One of the lovely things about our charity is the large number of people who have long-running personal links to Dr Graham’s Homes. Family members who taught at the school. Churches with a history of supporting DGH. Sponsors who studied at DGH themselves.

Even so, we think you’d have to go a long way to beat the connection enjoyed by Andrew and Caroline Wells, two supporters who recently got in touch to share their experiences of sponsoring children at the Homes.

“Our family connection with Dr Graham’s Homes began when Victoria was Queen!” says Caroline.

It turns out that Andrew’s grandfather was a friend of John Graham when he was new to Kalimpong, and new also to the groundbreaking orphanage that would follow.

“Andrew’s grandfather and Dr Graham shared a bachelor flat (known as a ‘chummery’) in Kolkata in the 1890s,” Caroline explains. “This was before he started his famous school but, as Andrew’s grandfather said, even then [Dr Graham] was very adept at encouraging his many friends to donate towards his plans!

“In the end, Grandpa donated the cottage at the school that became the Lucia King Nursery. It was very moving for us to see the plaque above the nursery door commemorating this gift 70 years later in the year 2000, when we visited Kalimpong.”

All in all, it adds up to a very long (and proud) association with Dr Graham’s remarkable life and legacy.

“Andrew’s mother had also consistently supported DGH from after the death of her father,” Caroline explains. “So, outside the Graham family itself, we may hold the record as the longest-supporting family of Dr Graham’s Homes!”

Why sponsor a child’s education at the Homes?

You can read the full interview with Andrew and Caroline in the Stories section of our website