Lasr week we all met up at The Falcon, Hatton – which is now an Indian restaurant – for a buffet meal before hearing about Rotarian Bill Jaspal’s 3rd Eye Camp in his home town of Chabawal, Punjab.

                       

Bill organised his first camp in 2019 attended by over 500 people and realising that he needed more support, Bill joined Warwick Rotary Club. Rotarians from Warwick, local clubs, friends and family helped him raise over £25,000 and set up a JustGiving account. He returned in November 2023 to deliver a second camp which was went well but revealed a need for school children to have their eyes tested as many could not even see the whiteboard in class. Rotarian Graham Suggett made a donation of £1,000 which enabled this to be put in place immediately, and now all 200 children in 5 schools are tested on entry.

Bill established a relationship between Warwick Rotary and the local Hoshiarpur Mid-town club in Punjab which has been invaluable. Their members arranged the third camp last November at the local Gurdwara in Chabawal, involving the promotion and transport for people to attend for assessment, treatment and follow up care. The medical services are provided by the Akal Eye Hospital, in Jalandhar, Punjab and the local club manages payments directly on our behalf.

Last November Bill was accompanied by Warwick Rotarian PDG Paul Jaspal (no relative!) and met with members of Hoshiarpur Mid-Town Rotary club. Over 1,000 people attended the camp with 113 procedures such as cataracts, medication for glaucoma, 332 glasses and replacements being provided – under the banner “From Darkness to Light”. This year’s clinic cost about £15,000 of which Warwick provided £7,000 together with a commitment to support further treatments identified during the year.

The evening ended with the club presenting Bill Jaspal with a “Paul Harris Fellowship”.

In his citation Rotarian Alan Bailey said “all this changing of lives for the better would not have been possible without Bill’s drive and determination. Where clubs make donations, Bill recognised the need and went that extra step to give people something for the rest of their lives. For his exemplary work in communities poorer than ours he had truly put “Service above Self”.

Rotarian Alan Bailey presenting Bill with his Paul Harris Fellowship

Pictures below show the 2025 Eye Camp.

Organisers – Bill Jaspal & Paul Jaspal centre.  Queues for treatment

 

Medications to go                                               Promotional poster

 

 

 

 

News