West End Congregational Church, Kirkcaldy

West End Congregational Church - Homepage

ESTHER BENJAMINS TRUST

In August 1999 a story appeared in "The Mail on Sunday" about the circumstances that led to the setting up of a new UK-registered charity for children "The Esther Benjamins Trust". It told of how Esther Benjamins, a highly-talented judge, took her own life in January of that year at Church Crookham, near Aldershot. In a one line suicide note Esther had stated childlessness as the reason for her action. Esther's husband, Lt Col Philip Holmes, responded to this deepest of tragedies by leaving his promising career as an Army dentist to found a children's charity in his wife's memory. The charity's first area of operations would be in Nepal; a choice reached through Philip and Esther's interest in that country and in the Gurkha neighbours in Church Crookham

The moving story encouraged one of the congregation, Councillor Ann Watters, to write to Philip offering her support to his cause. An exchange of correspondence followed and Ann's interest was extended to the congregation. Since 2000 we have had a retiring collection of loose change each Sunday and those pennies have turned into pounds - a great deal of pounds!

In January 2001 Philip paid his first visit to the church to give a presentation and collect a cheque for £2,700 and at a subsequent visit in February 2002 he was presented with a further £1,500. In the meantime Ann has visited Nepal to see the work for herself and has remained a keen advocate for the needy children of Nepal. The church's first donation was used to support the Trust's work with children that it had retrieved from prisons - children who had committed no offence but were detained for years at a time alongside their parents.


The second donation was directed towards a small Trust-supported orphanage that is run by a former Roman Catholic nun who in the midst of a busy teaching appointment cares single-handedly for seven children who are either orphaned or come from destitute families. The grant has covered the running costs and even stretched towards the purchase of a television!

Philip has made one additional visit to Kirkcaldy to join Revd Willie McNaughton on his sponsored walk along the Fife Coastal Path in August 2002 - a feat (feet?) that raised £700. Philip will return to Kirkcaldy on the 23rd February 2003 to give a progress report and in August 2003 will rejoin his walking partner for a tour around Arran.

For more information on The Esther Benjamins Trust see the Trust's website at www.ebtrust.org.uk