Chauncy Maples Blog

March' Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:49:51 +0000

Ship yard workers employed by Malawi Shipping Company in Monkey Bay have been issued with new safety gear. Here are two of the carpenters about to begin work on the new office for our marine engineer Ross Girdler.

The British National Archives in Kew have posted a fascinating collection of photos from colonial Africa. Many of these are from Malawi – or Nysasland as it was then.

There have been some fantastic efforts to raise money for Chauncy Maples. The first 'Annual Ladies vs. Gents Netball Match' took place in London when 'The Gentlemen of Shipping' played against 'The Ladies of Reed Smith Shipping'. Each team set up a Justgiving page and between them they raised over £1,300, more than they had hoped for!

Christian Ayerst reported: "On a cold November evening a team of men dressed as women, and women dressed as nurses took the netball court in aid of the Chauncy Maples. A vociferous crowd cheered, smirked and raised eyebrows in equal measures. The Gentlemen were evidently unused to the rules and gave away multiple fouls in the opening exchanges. The Girls, in spite of a height disadvantage, used all their skill and guile in a pulsating final third to force a well-deserved draw with the Gentlemen."

February's Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:57:13 +0000

We now have a Chauncy Maples Trust registered in Malawi, with a Trust Deed signed by the Minister of Justice. "With this document the Trust has assumed legal personality in Malawi and as such its business can now commence in earnest," says Alimon Mwase, Trustee of Lilongwe. Business will include awareness and fund-raising in Malawi. The other trustees are Dumisani of Blantyre, Carrie Osborne of Monkey Bay and Janie Hampton of Oxford.

January's Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:53:42 +0000

We are getting some great donations, small and large.

St Mary Magdalen Church in Oxford, where Bishop Chauncy Maples was a curate, sent us £300; the Ana Leaf Foundation is our first Special Founder, having given a staggering £100,000. Sixteen donors have given at least £25,000 each to become Founders, including UK P&I Club, UK Defence Club, TT Club and Hellenic War Risks. One of the Trust’s Founders, Miller Insurance Services is taking a 'charity' slip around Lloyd's and other London underwriters which has produced £75,000 so far. Three British law firms - Ince, Holman Fenwick Willan and Reed Smith - have also become Founders. Donations are beginning to come in from America, led by New York law firm Blank Rome.

Playwright Roe Lane is writing a Sponsored Story to raise money: look at www.justgiving.com/RoeLane. She has already raised over £600 – make a donation and add to her story!

December's Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:49:00 +0000

November was a busy month for the Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust. For legal and charitable status reasons, we are now an incorporated company – same name, same purpose. The Trustees are now Directors – but doing the same volunteer work. Ross Girdler's first two months in Malawi went well, getting to know everyone, establishing the parameters of his work and making plans for on the renovation. He then returned to Britain to visit marine suppliers and compile detailed specifications and quotations. Mota-Engil have taken over the Monkey Bay boat yard, which is a great boon as they plan to invest substantially in its capacity. This was reported in The Nation.

A huge administrative load has been lifted with the appointment of Usha Kar as Executive Assistant. Formerly director of the Tutu Foundation and Africa Now, she brings vast experience to our rapidly growing charity. Thank you to Tiggy Shipton who has done a sterling job of the book-keeping since the very first cheque was sent in to the new charity back in Spring 2009.

Last week, Thomas Miller & Co won the prestigious 'Insurance Day' Corporate Social Responsibility Award for their decision to celebrate their 125th anniversary by becoming our Sponsor. Through their generosity and their contacts they have helped to raise the first £1 million already.

October's Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:39:00 +0000

The Big News is that thanks to our Sponsor, Thomas Miller, we have surpassed the magic sum of £1 million in donations!! Now all we need to do is raise another £1 million. We have started approaching the world's marine part suppliers to see if they will donate most of the parts needed.

Five of the trustees gathered in Malawi, where we met the new Minister of Health, Professor David Mphande MP, who is excited about the project. The new Deputy Minister of Health, Fairport Mulli, donned a yellow hard hat to tour the ship in Monkey Bay. He saw the team of experienced workers busy stripping out all the old and broken wiring, piping and sludge from the bilge. The bar on the top deck has gone, and Chauncy Maples is in the floating dry dock, ready to have her hull sandblasted.

The Lake of Stars Music Festival, near Mangochi, was a great place to meet supporters, and hear wonderful music on the beach. The Noisettes of London played two great sets, and were excited to hear about Chauncy Maples.

In England, volunteers such as Zanna, Sophie and Rosemary have been applying to foundations for funding, inputting donations and writing thank-you letters. Simon Collins, former resident of Malawi and retired engineer, is answering the many emails from interested medics, donors and students from around the world. There is now so much work to be done that the Trust will soon be employing a part-time administrator.

September's Blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 03:20:51 +0100

The project has been moving so fast that I have not had time to catch up with this blog!

Nigel Cheal, the marine engineer who has been keeping the engine of MV Ilala going, has signed a contract with the Malawi Ministry of Health to renovate Chauncy Maples. The first job, which is currently underway in Monkey Bay, is to remove all the rotten and broken material from inside the ship. As soon as that is finished in a couple of weeks, the ship will go on the dry dock at Monkey Bay to begin work on her hull.

