The Oban Times

Go wild for Seil’s Seed for Life

- By Kathie Griffiths

Dolphins, otters, sea eagles and seal pups off the Seil coast are all doing their bit to help teenagers go to school in Malawi.

The wildlife, as caught on camera by Sealife Adventure’s Jean Ainsley, are in a 2022 fundraisin­g calendar for Seed For Life.

Thanks to other generous contributi­ons covering materials and printing costs, all of the £10 for each calendar sold will go to help the charity pay for school fees of currently 20 teenagers in Bemvu.

The photograph­s were all snapped through 2021, including colourful puffins on the Treshnish Isles, with most of the images taken from Sealife Adventures’ boat.

‘A lot of people are doing calendars for charity, so I thought it was a decent idea to do one for a charity based on Seil, local to us. I’ve done one before for family and friends and that went down well, so here’s hoping this one will be just as popular!’ said Jean.

Copies of the calendar are available from Balvicar Stores on Seil.

When Seed For Life feeding charity started in 2017, the idea was always to make it a sustainabl­e and self-generating project.

In the past year, the charity’s harvest fund has provided top quality seed and fertilizer to 250 farmers for planting. Schools are also now back after Covid restrictio­ns so there have been 1,400 pupils to feed each day.

‘They are now planting for the coming year so we are hoping the weather will be kind and give us a good harvest next year,’ said Dave Alsop, Seed For Life founder.

Funds have taken a hit because of the pandemic, so more are needed. More trustees are also being sought, they do not need to be local to Seil.

To find out more about Seed For Life or to order a calendar, you can contact Dave Alsop on 01852 300393 or dave@ alsoptrans­portservic­es.co.uk

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world where 50.7 per cent of the population live below the poverty line and 25 per cent live in extreme poverty. Secondary school is not free.

 ?? ?? Tandem sea eagles featured in Seed for Life’s 2022 calendar, caught on camera by Jean Ainsley.
Tandem sea eagles featured in Seed for Life’s 2022 calendar, caught on camera by Jean Ainsley.
 ?? ?? Youngsters at a Malawi school wait for lunch to be served.
Youngsters at a Malawi school wait for lunch to be served.

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