Be someone's best morning

Just down the lane is the village primary school — a couple of rooms, a blackboard, and a handful of children who light up at a new face. Teach them something you're good at — a language, a song, a sport — or simply sit and talk. You walk out lighter than you went in, and sometimes with a little buddy for life.

Just down the lane is the village primary school — a couple of rooms, a blackboard, and a handful of children you could count on your fingers, who light up at a new face. If there's something you're good at — a language, a craft, a sport, a song, the way the wider world works — come share it for a morning. And if you'd rather not 'teach' at all, just sit with them, listen, and play. They'll teach you plenty.

Most guests leave that classroom a little quieter than they walked in — struck by how much they've been handed in life, and how little these bright, open kids need to be this happy. It tends to stay with you long after you've gone home. Some keep in touch for years; a few find themselves a small buddy for life.