Marine engineer Ross Girdler was appointed Procurement Co-ordinator and left for Malawi two weeks ago. Ross is an engineer who has worked in the marine industry in Tanzania and Durban, and his energy, enthusiasm and experience will add greatly to the project. He is already buzzing between Lilongwe and Monkey Bay, but transport can be a problem, so we will need to buy him a vehicle.

Sadly, Professor Moses Chirambo, the Minister of Health, died unexpectedly in August. Some of the trustees will be going out to Malawi in October to meet the new Minister of Health, Professor David Mphande MP, and businesses who have pledged support. We will also set out our stall at the Lake of Stars music festival on the lake side near Mangochi.

Best news of all is the fund-raising! Thanks to our sponsors Thomas Miller, donations from £5 to £25,000 have been pouring in as word spreads of this great project. At this rate we could hit £1 million by the end of the month!! Keep it coming – we need every penny you can send.

June's blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:25:37 +0100

We are delighted to announce an exciting new venture between the marine industry and the people of Malawi. We now have our very own corporate Sponsor! Thomas Miller, a London-based specialist insurance company, has chosen to make the renovation of Chauncy Maples the focal point of its 125th anniversary celebrations. Thomas Miller is contributing £250,000 and has already raised a similar amount from friends, employees and business associates.

Thomas Miller's Chairman, Hugo Wynn-Williams says, "Organisations used to celebrate major anniversaries with lavish parties and dinners. But even before the current global recession, we felt that it would be more appropriate to devote time and resources to projects that benefit the community. Thomas Miller was looking for a project that reflected not only our global reach and our maritime heritage but one that would appeal too to our UK clients, such as members of the legal profession, patent agents, housing associations and pension fund trustees."

Mark Holford, Thomas Miller's Group Marketing Director has joined the Trust as the Director of Fundraising. He has already been out to Malawi where he saw the ship and met the Minister of Health. "We will be working with the Trust to raise the £2 million needed for this life-saving project, not just in money. Several potential donors have already come forward to offer their practical support with equipment, parts and services."

Within hours of the announcement, the news appeared on many websites, including Freight Business Journal, Twitter, Maritime Global Net, The Handy Shipping Guide, Coracle Blog and Marine Café Blog. Look out for articles in newspapers in the next few days.

Our Sponsors' logo will appear on the new-look website, up soon!

May's blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:50:00 +0100

Ruth Walker of Norfolk writes: 'The name Chauncy Maples was a household name in my childhood (I am now an octogenarian) as was Likoma Island, Zanzibar and the Chinyanga language, used for remarks not meant for children. Both my parents were with the UMCA in Nyasaland in the 1920s as priest and teacher, before their marriage at Likweru in 1925. They were called Edward Percy Walker and Katharine Geraldine Hewlett. They would be amazed at this project, and in their memory I enclose a donation.'

Elaine Rogers from near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire has made an African themed bed quilt which she is raffling to raise money for Chauncy Maples. She has collected fabric from Malawi, The Gambia and Rwanda, and other parts of Africa. It was on show at the Imperial Quilters Exhibition in Lindley, Huddersfield in April. The tickets are £1 each and the winner will be drawn on 25th September.

In next month's blog we will tell you how her son and her husband drove the length of Britain to raise funds for Chauncy Maples! We will also tell how it is all going in Malawi.

April's blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:06:50 +0100

This month's excitement is that you can now watch a six minute video of Chauncy Maples being moved into the floating dock at Monkey Bay. This film was made by Templewood Productions of Norfolk, directed by former Anglia TV producer Eddie Anderson. He is now working on a full length television documentary of the project.

Word of Chauncy Maples is circling the world. On the website 'Model Ship World' model ship enthusiasts guess the name of a ship from small clues - and if they get it right, they can put up the next one. 'Rear Admiral' put up Chauncy Maples using our photos and some devious clues - including a Sentinel steam engine, made in the same yard in Glasgow. It took a long while for 'Commodore' to guess and win the game.

And when President Bingu wa Mutharika recently opened a new bank in Lilongwe, he told the assembled crowd all about the renovation of Chauncy Maples. News in high places indeed.

March's blog

nospam@example.com (Janie Hampton) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:14:32 +0000

In February, a planning meeting was held in Monkey Bay with delegations from the Ministry of Health, the Chauncy Maples Trust (director Janie Hampton and trustees Belinda Coote and Carrie Osbourne) and the renovation team including Pieter Volschenk of Naval Africa Design, marine engineer Nigel Cheal, and Captain Kamanga of the Marine Department. The plans were discussed in great detail - from the size of engine needed, to how many vaccine fridges will be required. Naval Africa Design will now put everyone's ideas onto their plans.

The next day Janie and Belinda visited the Monkey Bay Community Hospital. After meeting hospital staff, we talked to patients from remote lake-shore villages. The health needs of these communities and the potential for Chauncy Maples to meet those needs, is without question. We met mothers who spent a week’s income just to get their babies immunised. We heard some harrowing stories of people whose lives would have been saved if Chauncy Maples was already up and running.

On 19th February, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Health and The Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust was signed by Janie Hampton for the Trust, and Professor Moses Chirambo, the Minister of Health, and witnessed by Belinda Coote and Patrick Zimpita, the Director of Planning. This signals the formal partnership between the Government of Malawi and the Trust to work together to deliver this important project.

The start of the planning workshop. The main pontoon leading to Chauncy Maples had just sunk in a freak storm, so three pontoons and an old ship were lashed together to form a temporary bridge.

Waiting to see the nurse at Monkey Bay Community Hospital.