St Peter's Parish, Belper, Derbyshire

Jesus at the centre transforming our community

St Crispin’s Home, Pune

Contact Kate and David Gough for further details.


St Crispin's Home in Pune, India provides accommodation, health care and education for girls who otherwise, because of their home circumstances, would struggle to survive. Through the Derbyshire Churches partnership with the Church of North India we have established a link with St Crispin's; David and Kate have visited regularly over the last 20 years and keep us informed of developments there.

September 2022 News from St Crispin’s Home

                                                                 St Crispins computers 

Thanks to our regular Zoom meetings with St Crispin’s we are able to keep up to date with their joys and challenges. There’s lots of good news: efficient solar power, new qualified staff, 40 new ceiling fans (we helped pay for those!), a new nursery building to provide a creche for working mothers and sponsorship from Amazon India. This is proving very beneficial, not only have they provided new modern computers but are also mentoring the older girls and creating opportunities for them to safely experience life outside the home and explore different career choices. 

The new computer room was officially opened in August. They continue to value our financial support and prayers for the ongoing negotiations with government officials especially regarding the £94,000 still owing to them. Our next Zoom meeting is scheduled for October 8th (note change of date) at 1.30pm. Please consider joining us and finding out more about this amazing charity which we at St Peter’s have supported for so many years. Thank you.



St Crispins 2 Jan 2020

 

                                                St Crispins 1 Jan 2020                          St Crispins 3 Jan 2020

Sadly Tichnor Charles, the administrator of St Crispin's since 1984, died tragically in August 2019 following a heart operation. The trustees have stepped up to continue his work until a replacement is found for Tichnor. Alka Chandorikar, senior social worker and superintendent of the home, has taken on total responsibility for the welfare of the girls and, together with the other staff and with the support of the trustees, is trying to continue Tichnor's vision for St Crispin's ongoing development.  Alka, lives on the premises and is on call 24/7. She updates us regularly and informs us of particular prayer requests which we then put on the parish prayer chain.

.St Crispins 4 Jan 2020

Latest news from Jan/Feb 2022 Three in One magazine.

St Crispin’s news and appeal – David and Kate Gough ‘Zoomed’. Schools have all reopened in India after over a year of lockdown measures and older girls are travelling to college in the school minibus. Vishram, the Director, is networking to raise sponsorship; he hopes that Amazon will supply them with new computers throughout the home and school. Rooms at the top of the building are being rented out to raise valuable income and, after a long battle, they will be receiving rental from a huge advertising hoarding on the school premises, facing the busy road junction which has been there for many years. No money had previously changed hands! 

Bible Studies for staff and girls continue to be held regularly but discretely for those who chose to participate. The Home continues to maintain its distinctive Christian ethos and ministry despite the threat of persecution from local fundamentalist Hindu groups. 

We asked Vishram and Alka (the residential social worker/administrator) if there was anything we could help them with, apart from our prayers which they value tremendously. He told us that they hope to replace all the old ceiling fans and add more – a total of 130!! As temperatures sometimes reach 35+ degrees in the hot summer season these are clearly essential. Some have already been sponsored but they still need to raise money for the rest. Would you consider sponsoring a fan at the cost of £26? Can we raise enough for 10 or even 20? It’s a challenge but we’ve done it before; we’ve bought a minibus, a commercial washing machine, a fridge, curtains, solar panels and a canopy for the washing area, not to mention renovating the wooden floor in the main hall! Please get in touch if you feel able to help or watch this space for fund raising opportunities and events. 

Our next Zoom meeting with St Crispin’s is on February 7th, why not join us and experience the magic of talking with friends in India as if they’re in the next room!! Bless you for reading this and caring about this special place.


Latest news 2019/2020 from Kate and David: 

When we last visited St Crispin's in 2019 we took with us a generous donation from St Peter's which, together with existing funding, enabled the home to purchase a new minibus.  As we walked around the home we were overwhelmed to see just how much we have been able to buy for them over the ten years or so that St Peter's Parish have been involved in supporting them. We saw the curtains in the dormitories, the water filtration system, the industrial washing machine, new desks, mattresses, a canopy over the outdoor washing area, a freezer and the renovated wooden floor. 

St Crispins 5 Jan 2020

                                     

All the staff at the home value our support so much, not just our financial support but the fact that there are churches half way across the world in Belper who take an interest in what they are doing and pray for them. “Please keep praying”, the housemothers said, “Our work is very hard and we need your prayers!” They are each responsible for looking after up to 60 girls in one of the six dormitories, taking on the role of mother 24 hours a day. They are amazing! This year we have been thrilled to be able to keep in touch with some girls who had lived in the home and are now making their way in the world; they have contacted us through Facebook! Some are doctors, some nurses, some receptionists and office workers and others are at university. Thank God for St Crispin’s, for giving these girls the opportunity to fulfill their potential and for giving them hope for the future.                             

There are 300 girls living at St Crispin's - all with different stories. Tichnor, once said “St Crispin’s Home has survived through the last century only because of God’s infinite grace, mercy and love for the children in our care and His servants who serve in the home".