Friends of Brummana High School

The inaugural Friends of Brummana High School (FBHS) meeting took place on Thursday, October 28^th at 6pm Lebanon time (4pm UK). Joining QuIET Trustees John Crosfield, Will Haire and Martin Macpherson, as well as Principal David Gray and Marketing Manager Richard Bampfylde, were over 15 Friends of the school ready and willing to support. Through various channels they have heard of BHS and the school’s desperate situation it finds itself in right now. Some of the Friends are Old Scholars. Some of the Friends are former staff. Some of the Friends have other connections with the school, even members of the Manasseh family, with connections dating back to one of the school’s first pupils in the 1870s!

The meeting saw all participants introduce themselves before the Principal delivered a realistic, moving presentation on the situation in the country and specifically the situation at BHS this term. After which our Trustees invited participants to comment on and suggest ways of friend raising and fundraising in the UK and Ireland (and Europe and worldwide) for the school community. The two main funds – bursaries and teacher and staff hardships – were highlighted, which will be the two main funds the school will be raising support for come BHS Gives, the school’s second giving day scheduled one month from now on 2^nd/3^rd December. Participants shared strong ideas and displayed real enthusiasm for supporting Brummana’s cause.

Following the meeting, the donation appeals page was updated on the website to include the text of Principal Gray’s speech as well as other material such as student videos, images of the school, the QuIET Summer Appeal video and texts’ refinements: https://bhs.edu.lb/giving/donation-appeals/ 

These Friends, supported by FBHS convenor Sarah Barrett, herself a member of the Manasseh family, who visited the school two years ago and who many will remember undertook a great cycling fundraiser following the Beirut blast, have now already begun with their efforts. They are friend raising or fundraising, presenting at Quaker meetings, sharing resources the school has developed such as the above online link and hard copies of the QuIET Appeal leaflet, communicating with philanthropic individuals and charitable trusts, arranging for fundraising activities and many, many others are on the horizon too. 

On behalf of the school community in its time of need, we thank all these Friends (who now number 20+) for all their efforts and support. Knowing we have such supportive Friends in the UK, Ireland and around the world fills the school and its community with such great optimism for the coming days, weeks, months and years. With the school’s 150^th anniversary just around the corner in 2023, here’s to another 150 years of BHS and the beacon of hope that it is for thousands of community members.