Chancellor, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In 2004 Marion Christmas was awarded the MBE for her services to the people of Gambia. Today the University of Winchester honours Marion for her commitment to help change that part of the world for the better, for her determination, her courage and her infectious enthusiasm which has engaged you, Chancellor, and the University as a whole in her projects.

In 1989 a Hampshire Scouts Expedition (which included Marion’s son, Paul) spent six weeks building classrooms at Soma and Jirof Schools in the Gambia. Two years later as a result of relationships formed during those weeks, three scouts from the Gambia were sponsored to come to the UK to participate in an International Camp. For some of the time they stayed with the Christmas family. Marion, in her capacity as Assistant Group Scout Leader for Second Bentley Scout Group asked the young men, ‘Of all the things you have seen here, what would you most like to have in the Gambia?’ ‘A Scout Centre like Ferny Crofts (the Hampshire Scout Centre in the New Forest)’, they replied. And Marion’s response was ‘Ill build you one’. Marion says of this request ‘I had never been to Africa, never built anything. My husband was horrified when he heard, he said, “how are you going to do it, where are you going to get the money?” I had no idea’. But undaunted she set about the job with her scouts and duly raised the money. The land was purchased and the Gambian Scouts built Kaira Konko. In 1998 a Group of Venture Scouts and leaders from Bentley in Hampshire went to join in the celebrations when the British High Commissioner opened Kaira Konko Scout Lodge. The accommodation at the Lodge is now used by a whole range of people from the local people to tourists, business people, Hampshire Fire and Rescue, the British army and, of course, Scouts.

Chancellor, when you heard of Marion’s work you were so impressed that you volunteered to become Patron of the Kaira Konko Scout Fellowship and I know that Marion values your support immensely. I pity anyone who tries to resist you or Marion separately but when you act together . . . well, I am sure wallets just empty themselves and government officials hide in cupboards. Marion will not be speaking today because she tells me she is incapable of speaking for less than an hour!

One of the Scouts who heard Marion pledge that she would build the Lodge was Lamin Jarjue. Marion recognised in him a bright mind which in the conditions in which he was living was never going to be able to develop to its full potential. With the help of sponsorship Marion was able to enrol Lamin into Farnborough College of Technology to study accountancy. Lamin is here today with his wife, Ida. Marion says that one of the happiest days for her was Lamin’s graduation day and I am sure he shares her joy today.

Having built the Lodge Marion then set her determined gaze on another project – the rebuilding of Soma Lower Basic School. To date 14 classrooms, a resource centre a well and five taps have been provided. There have been many other projects too. Marion feels the pain of those afflicted by malaria and the difficult situation faced by women in Africa but she does not give up in despair, she goes on trying to make a difference.

We are all delighted and proud of the fact that the University too is strongly committed to the work Marion is doing. We have helped to build a new classroom block and our alumni contribute to its furnishing and upkeep. I know that Marion is delighted with the work our Faculty of Education are doing in the Gambia.

If any of you sitting in the Cathedral think that you recognise Marion it may be because she is a Magistrate so you may have been up before her (I hope not) or you may have listened or later watched the BBC series The Village which was broadcast in the 1990s. And if you did you might remember the focus in the series in 1995 on Marion’s battle on behalf of her son, Mark and all people with dyslexia which took her to the House of Lords.

Chancellor, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, ‘Our own heart, and not other men's opinion, forms our true honour’. Marion Christmas’s heart reveals her to be a woman of considerable honour. The University is proud to be associated with her and her work. She embodies what we hope we might be able to help our students become - generous, open hearted, brave, slightly eccentric and above all determined to change the world for the better.

Chancellor, I present to you Marion Christmas for the award of an Honorary Fellowship of the University of Winchester.”

