The Copeland Family Trust Fund
The Ann, Ciara & Niamh Copeland Trust Fund
Welcome to the website of the Copeland Family Charity.
We help to support the Koraput Centre, a leprosy treatment hospital run by the medical charity Lepra, situated in a remote and impoverished mountainous area in the state of Odisha, eastern India. Our aim is to raise at least 50% of its running costs each year, although we often raise well in excess of that amount.
This website will give you an honest and straight forward account of what we do, why we do it, what's been happening recently and how you can help if you think what we do is worthwhile.
Just so you know, we are an official charity recognised by the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR), registration number SC04368. We are also accepted as a charity for tax purposes by HMRC and are thus eligible to receive Gift Aid.
Thanks for your visit
Barry Copeland
Latest News and Plans:
New Trustee Kate
& The East Lothian Cycle Sportive
Barry Copeland 20th July 2025
I am delighted to announce that one of my daughters' childhood friends has agreed to join our Board of Trustees. Indeed Niamh, Ciara, Kate and her brother made up the Arctic Adventurers Club, which used to meet in my shed in Johnshaven! It is so lovely to have one of their contemporaries on board.
These days Kate is based in Edinburgh and is just completing her PhD in Scottish Literature. She is also a keen cyclist and on Saturday 21st September Kate, her partner Andrew, plus numerous friends, are riding hard and fundraising for the Copeland Family Trust Fund at the Poppyscotland East Lothian Cycle Sportive.
They will be mounting their bikes at Prestonpans and cycling 102 miles. I hope that you think their efforts deserve your support. They have already paid their own entry fees and also made additional donations to Poppyscotland, the event organisers. Now they want to raise money for Koraput.
Anything that you can give will be very gratefully received and will go a long way.
If there is some event that you have always wanted to do, or a special challenge that you fancy, please give it a go and raise some money for us if you can. If you let me know what you are doing, I can easily set up a direct donation link for you and make your fundraising easier.
Koraput Care Centre continuing to operate at full throttle!
Barry Copeland 20th July 2025
The Centre continues to thrive and is continuing to operate at (or indeed above) full capacity, despite its budget restrictions. It was made clear, by Lepra in 2024, that Koraput would struggle to stay open without our funding and that there is no chance of any expansion of service in the present circumstances. Indeed, in an ideal world Lepra would like us to fund all of the current annual costs, as they have been running with a deficit budget across their operations for the past couple of years. We have therefore now committed to raising as much of the annual cost as possible, and guaranteeing a minimum of 50% each year.
Its annual targets for 2024/25 were much the same as for 2023/24 and once again most of these targets were largely achieved or exceeded. For example 527 people (target 500) attended the Out-Patient Department in this period, compared to 513 in the previous year.
Total In-Patient Admissions numbered 191 this year (target 180), compared to 165 last year. However the average stay per patient rose to 14 days this year, as opposed to 13 last year and 10 days in previous years, reflecting the ever more complicated nature of the cases undertaken. Thus the bed occupancy rate for the year rose to an astounding 148.7%, through evermore creative use of limited resources (camp beds and spare rooms are frequently pressed into action).
These numbers really illustrate just how essential the Centre continues to be year after year and is a supreme example of how to make the most of very limited resources. Koraput is in a remote and underdeveloped rural area of India, where it serves some of the poorest sections of the population. It is an amazing example of how many people can be helped with a relatively small amount of money and we are absolutely determined to keep it going.
It should also be noted that in many other service areas the Centre is continuing to treat more cases than its annual target, with subsequent budgetary implications. The cost of running the Koraput Care Centre in 2024/25 was once again approximately 5% over-budget at Indian Rupees (INR) 1,523,456 for the year, against a budget of INR 1,458,000 totally due to overspending on staff and patient care. The projected budget for the 2025/26 financial year has remained the same at INR 1,458,000, so another overspend at local level seems likely.
There is some good news in this area though, in that the £:INR exchange rate has been around the level of 1:115 for several years now, whilst the budget figures assume a rate of 1:100. Therefore the value of funds arriving from the UK (including ours) is actually 15% higher. To put this into perspective, in reality the budget is thus £12,517 of which we shall be providing £7,500 (approx 60%).
That means In just over 12 years of existence we have donated over £75,600 to Koraput!
THANK YOU ALL!
Final Update on Barry's "500km for £500" May 2024 Camino de Santiago Cycle
8th May 2024
320 miles / 515 km covered Total ascent 27,337 feet / 8,332 m Hours in saddle 33.5 Total funds raised £3,000
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!
Click on this link to see my daily routes
I may have finished my journey BUT it's not too late to DONATE to my charity. Just click on this link!
And so it ends. A final day in the saddle on a solo ride (Neil took the day off) up to the end of the Camino de Finisterre at Muxía and back in the blistering heat. Took the full bags in the end so no-one can say I cheated!
Will miss my trusty steed, able to go anywhere on it albeit not quickly. 320 miles of often rough going and not one mechanical issue, not even a puncture! Has been a great journey and I have got stronger as it has gone on, particularly on the off-road climbs.
Thanks to all who have sponsored me.
Over and out.
Barry
Barry's “500km for £500” May 2024 Camino de Santiago Cycle
30th April 2024
Thursday 2nd May 2024 sees me setting off from León, along with my cousin Neil, along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Our aim is to follow the hilly tracks and trails of The Way on mountain bikes for over 300 miles, initially to Santiago de Compostella and then on to the Atlantic Coast at Cape Finisterre.
I have long wanted to do during this arduous ride, more as a journey of reflection than for any religious reason. I have never really ridden a mountain bike offroad for any distance before, so it will be a challenge. I hope that you will agree that my efforts are worth some of your hard-earned money! May I stress at this point that we are funding the entire venture ourselves, it is not some freebie jaunt provided we raise sufficient sponsorship.
The aim of my family trust fund is to provide stable, long-term funding for the Koraput Referral Centre, run by the UK based charity Lepra and located in a remote and undeveloped area in the state of Orissa in eastern India. All of this is currently done for around £14,000 a year and we aim to raise at least £5000 of that sum. For the first time since 2020, we were not able to achieve that goal in the last financial year, which is why I am getting my backside off the couch and onto my bike seat. Leading from the rear, you might say.
Your support and interest is greatly appreciated.
Take care and best wishes.
Barry
