Join Eastbourne family on its African mission

Tickets are now on sale for a Banquet and Ball that is set to be one of Eastbourne’s most glitzy summer events – and to be held at The Winter Garden on Saturday, June 8, from 6.30pm until midnight.

Driving force behind the evening are Eastbourne couple Jess and Simon Gisby, who have made it a family mission to continue the work of Jess’s aunt, Penny Mann, with their mission being to provide the children with a much-needed new schoolroom.

It is hoped that upwards of 300 people will attend the Winter Garden ball, with businesses being asked to play their part and invite guests on to their tables. Tickets priced £80 (with tables of ten) are on sale to groups and individuals and available from [email protected]. Entertainment will come from the hugely popular band, The Zoots, and there will be a prize raffle and casino tables. The event is being supported by The Rotary Club of Eastbourne, of which Jess is a member.

Jess and Simon took their own two children, Logan (11) and Felicity (13), to Uganda during school half term, to meet the children at Kabalega primary school and learn more about the Masindi community which Jess’s aunt had supported for the past 20 years. Logan and Felicity were both given Kabalega uniforms to wear during their visit.

The family took eight suitcases on their trip – seven of them packed with donations from family and friends and including sports kit and tennis rackets from Bede’s School and books from Gildredge House.

Said Jess on her return: “The kids are just amazing – kind, polite and happy. Some get to school as early as 6am because they are so keen to be there.

“We were greeted by an impromptu school band. Logan is still messaging one of the boys he met. They really are such lovely children.”

It is the second visit the family had made to Uganda to meet teachers and pupils and to see first-hand how aunt Penny’s efforts had benefitted the community. On that first visit, Simon, a teacher at Bede’s prep in Eastbourne, had taken the children football shirts and kit donated by the school.

On their first visit, Jess and Simon met four students supported by Jess’s aunt who are now going on to study at university. Facilities at the school are very cramped and the priority for fund-raisers is to build new classrooms at Kabalega.

There are around 1,000 children using the cramped facilities at Kabalega. Government support is very minimal and the school receives only about £500 funding per term.

Logan – a keen sportsman and county cricketer – enjoyed the sports lessons and the family took some of the pupils on a trip to a nearby safari park where, astonishingly, they saw wildlife such as hippos and crocodiles for the first time.

Said Jess: “There is such joy on the children’s faces at all that is done for them, and it’s truly humbling to see the difference even a little money can make,” said Jess. “With just a little thought we can make such a lasting legacy. Eastbourne people have big hearts and we are asking them to reach out to these lovely children.”