The Hands Up Foundation
George Butler, reportage and war artist, founded the charity ten years ago in response to the Syria conflict, which he covered. As the eldest son of Sam Butler, it seems apposite to include George’s short item.
“Where does the money go?” A question we are asked regularly, and rightly so. Ten years ago when we started Hands Up, the few minutes we had to try and explain when meeting someone never felt like enough. It felt complicated and there was too much to say.
A decade into Hands Up’s work helping Syrians, it is the answer we feel most proud of and it is uncomplicated; the money goes to Syrian people in areas of greatest need, to make sure they have medical care and education. For many, a doctor, or a school to go to, is far from a given. Last week, I was in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, seeing just one of the places where the money goes.
Here is a short video for one of our projects: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsuYui3XMxY)
The 14th of November was the first day of the school year and buses delivered 200 children from refugee camps to their classrooms. The school is run by our partner, SAWA, and the year will run until July 2024. The classrooms were full of anticipation on the first day back, a feeling I remember only too well. A few children turned up hoping they would be allowed to stay, even though they had not enrolled. This is how much education means to them, and this centre offers the only access to school they have. In each shipping-container classroom of English, Science, Arabic, Maths and Music, were the sorts of faces we see on our front pages, but this time grinning from ear to ear, desperate to say hello and keen to learn, even keen to answer their names when called for the register.
The first day of school is a cause for great celebration in the Bekaa Valley. However, it has become an intimidating date for our funding cycle. It marks the countdown to fundraise £250,000 for these children by this time next year. This keeps us up at night, especially at Christmas, and as winter sets in. Thank you for remembering Syria and please give generously so we can continue to take the register in Bar Elias.
Donate here: (https://donations.handsupfoundation.org/christmas-match-funding/)
George will be making a Presentation at Marlborough College 6pm 14th January. This talk is will be open to the public.
Snowdrops in the Cotswolds: A Winter Highlight at Painswick
As winter begins to loosen its grip on the Cotswolds, one of the most uplifting signs of the changing seasons quietly emerges, snowdrops. These delicate white flowers, often pushing through frost-hardened ground, bring a sense of hope and renewal, and nowhere is this more beautifully displayed than the snowdrops at Painswick Rococo Garden.
Snowdrops in the Cotswolds: A Winter Highlight at Painswick
Inheritance Tax and Agricultural Property Relief
This has been a hot topic since the surprise announcements in the Autumn budget of 2024 and has threatened to turn upside down tax planning for farmers and the affordability of succession. The short article below captures the key facts and implications which have been debated from farmhouse kitchen tables up to the Government in Westminster and at every level in between…
Inheritance Tax and Agricultural Property Relief
A Very Happy New Year
Happy New Year! We are all back and fully underway into 2026. It is early days, but properties are already going under offer across all our offices and exchanges are securing homes for excited new owners.
A Very Happy New Year
The New Year Reset: The Cotswolds’ Most Luxurious Spas
If the start of the year calls for rest, renewal and a little indulgence, the Cotswolds delivers in spades. Coupled with rural tranquillity, these havens of relaxation and award-winning spas, are the region’s most restorative places to switch off and reset.
The New Year Reset: The Cotswolds’ Most Luxurious Spas
