The Friends of H.O.P.E – NEWS / ARTICLES

• Vanya Orr Resurgence and Ecologist Article (pdf 473kb)
• Vanya Orr Article – The Hindu Newspaper 21/10/12 (pdf 1.1MB)

UPDATE: John Pilkington Event 23rd October 2012

A very successful fundraising supper was held at Bangkok Brasserie on Tuesday 23rd October when John Pilkington provided an enthralling illustrated talk about the journey he took last year from Georgia to Afghanistan. In an exciting sequel to his previous talk, A Stroll through the Axis of Evil, John described in his presentation of photographs how he followed a spectacular branch of the Silk Road from the Caucasus across the Caspian Sea to Samarkand. Turning south–east to explore the High Pamirs of Tajikistan and Afghanistan; a region well–known to Marco Polo, before finishing in Kashgar – regarded as China's 'Crossroads of Asia'.

John's stunning photos and informative commentary enthralled the audience. His passion and enthusiasm meant that everyone listening was living the excitement and challenges of his journey which took 5 months to complete. "Afghanistan was an absolute highlight. Crossing the river from Tajikistan was like stepping back a hundred years. On the Tajik side there were cars, electric lights, piped water and central heating; on the Afghan side donkeys, candles, water buckets and smoky yak–dung fires. In the company of two horsemen I reached the source of the River Oxus, helped along by generous bowls of yak's–milk yogurt and salty tea, the staple diet of the sheep and yak herders in this isolated corner of Afghanistan".

The event was in aid of The Friends of H.O.P.E – a small UK registered charity based in Winchester working to help the rural poor in in the Nilgiri Hills region of Tamil Nadu, India. The event raised £900 for the charity and all of the money is to be sent to India to help families and communities build sustainable livelihoods.