The Copeland/Rungwe Community Link organisation is raising funds by holding an exhibition at the gallery on Main Street.
Rungwe, in Tanzania, has been twinned with the county since 1987 and the display includes textiles, art and craftworks. It runs until the end of January with all items up for sale to collect money for the link. Money raised will go towards enabling a group of Tanzanian students to visit Cumbria and then, the following year, to send a group of West Cumbrian students to Rungwe.
Students take part in school and community projects and gain an insight into another community’s culture and way of life.
Eighteen teenagers and six teachers from Copeland and Allerdale visited Tanzania last year for a month-long trip. Pupils at West Lakes Academy, St Benedict’s, Cockermouth School and Keswick School helped out in schools in Rungwe before going on a safari.
“The first three hours of the train journey was a highlight for me,” said West Lakes teacher, and trip leader, Andrew Haslop. “Being on the tazara [train], hanging out of the window and seeing it change from the city to the country, seeing all the changes in the landscape, from high rise buildings to shanty towns and mud huts.”
The link’s main objective is to promote awareness and understanding between two very different cultures.
Lowes Court Gallery is open between Tuesday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm.
For more information on the Copeland/Rungwe Community Link, go to
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