The Copeland Family Trust Fund
The Ann, Ciara & Niamh Copeland Trust Fund
Welcome to the website of the Copeland Family Charity.
We help to support the Koraput Centre, a leprosy treatment hospital run by the medical charity Lepra, situated in a remote and impoverished mountainous area in the state of Odisha, eastern India. Our aim is to raise at least £5,000 each year towards its running costs, although most years we raise well in excess of that amount.
This website will give you an honest and straight forward account of what we do, why we do it, what's been happening recently and how you can help if you think what we do is worthwhile.
Just so you know, we are an official charity recognised by the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR), registration number SC04368. We are also accepted as a charity for tax purposes by HMRC and are thus eligible to receive Gift Aid.
Thanks for your visit
Barry Copeland
This is where all our money goes!
Revised by Barry Copeland 26th May 2024
This live stream remains the best description of why we are doing all this!
Following World Leprosy Day 2022 in January, Lepra India released a 60 minute livestream video walk-through of the Koraput Centre. This was then edited into a 15 minute summary, with subtitles, which can be seen by clicking on the button below.
Latest News and Plans
Barry Copeland 9th July 2024
It has recently been made clear by Lepra that Koraput would struggle to stay open without our funding and that there is no chance of any expansion of service in the present circumstances. In an ideal world Lepra would like us to fund all of the annual costs, as they have been running with a deficit budget across their operations for the past couple of years .
The only way that we can guarantee Koraput will remain open is by increasing our funding each year. Realistically I think it unlikely that the level of regular monthly contributions are going to rise significantly. I suggest that the answer lies in raising sponsorship through participating in challenges and events, as illustrated by the success of my recent 500km for £500 Camino Cycle.
If there is some event that you have always wanted to do, or a special challenge that you fancy, please give it a go and raise some money for us if you can. If you let me know what you are doing, I can easily set up a direct donation link for you and make your fundraising easier.
We will be looking at organising some group cycling participation ourselves in 2025, either in one day events already in existence or by perhaps running a longer tour for those interested. Events under investigation currently include the North East Coast 250 (www.northeast250.com) and the Stonehaven Beer Festival Cycling Sportive (www.midsummerbeerhappening.co.uk/sportive). A similar idea is also being considered for Devon and Cornwall.
Further details will follow in due course.
Koraput Care Centre continuing to achieve so much for so little!
Barry Copeland 26th May 2024
It is now over two and a half years since the Koraput Care Centre re-opened following the various Covid lockdowns and restrictions in India: its services are now very much re-established and functioning effectively, providing access to vital healthcare for local people affected by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis.
The Centre is continuing to operate at full capacity, given the budget available. Its annual targets for 2023/24 were the same as for 2022/23 and once again most of these targets were largely achieved or exceeded. For example 515 people (target 500) attended the Out-Patient Department in this period, compared to 489 in the previous year.
Total In-Patient Admissions numbered 165 this year (target 180), compared to 185 last year. However the average stay per patient rose to 13 days this year, as opposed to 10 days before, reflecting the more complicated nature of the cases undertaken. Thus the actual bed occupancy rate for the year remained unchanged at 106.5% (a temporary bed is sometimes pressed into action). Basically the only way they can treat more people is by increasing the bed capacity.
These numbers really illustrate just how essential the Centre continues to be for so many people, with a wide range of leprosy related issues, in a remote and underdeveloped rural area of India. It is also an amazing example of how many people can be helped with a relatively small amount of money, if invested properly. The budget for the 2024/25 financial year has risen to £14,580, of which the Copeland Family Trust Fund will be providing £7,400.
That means In just over 10 years of existence we have donated over £67,600 to Koraput.
THANK YOU ALL!
Final Update on Barry's "500km for £500" May 2024 Camino de Santiago Cycle
8th May 2024
320 miles / 515 km covered Total ascent 27,337 feet / 8,332 m Hours in saddle 33.5 Total funds raised £3,000
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
Click on this link to see my daily routes
I may have finished my journey BUT it's not too late to DONATE to my charity. Just click on this link!
