Every NEA Chairman's Report has its own emphasis and flavour: sometimes there are major events relating to the several centres to record, while on other occasions it seems useful rather to describe aspects of the regular ongoing activities. Very often, it seems to me, the normal run of activities better reflects the strength of NEA than outstanding or unusual commemorative events.
During the course of the year each of the Association's centres schedules a programme of events and activities in furtherance of NEA's aims. For example, apart from providing residential accommodation for students, Netherhall House and Grandpont House present series of lectures and seminars supplementing the formal academic programme of residents and friends. The study centres and youth sections of Dunreath, Kelston and Westpark put on both perennial and changing academic and recreational activities for the young people who attend them. Lakefield Training Centre provides an enhanced curriculum of vocational training for the hospitality industry. In and from all the centres, including Elmore in the newly refurbished premises at Orme Court, many talks and classes dealing with responsible parenting, faith and ethical issues take place.
A custom encouraged by NEA in all its centres is that of visiting elderly, infirm and lonely people with some regularity. These visits do not as such aim to provide a social service, but rather to perform small acts of charity, which help to heighten awareness in those making the visits of the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalised.
Apart from these visits in which many participate in the course of any year, NEA also promotes more formal social development projects. Dunreath's Citywise project in Glasgow joined forces during this period with its sister activities in Manchester and London. The reorganised joint project has been renamed ReachOut. Work in the Sighthill district of Glasgow has continued. Children of asylum seekers temporarily housed in the area, and other local premises lent by the City Council for tutoring sessions. As with the other ReachOut programmes the young people who act as tutors, mostly university students, try to improve the English-language skills of the children, help them with schoolwork and generally try to establish friendly relations with them and their families. The importance of these dedicated volunteers as educational role-models can hardly be exaggerated. During the school holidays, outings are put on for the children to selected cultural and adventure sites.
In both 2004 and 2005 groups from Netherhall House, took part in work camps in Nicaragua. These were initiated in 2002 to bring assistance to acutely poor rural communities where it is common to find children suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, as well as parasitic and viral infections. The parties contributed to solving these problems by delivering health-care in isolated communities and local hospitals; establishing health promotion programmes with a view to improving hygiene; improving sanitation through the construction of latrines; and building or reconditioning schools and community centres.
During 2005 Andrés Merino, until then Secretary of Netherhall House, moved to South Africa to take up a university teaching post there. Apart from wishing him well, we hope that, as he has been involved in all the Nicaragua work camps to date, his presence there may lead to the further extension of the programme of international work camps organised from Netherhall House.
During the period covered in this report, Kelston reached its fortieth anniversary. I was very pleased to attend one of the reunions organised for old members and to see for myself how many of the former youngsters – now not quite so young – were happy to attend.
Many of them had attended, or helped in activities at, other centres in later life, or recommended their children to do the same. We have a major article about Kelston in another section of this NEA Review.
Another section below deals with the first full year's programme of activities of the Thomas More Institute. When we launched this activity, we sought to contribute to a richer understanding of the role of a spirit of service and of soundly based principles in underpinning public policy. I am happy to announce here that following a generous benefaction, NEA has designated resources for the Jeremy White Memorial Scholarship Fund. Named after a former supporter who spent his life in developing educational projects in Africa, this Fund will underwrite research undertaken through the Thomas More Institute.
Naturally, the work of any charity is based on much routine work, often unseen work by many people. This is particularly true for NEA which functions primarily through a large number of volunteers. It is impossible to mention all by name, but I thank everyone.
Neil Pickering
Chairman
May 2006