Jenny, my wife, and I recently visited Raphael. I had volunteered at Raphael in 2012 and 2014. We have CEO Mrs Priyo Lall to thank for arranging the airport pick up, the hotel and train tickets back to Delhi.

We were met with the warmest of welcomes from Priyo and other staff members, plus Joanne Sunnex, a volunteer I had met in 2014 who was back for another volunteering round.

The campus was looking spectacular with its familiar rusty red paintwork against the beautiful Sal trees’ back drop. The gardens are blooming. The site now has a two metre fence on one side to keep the leopard out. We were shown around all the buildings.

It was not a school day so the residents were busy making items for Diwali. The workshop was flat out with dias, those clay pots full of candle wax and a wick for Diwali.

Of course we had to check out the little accommodation unit, the volunteers’ cottage, my home, during my volunteering days, and it’s just as comfortable as ever.

Raphael is just such a pleasant environment. Jenny made the comment that she could have done the volunteering here at Raphael, so we will see where that goes.

After the tour, Joanne, Jenny and I caught a Tuk Tuk into Paltan Bazaar, a must for any visit to Dehradun, for a spot of shop shuffling and a taste of the hustle and bustle of India.

David Searl