Meet the Team
David Woods
The founder of the charity is David Woods who visited the region of Nepal in early 2007 witnessing firsthand the plight of the villagers and the need for the project to succeed. David is Chair of the Management Committee and a Trustee of the charity. David works full-time on the project on fundraising and coordination of events providing integrity and smooth running of the charity.
To contact David e-mail davidw@luklaproject.com
David Rowley (Cert PFS)
David is formally a founder of his own Financial Advisory Company based in Cheshire UK and was a regulated individual with the Government body the Financial Services Authority for over 20 years until he sold the company in 2009. He is now a ‘Health and Wellness Coach’ as well as motivational speaker for one of the world’ s largest Nutritional companies, Herbalife. As Treasurer and Trustee he provides the level of experience and integrity that is beneficial in running accounting and running of the day-to-day finances and raised funds for the charity.
He can be contacted on davidr@luklaproject.com
Ian Lowrie
Ian is a Trustee of the charity, has been an avid walker / climber for many years and fulfilled the ambition of a lifetime by going to Everest Base Camp in 2005 where he saw the desperate need for a school for the children. He has two sons and a daughter, all now married and is now a grandfather!
He is still climbing and is also secretary of the Liverpool and District Branch of the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS), Trainer Assessor (TA) and competition Judge. He retired from the police service as a senior officer in 2001 after 31 years to work within the Local Authority to act as a liaison officer between agencies as the Volume Crime Manager.
To contact Ian e-mail ianl@luklaproject.com
Terry White
Terry has recently been appointed as a trustee of the charity, over the years he has been involved in fundraising for a number of Charities. As a keen runner and fell walker he has had the opportunity to trek in the Andes, Africa, Norway and the Himalayas visiting Everest Base Camp in 2006 where he saw at first hand the lack of provision for the children.
He visits Snowdonia and the Lake District as often as as possible and working to develop map reading skills. Terry is a qualified youth worker with over 20 years experience of work with vulnerable young people and is currently responsible for a range of projects within Wirral supporting Children and their families affected by substance misuse.
Dawa Geljen Sherpa
Dawa Geljen Sherpa is a qualified mountaineering guide, has been leading treks and expeditions in this region of Nepal for over 26 years.
Born in Lukla and now regarded as the Village ‘Elder’ Dawa has extensive knowledge of the educational and cultural needs of his local community. He has been instrumental in getting the project underway by clearing land and providing raw materials in preparation for the build. Dawa assures a warm welcome to all who visit the project and is passionate about its success and the long-term rewards it will bring to the children of Lukla.
To contact Dawa on lukla@mos.com.np
Virginia Dixon
Virginia Dixon lives in Canberra, Australia, and is a mother and ex nurse who has made many treks to Nepal over the last 14 years. She travelled there for the first time in 1983.
She has 2 boys aged 18 and 15 who have been to Nepal 3 times now, and a husband who has been almost as many times as Virginia !
As her days of organising school fetes and soccer canteens, ferrying kids to basketball games, football training, futsal matches, official-ling on freezing snowboarding courses, and doing ‘shuttles’ for Keiran’s downhill mountain biking are numbered, she is hoping to spend an increasing amount of time in Nepal, maybe putting her nursing skills and a TESOL course to good use . She has also been learning Nepali for the last 18 months.
She would like to be involved with establishing a membership base, organising child and teacher sponsorship and general fundraising in Australia .She takes people trekking in Nepal for Dawa and would also like to establish some specific fundraising treks on which she is more than happy to tag along at any opportunity !
To contact Virginia email:virginia@luklaproject.com