Hook-a-duck, toy tombola, name the teddy, sweet raffle, Christmas hamper raffle, bargain Christmas gifts, homemade cakes and candles were just some of the delights to be found at this year’s Lamplighters’ Christmas Fair organised by St John’s Welling Lamplighters, the only group left in the UK supporting leprosy sufferers.

People poured through the doors in unprecedented numbers between 6.30-7.30pm on Friday 21st November, bringing family and friends to enjoy the fun and festivities. Admission was 50p and all tickets sold were entered into the hamper raffle with the chance to win lots of seasonal goodies.

This annual event held in aid of the Leprosy Mission aims to raise as much money as possible to help leprosy sufferers worldwide. The 2014 Christmas Fair raised over £1500, a new record for the young Lamplighters. This money will go towards saving the lives of nearly a hundred people in need of treatment. The multi-drug therapy itself costs absolutely nothing as it is donated by pharmaceutical company Novartis; however the cost of transporting the medicine to the patients who need it costs a minimum of £6. Just £350 covers the cost of transportation of medicines, care at a clinic or outpatients’ department, hospital stays, physiotherapy, reconstructive surgery to allow greater range of movement in a patient’s limbs and counselling to help patients and their families adjust to life with a leprosy survivor, as well as dispelling the myth that leprosy is suffered as a result of a person’s sins.

Leprosy is not an expensive disease to cure, however its prevalence in third world countries means that donations from The Leprosy Mission and other charities are required to treat many patients. The number of new leprosy cases detected in 2012 was 232,857 meaning a minimum of £1,397,142 would need to be raised to treat every single new case. Although £1500 may be a relatively small proportion of the amount needed, it is a huge achievement for all the children and adults at St John’s Lamplighters who helped to organise and run the event, as well as donating money themselves!

 

Ellis Mackenzie-Ingle, Townley Grammar School