And so it ends. A final day in the saddle on a solo ride (Neil took the day off) up to the end of the Camino de Finisterre at Muxía and back in the blistering heat. Took the full bags in the end so no-one can say I cheated!
Will miss my trusty steed, able to go anywhere on it albeit not quickly. 320 miles of often rough going and not one mechanical issue, not even a puncture! Has been a great journey and I have got stronger as it has gone on, particularly on the off-road climbs.
Thanks to all who have sponsored me.
Over and out.
Barry
Barry's “500km for £500” May 2024 Camino de Santiago Cycle
30th April 2024
Thursday 2nd May 2024 sees me setting off from León, along with my cousin Neil, along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Our aim is to follow the hilly tracks and trails of The Way on mountain bikes for over 300 miles, initially to Santiago de Compostella and then on to the Atlantic Coast at Cape Finisterre.
I have long wanted to do during this arduous ride, more as a journey of reflection than for any religious reason. I have never really ridden a mountain bike offroad for any distance before, so it will be a challenge. I hope that you will agree that my efforts are worth some of your hard-earned money! May I stress at this point that we are funding the entire venture ourselves, it is not some freebie jaunt provided we raise sufficient sponsorship.
The aim of my family trust fund is to provide stable, long-term funding for the Koraput Referral Centre, run by the UK based charity Lepra and located in a remote and undeveloped area in the state of Orissa in eastern India. All of this is currently done for around £14,000 a year and we aim to raise at least £5000 of that sum. For the first time since 2020, we were not able to achieve that goal in the last financial year, which is why I am getting my backside off the couch and onto my bike seat. Leading from the rear, you might say.
Your support and interest is greatly appreciated.
Take care and best wishes.
Barry
Koraput Care Centre working at full capacity again
Barry Copeland September 17th 2023
The general situation in India has improved greatly since the last report 12 months ago, thanks in part to Covid19 no longer causing disruptions and difficulties. Autumn 2022 also represented the one-year anniversary since the Koraput Care Centre
re-opened: its services are now very much re-established and functioning effectively, providing access to vital healthcare for local people affected by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis.
The Centre is now operating at full capacity. Its annual targets largely doubled those of the previous year, when it was only open for 6 months, and in general the numbers treated have done the same, as logically one would expect. Thus 498 people attended the Out-Patient Department in this period, whilst total In-Patient Admissions numbered 185.
These numbers really emphasise just how essential the Centre is, given how many people it has served over the last year for
a whole range of different issues associated with leprosy. This is especially true given that Koraput is in a remote and underdeveloped rural area of India. It is also an amazing example of how many people can be helped with a relatively small amount of money, if invested properly.
Koraput reopens to Patients!
Barry Copeland November 4th 2021
Lepra's planned activities for the area in 2021/22 were to reach over 3,000 people affected by leprosy, both existing and new cases, through outreach activities and care in the community. Despite the COVID-19 related lockdowns and temporary closures of the government health centres to non-urgent care, during the first six months over 1,325 people affected by leprosy have already been reached and supported.
However they are also delighted to report that as the pandemic eased and the demand for services for people affected by leprosy in Koraput District regained momentum, the Koraput Centre re-opened to out-patients at the beginning of September 2021. Patients are now visiting the Centre for services such as management of nerve function impairments (NFI) and reactions, ulcer dressings, physiotherapy, and training in ulcer care.
Even better, the re-opening of the in-patient department (IPD) followed shortly after on 2nd October 2021. The ward currently has five beds to accommodate patients who require ulcer care and reaction management over short term stays (up to 10 days). In due course, people undergoing reconstructive surgery will also be received for pre- and post-operative surgical care which will require longer stays of one month or more. The target for the remainder of 2021/22 is to receive a total of 82 in-patients at the Centre. In 2022/23, the intention is for the facility to increase to 20 beds at 80% occupancy rate in order to provide physiotherapy support for 96 patients undergoing reconstructive surgery per year, plus 60 patients with complex ulcers / reactions.