !!
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