Bambisanani Partnership team honoured to meet the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Leeds
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Graham Latty, and the Lady Mayoress, Councillor Pat Latty recently met with members of the Bambisanani team at the Civic Hall to recognise the work of the Leeds based charity in South Africa.
Photo: LEFT TO RIGHT: Beth Ward, Andrew Lockwood, Karen Murgatroyd, David Geldart, Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress, Barbara Pounder
David Geldart, founder of the charity was joined at the meeting by fellow trustees Barbara Pounder and Andrew Lockwood together with Leeds Trinity University student Beth Ward, who had just returned from volunteering in South Africa, and Karen Murgatroyd from International Relations Leeds who has supported the partnership from the onset.
The Bambisanani Partnership has gained international acclaim for it work in South Africa using the power of sport as a catalyst to promote education, health, global citizenship and leadership in one of the country’s poorest rural regions. The partnership originally began at St, Mary’s School, Menston but now also involves students from the University of Leeds and Leeds Trinity University in the volunteering programme.
David Geldart said “It was a great honour to have the work of the partnership recognised in this prestigious way. Leeds has a very special relationship with South Africa with the city providing tremendous support during the Anti-Apartheid era; a point which was recognised by Nelson Mandela himself when he famously visited Leeds in 2001. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress have a long standing interest in the work of the Bambisanani Partnership and have been great supporters over the years. It was good that they had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the different organisations involved. They are genuinely interest in our work and were very keen to hear of our plans for the future that will help contribute to further developing the special Leeds-South Africa relationship”
At the meeting David Geldart presented a copy of the latest Bambisanani book (Bambisanani: Ten Years of Working Together and Learning Together) to the Lord Mayor as a gift to the city.
Lord Mayor recognises charity [BRADFORD TELEGRAPH & ARGUS]
