At 80 years old, Siva set himself a challenge that reflected his lifelong commitment to helping children succeed - a 3,970km team walk and run that raised over £11,000 for Barnardo’s.
Inspired by decades of teaching and mentoring, Siva’s journey brought together his community, his students, and his belief that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential.
We caught up with Siva to find out more about his challenge and why fundraising for Barnardo’s was so important to him.
What inspired you to take on this fundraising challenge?
“I started my teaching career as voluntary work in my local Hindu Temple, where I helped children with maths on Sundays. As the number of students increased, and the message spread in the community, one of my Christian friends asked whether I could organise sessions outside of the Temple. And thus in 1982, I started the Saturday school known as ‘A+Tec’, where I employed my ex-students who were studying at top universities.
“As the school developed, we gave free tuition to children from under-privileged backgrounds. The most important thing for me was to help all students, regardless of background, and encourage them all to push to their full potential.
“A few years ago, the headmaster of the school we hired, noticed the progress of our Saturday school students and requested me to help his students. I taught children who wanted to do well but didn’t have the resources and some that did not have an interest in maths at all.
"Lucy’s* maths teacher asked me to teach Lucy as she was “very weak” in maths and didn’t submit homework on time… or ever. She was very clever but didn’t show any interest. I asked her whether she would like to come to Saturday school. She started attending the classes and the team helped her. As she was in Year 11 (GCSE Year), we tried to support her on topics she hadn’t learnt. When I asked her why she didn’t submit homework on time, I was shocked by her answer.
“The 15-year-old was from a single parent family, where the mother had a severe illness. She had to get up early in the morning, prepare her mother to be handed over to the carer, get her younger sibling ready and take them to primary school, and then come to school herself. She said she is tired when she gets back home with all the additional duties. She simply said she does not have time or motivation to do her homework or study.
“Giving her extra encouragement and support, we managed to improve her grade from Level 4 in maths (which is what she was predicted) to Level 7 within three months. She wanted to get Level 7 so that she can join a bank or similar organisation and work her way through to become an accountant.
“I then realised that there are several Lucy’s in this country who need some support to stand up in life. I wanted to play my small part to support the Lucy’s of this country.”
Helping children has been at the centre of my life’s work.
Siva
What did the challenge involve?
“To celebrate my 80th birthday, we organised a charity walk/run challenge. My goal was for my team to collectively cover a distance of 3,970km (1945 + 2025 – my birth year and the year I turned 80). I gave myself a personal goal of walking at least 10km a day."
How did you prepare for it?
“I started walking post-pandemic as it was a good stress relief and continued this commitment to train myself over the last few years. I started walking 5km a day and increased gradually to 10km a day. I continued this for two years and suddenly stopped in October 2023 for five months because of the passing away of my closest friend. I slowly got back into the walking in Feb 2024, where I walked 10km or more, 5 days a week in Richmond Park.”
What were the biggest highlights or toughest moments of your challenge?
Highlights:
- A team of ex-students coming forward to provide support to organise and manage the project.
- Meeting up with ex-students, friends and families who showed interest in joining with me in regular walks,
- Improvement in health and weight loss, as well as reduced mental stress.
- As a golfer, I saw positive change in my game.
Toughest moments:
- Walking in hilly fields, as I have asthma.
- Planning the walk between other activities.
Why is supporting Barnardo’s important to you?
“I believe in ‘Service to Man is Service to God’, and as you can see from my inspiration for this challenge, I wanted to provide support to young people. Helping children has been at the centre of my life’s work. Over 41 years of teaching, I’ve been blessed with the joy, success and love of so many of my students - they have truly become part of my family. I’ve always been especially moved by children who overcome significant personal challenges, often starting with fewer opportunities. That’s why I’ve chosen Barnardo’s: a charity dedicated to ensuring every child has the care, support and education they deserve.”
*Names have been changed to protect their identities.
Organise your own fundraising challenge
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