MPIKA Newsletter Autumn 2022

NEWS
a quarterly newsletter for our people
AUTUMN 2022
Dedicated to June (Juni) Martin
Founder of MPIKA Village of Hope
1957-2019
Mpika Charity Shop
Unit 16, Black Dyke Mills, Brighouse Rd, Queensbury,
Bradford BD13 1QA

Remembering
June
The 14th November marks 3 years since the passing of our beloved founder
June (Juni) Martin.
Jenny and June
June founded Mpika Relief Fund (now Mpika Village of Hope) in 2004 with the
help of her good friend Jenny Mussakanya. The charity aimed to provide muchneeded
support to orphaned children in the village of Mpika in Zambia and
through June and Jenny's determination they were able to raise enough funds
to purchase land in Mpika and build a dedicated orphanage and school.
Jenny, alongside her team, continues to run the school and orphanage which
has gone from strength to strength.
June is always in our hearts and minds and we miss her greatly. We are
committed to continuing her legacy and ensuring the Mpika Charity fulfils its
duties, as June would have wanted.

Remembering
June
Tina Watkin - Mpika
Trustee
June (Juni to her friends) was much loved and admired by everyone who met her.
Quiet but working round the clock, June never faltered to be that
listening ear or helping hand in times of need. Not making a show of her
efforts to enhance the lives of others, she just got on with the job at
hand. Nothing was too much trouble for her to deal with. Never singing
her own praises, she was like a worker ant, no job was too hard to
tackle. If you were unwell, she picked up on it and had a remedy which
would ease the pain, whether it be in your body, mind or soul. She felt
your anxiety and dealt with it accordingly. A big hug made all the
difference.
On Thursday 14th November 2019 I had a phone call at 21.50 from her
family to tell me that my dear friend had died in a tragic road
accident.
It had been June's dream for many years to build up the organisation to
support the Village of Hope Orphanage in Mpika, Zambia. Now it was up to
us all to keep the dream alive. I truly believe that we had guidance to
cope with our loss and found the strength to carry on regardless.

Remembering
June
Brian Newham - Mpika Trustee
June was a dear and special friend and accomplished so many
incredible things. While Jenny was founding the orphanage in Zambia,
June worked tirelessly back in the UK to raise much-needed funds.
She started with car boot sales to raise money for the orphanage
before moving to premises in Denholme. The Keighley shop followed,
and then finally the Mill in Queensbury in 2014.
She was the heart and soul of the charity. Often she would take work
home in the evenings and work 60 hours a week as a volunteer.
June dedicated over 15 years to the cause. Whilst running busy charity
shops, she also organised events, arranged for containers of goodies to
be sent to Africa, made visits to schools to teach children about the
charity's mission, and also visited Zambia to see her hard work in
person.

LATEST
NEWS
We've been
nominated!
We are very pleased to announce that Mpika has been
nominated in the Community Partner category in the
Queensbury Community Awards.
The annual event recognises the fantastic work that individuals
and organisations do to support the Queensbury community
and we are very honoured to be included amongst some
fantastic people and initiatives.
Please consider voting for us!
You will find all the details on the event's Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/QCAevent
Auction
On the 16th October we held our first-ever auction
at the shop. For high-value or antique items, we
usually take them to a local auctioneer, but we
thought why not hold our own auction?
We were very pleased with the turnout and raised
over £400 for the charity!
We hope to do another one soon, so keep an eye
on our Facebook page for updates.

OUR
SHOP
Book Advent Calendar
During November, you can pick up 24 kids
books for only £5 to make your very own book
advent calendar!
Choose 24 books from our vast range of
second-hand books, wrap them up, number
them 1-24 and enjoy counting down the days
until Christmas Day.
Christmas Fayre
Our annual Christmas Fayre will be taking
place on 26th November between
9:45am-3:45pm.
We will have a Christmas gift stall, Xmas
jumper stall, a yummy cake stall, a
Christmas craft activity table, a tombola,
lucky dip and a raffle where you can win
some amazing prizes.
Raffle tickets can be purchased from the
shop for only £1 per strip. We will draw the
winners at 3pm on 26th November.
The Queensbury Lights Switch On is also
taking place on the same day. Some
members of the Mpika team will be
holding a stall at the event which is taking
place at Victoria Hall in Queensbury.
Where to find us
Unit 16, Black Dyke Mills,
Brighouse Rd, Queensbury,
Bradford BD13 1QA
Phone: 01274 945670

OUR
AFRICA
58th Independence Day Celebrations
On 24th October the children and team in Zambia celebrated their 58th year of
independence.
Building Works
The next stage of building works is underway and Gideon (who oversees this in Zambia) is
busy organising and gathering quotes from local contractors to continue the work.
Thank you Gideon, for your brilliant management of this project.
A lot of progress has been made so far and we are excited about the next phase and
reaching the finishing line. The building will be an important asset for the Mpika team in
Zambia and will allow us to help even more children and families.
Follow our Facebook page for regular updates!

SPONSORS
Julie Crowther, one of our trustees, is now overseeing the sponsorships and has made
an excellent start at collating all the information on the children at the orphanage and
putting together a sponsor pack.
Our sponsor scheme allows supporters to donate a regular amount each month, with
the money going directly to their sponsored child to help pay for clothing, school items
and any other things they may want or need. You will receive regular updates so you
can see exactly how your donation is making an impact.
We do not ask for a set amount, only what you can afford.
In total, we have 49 children at the orphanage and at the time of print 29 of those have
sponsors.
Since taking on the role, Julie has secured 7 new sponsors! A big thank you to Julie for
all your hard work and to our sponsors who have kindly pledged to donate each
month. Your support is very much appreciated.
If you would like to enquire about sponsoring a child - please email Julie on
mpikacharity@gmail.com and she will be happy to discuss with you.
Thank you to all our sponsors

SPONSORS
Thank you to all our new sponsors
Miniver Aged 5
Sponsored by Sandra
Haigh
James Aged 8
Sponsored by
Chelsey Dolan
& family.
Given Aged 10
Sponsored by Olga
Ramsden
Doris
Sponsored by
Julie Crowther
Maria Aged 9
Sponsored by
Louise Kelly
Peter Aged 6
Sponsored by
Stacey Hudson
Brenda Aged 16,
Sponsored by
Julie Murphy

FINAL
WORD
Customer Reviews
"Dropped some items off today and received such a
warm welcome. Nothing was too much trouble and
the staff were more than happy to help.
Such a fantastic asset to our Community." - Karen
"Absolutely brilliant lovely staff and
cheap good quality items
especially for babies" - Jude
"Bought some really cute
things from here..big shop
lots to look at" - Sarah
Volunteers
needed
Can you spare a few hours a
week?
We are always looking for
volunteers to help us in the
shop. From sorting donations to
helping customers on the shop
floor.
If you can spare any time at all,
please drop us an email on
mpikacharity@gmail.com to
apply.
Customer Creations
Sandra saw these drawers needed a home
so decided to transform them into cat
beds! What a great idea and look how cosy
they are?
Mpika Relief Fund registered charity 1106841
Tel: 01274 946 670
Email: mpikarelief@gmail.com