TV quiz show prize moneydonated to Kenyan charity

Christine is donating some of the cash to Mnarani Aid, a charity that she and her husband Tony have been involved with for the past five years. Christine is one of the charity’s Trustees and runs the Mnarani Aid Lunch Club programme which pays for around 60 Kenyan children with special needs to have a hot lunch every day in term time. The children attend three schools in Kilifi County, a coastal region of Kenya.

When Christine won BBC1’s new daytime quiz show ‘Think Tank’ (where contestants answer hundreds of general knowledge questions) she says she did not hesitate to donate some of her prize money to Mnarani Aid. “I’ve been raising money for Mnarani Aid since my husband Tony and I first visited the area in 2011,” she said.

“It’s only been a few years since compulsory education for children with special needs was introduced but Kenyan schools are catching up fast. What the teachers achieve with these children on little or no resource is humbling.

“I feel privileged to be able to support them.”

Christine says the aim of the programme is to keep the children healthy, encourage regular school attendance and teach cooking skills.

“The programme is funded by a team of donors dubbed the ‘Lunch Clubbers’, many of whom are based in Bexhill.

“The lunch clubbers pay £5 a month that goes towards covering the on-going cost of providing a simple but hot lunch.”

Using some of her prize money, Christine is creating a Lunch Club capital fund which will pay to set up and equip a vegetable garden in each school and provide money to purchase goats to produce milk and cheese.

Christine is a keen runner and has raised funding for Mnarani Aid by running the Bexhill Lion’s Santa Run in December 2014 and 2015.

Marathon runner, actor, and comedian Eddie Izzard has also supported her fundraising efforts by donating signed DVD’s for raffle prizes at a Comedy Show held in Brighton last year.

Christine says she is excited about her next visit to the charity. “Taking part in ‘Think Tank’ was great fun and winning was the icing on the cake.

“I’m looking forward to going out to Kenya in September to see how they are spending the money.”

To make a donation to Mnarani Aid visit the web site at: http://www.mnaraniaid.co.uk/index.html.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a ‘Lunch Clubber’ is asked to contact Christine either via email: [email protected] or call 01424 218250.