Marion Christmas on Project Kaira Konko, Soma, The Gambia

“I’ll build you one.” The words slipped off my tongue so easily. Little did I realise what a profound effect they would have on my life and that of my family and friends. So what do they mean? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

I have been involved in Scouting since the day I took my son Paul to join Cubs with the 2nd Bentley Scout Group. I had no intention of joining myself but a few years later there I was as Akela. With two sons involved and my husband Michael as treasurer I can say we are a true Scouting family. Hampshire is a great county to be involved in Scouting, for young and old alike. Over Christmas and New Year 1989/90 Hampshire Scout Expeditions ran an expedition to The Gambia, West Africa. My eldest son Paul was one of thirty Venture Scouts aged from sixteen to twenty, plus leaders, who would spend six weeks camping up country in a small mud hut village called Jiroff. Their task was to build two classrooms blocks in conjunction with Action Aid, one at Jiroff and the other at a larger village called Soma, some 15k away. Bearing in mind there was no electricity or running water only well water, no supermarket, no B&Q and no communication it was quite a task. Each team of Venture Scouts were allocated a Gambian Venture Scout to be their local guide and translator. So for six weeks they worked and lived together and great friendships were formed. It was a very emotional time when they had to leave. Our Ventures decided there and then that they would raise funds to bring the four Gambians over to the UK to an International Camp, Hampshire Venture 1, to be held at Rushmoor Arena in 1992. The young Gambians duly arrive at Gatwick, literally in the clothes they stood up in. They came from very poor families and would not have travelled far from their village before embarking on their trip to the UK. They were to be in the UK for four weeks and an exciting, challenging programme had been arranged for them. I was asked if I would give them ‘home hospitality’ for two nights prior to them returning home I said yes, and the moment they walked through the front door they stole my heart.

These were young men who stared poverty and hardship in the face every day. They were very thin. They did not have jobs as there weren’t any. Three of them were the first born in their families, traditionally named Lamin, and they told of the responsibilities that fell on their shoulders to provide for their families. They spoke excellent English and were politically aware of what was going on in the world. At home, on a shared radio, they would listen to BBC World Service, Focus on Africa, daily. They had all been to school but only when their parents had enough money to pay the fees. Lamin Jarjue was exceptionally bright and wanted to go to University but financially it was impossible. We had a lot of fun in those two days and I asked them what they would like to take back with them. I thought they might choose a small radio or a pair of trainers but they said “A Scout Centre, like Ferney Croft in the New Forest” and then the words slipped of my tongue, “I’ll build you one” Their faces were a picture but nothing compared to my husband’s! They flew home the next day. Why did I say “I’ll build you one?” I asked myself. It was such a stupid thing to say. I had never built anything in my life and more to the point I had never been to Africa. Anyway not to worry, they have gone now and they will probably forget all about it. Three months later the letter dropped on the doormat. ‘Dear Mom, .........and we have told the District Chief and the Village Chief and everyone in Soma is praying for you and waiting for you to come to build the Scout Centre’ From your sons, Lamin Jarjue, Lamin Manjang and Lamin Kinteh. There was no going back. A promise is a promise.

The Gambia remains one of the poorest in Africa. Mortality rates for women in childbirth and for infants is not good to say the least. Malaria is the biggest killer. Yet despite the hardships the Gambian people are lovely. They are welcoming, friendly, fun and amaze me how they cope with what life, unjustly, throws at them. They live only six hours flying time away from my comfortable life.

Fundraising for the project was not easy and I’m not surprised. Why would people want to trust me and my ‘Lamins’ when we were so inexperienced. So for many years I was on my own begging, borrowing and, not quite stealing, to get the project off the ground. Communication was difficult and sending money safely was expensive and slow. My youngest son Mark came with me on my first visit in 1995 to buy the land. How fortunate and exciting to be on an adventure with my son. The heat and the wonderful aroma that is Africa hit us as the door of the plane opened. The airport in those days was a series of old huts and we had to carry our luggage from the plane. The ‘Lamins’ were there to meet us and we hired a cab to take us to our hotel for the night before travelling up country the following day. The taxi broke down 40 metres from the airport and that really was a taste of things to come.

