A Warwickshire accountant is embarking on a charity trip to the Philippines to help support communities living in poverty.
Elinor Perry, managing director at Pentlands Accountants, based in Warwick, is in the middle of a two-week trip to the country to mark the 10th anniversary of the Philippine Community Fund (PCF).
The charity, which was set-up in 2003 by best friend of 28 years Jane Walker, supports families living in shanty towns near city rubbish dumps by providing education, health and community programmes to poverty-stricken families.
Elinor, who has been a trustee in the charity since it started, was appointed chair of the UK board of trustees 18 months ago.
Her work involves looking after the charity’s accounts as well as helping to raise money through a number of fundraising events held by Pentlands Accountants.
She has travelled to the capital city of Manila, where she is visiting the nearby dump sites where children as young as four often spend their days searching for recyclable rubbish.
She also hopes to volunteer in the PCF School, which provides education for around 900 of the city’s children.
The school was set up as part of the charity’s four year school project and one of the classrooms was named Pentlands after the firm helped to raise £5,000 in sponsorship for the school.
Prior to leaving, Elinor said: “I cannot wait to begin my trip. It is extremely important for me to see what life is like there with my own eyes. I have been involved with the charity since the beginning so it is a very personal trip for me.
“These families struggle every day and anything we can provide will make a massive difference to their quality of life. I have a generous 30kg luggage allowance so I will be taking as many gifts, donations and packages as possible.
“Pentlands clients, friends and colleagues have been dropping into the office with soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, biscuits and many more useful items for me to pack in my case.
“The Philippine Community Fund is the main charity that we sponsor at the firm so we have held a lot of fundraisers over the last few years. The Pentlands team continue to sponsor a little girl in Manila called Judith. I am particularly looking forward to getting the chance to meet her in person to see how she is doing.”