From a social media launch to new team members, fantastic fundraisers to a joyous reopening ceremony, 2024 has been an action-packed year for our charity, for Dr Graham’s Homes – and for the children we support. With that in mind, we thought it would be good to look back on some of the notable moments from the past 12 months. Here are seven of the highlights.

The Chapel reopens

An icon of Dr Graham’s Homes, the Katherine Graham Memorial Chapel was closed in 2011 after sustaining serious damage in an earthquake. In February this year – to the delight of everyone connected with the Homes – the building officially reopened following 13 years of repairs. The children celebrated with an emotional thanksgiving service.

The Tea Party returns

Talking of welcome returns, another highlight of the charity calendar was back to full strength this year. The Great British Tea Party had been a zoom-only affair in 2021, thanks to COVID. In February, normal service resumed with supporter meetups and fundraisers in the UK and around the world. The month-long programme of events raised over £6,000 for our sponsored children.

An epic run across Scotland

Our young friends from Beech Grove Senior School in Kent completed a 220-mile relay across Scotland in aid of our sponsored kids. Despite some fierce winds, a road closure and several downpours, all 23 runners made it to the finish line in Stockbridge Parish Church. The event was a huge success, raising more than £7,000 for the Homes.

An epic ride from Bhutan

Not to be outdone, 12 more DGH supporters took on a cycling fundraiser in September. The 2024 BikeforDGH challenge kicked off in the mountainous kingdom of Bhutan. It finished, 250 miles later, with a welcoming ceremony at Dr Graham’s Homes. You can read all about it in this photo-journal blog by our supporter Karen Hills.

New faces join the team

Several new trustees and staff joined the DGHUK board this year. We were delighted to welcome Pat Lomax as Secretary, Amanda Grant (Dr Graham’s great great-granddaughter) as Events Secretary, Rev Caroline Taylor as Minutes Secretary, and Peter Cook as Chair of the Safeguarding Committee. Peter, a former diplomat, first visited Dr Graham’s Homes as a toddler in the 1960s. He shared his memories and photos with us in this blog: From the Foreign Office… to Dr Graham’s Homes

DGHUK joins Instagram

In 2023, we relaunched the charity website. This year, it was joined by our first social media accounts. The new Instagram and Facebook feeds went live over the summer, delivering news and info about the Homes and our sponsorship schemes to readers across the globe. If you haven’t yet seen it – or started following us – click here to see the new DGHUK Instagram for yourself!

Praise from a Prime Minister

Speaking of Bhutan, in October the Homes received a glowing endorsement from one of its most famous alumni. Bhutanese premier Tshering Tobgay – who studied at the Homes in the 1970s – referenced his old school at a global summit in India. “What moulded me to serve my king, my country and my people [was] not Pittsburgh and Harvard, but Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong,” he said. High praise indeed! To learn more about the events and activities we’ve been organising this year, head to the News section of drgrahamshomes.co.uk