So followed years of fund raising and it was the patience and trust of the ‘Lamins’ that kept me going. Finally Kaira Konko Scout Lodge was opened by the British High Commissioner in 1998. The Lodge comprised of a large hall, five double bedrooms and one bathroom and with 32 leaders and Venture Scouts from the UK staying there, we got to know each other pretty well. Since then we have built two classy bedrooms with en suite, a bantaba (covered meeting eating area where you can have a ‘banta’ together), a kitchen, an office, a really large store and totally refurbished the original building with the addition of two more bathrooms. We have solar power as the electricity supply is somewhat unreliable. So the lodge is great for large groups as the hall doubles up as dormitory accommodation. We have our regular Gambians, including Government Ministers’, NGO’s, and families who may be making the long journey to a hospital or to see family. We are a welcome haven for backpackers. We never turn anyone away and the price is adjusted accordingly or in some cases, no price at all. The Lodge is run by Lamin Kinteh, one of the three Lamin’s. Kaira Konko is well on its way to being self supporting, a must for projects in Africa. Lamin employs three of our older Scouts, Mbake as Manager, Kumba as the housekeeper and Jola who is the laundress. The Scouts themselves help with maintenance and running the garden. There are cashew, mango, paw paw, and lime trees. They grow bananas, sweet potato, cassava, corn and other vegetables. We have a well in the garden and it takes an hour of pumping twice a day to water everything. The produce is shared amongst the Scouts. They and their families often go hungry so we have a rice programme. We spend around £150 per month and Kinteh makes sure the poorest families get the rice they need. Education is paramount and we sponsor many of our Scouts through school both boys and girls. Primary education is free but a child has to have flip flops or trainers, school uniform and pencils before being allowed into school. At middle and high school there are fees and books on top. We only sponsor those children who put something back into Kaira Konko and are motivated at school. It gives them a sense of pride and self esteem. Their parents are eternally grateful. Friday night is troop night and over 100 youngsters from babies to young adults swarm into KK, as it is affectionately known, to do their Scouting stuff. A campfire at KK is among the best experiences in the world. The children are not restricted to Friday nights. KK is their place and they come every day to play or just hang out with their friends. We run extra English classes in the evening to help them achieve at school. We rely on sponsorship to fund all we do and our sponsors in the UK are really our life blood. Every penny given goes safely and is spent wisely on the project.

In 1999 the Soma School Millenium appeal was launched. 1500 primary children in two shifts, one cold water tap with classrooms crumbling around them. Dame Mary Fagan, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire became our Patron and launched the appeal to Hampshire Schools. We have just completed our 14th classroom and Dame Mary has visited Soma three times and supplied extra taps and a well. They simply love her in Soma and so do I! She has had the British Army build two classrooms and cajoled others into raising funds.

Teachers from Hampshire Schools, Hampshire Fire and Rescue, Staff from Treloar College, Groups of Explorer Scouts and others from Hampshire have visited and taken part in, and funded local projects. Wells have been repaired, houses rebuilt following the rains, a fire station supplied with a fire engine, land rover, uniforms and training, school libraries provided, new desks and chairs, a legal library for the Supreme Court, a girls hostle, the list is endless. Over 300 people from Hampshire have stayed at KK and worked on projects in the community. We are so very good at what we do and we love doing it. What about Lamin who wanted to go to University I hear you ask. Through sponsorship Lamin Jarjue came to Farnborough College and gained his accountancy degree. His graduation was one of my proudest moments/

My journey has been simply amazing. I have got up to all sorts of mischief and am the honorary wife of the Village Chief and an Honorary Citizen of Soma. There have been tremendous highs and terrible lows so normal for Africa. I despaired in the early days of ever achieving Kaira Konko and it was the patience and total understanding of the young Lamins that helped me through. They are truly ‘sons’ to me and my husband and brothers to my sons. Now we are up and running things are so much easier but we rely on sponsorship to keep us doing all that good stuff so I can’t retire yet!

Our success in Soma would not have happened without Lamin Kinteh, our Project Manager. He is trustworthy, hard working, totally honest, wise, loyal and committed to serving the people of his community. He is a fine role model for the young people of Soma. He and the Scouts at Kaira Konko have shown that given the responsibility they can achieve great things. I am so very proud of them all.

Marion Christmas, MBE