Kids selfless sacrifice (From Stroud News and Journal)

Kids selfless sacrifice

MINCHINHAMPTON Primary School is sending money to a former teacher working in Sri Lanka who cheated death in the Asian tsunami so he can help victims recover their lives.

Glyn Jackson, who left Minchinhampton two summers ago to teach in an international school in the island capital of Colombo, was holidaying in the south coast resort of Tangalle when the wave hit.

School headteacher Rod Harris said: "He was on his way to the beach for the day and if he had gone 10 minutes earlier when he planned to leave he would have been stuck on the beach when the water came in and had no escape.

"He says the devastation was incredible and TV pictures cannot convey something like that with houses torn like paper, people in trees and in the streets having lost families and homes." Now the expatriate teacher is coming to the aid of his hosts.

"He was a very valued member of staff. He said if we wanted to send cash to him directly he would make sure it got directly to people he knew who lost so much so that is what a lot of us are doing here, as well as giving through the emergency appeal," said Mr Harris.

The school's children each brought in Christmas presents to sell in the school hall on Monday and raised more than £1,000 for the disaster fund.

"It's some small sacrifice," said Mr Harris. "It's nothing compared to what people sacrificed out in Sri Lanka."