Paul Bedingfield was an alumnus of Lingfield Notre Dame, who dedicated his life, and studies, as a research scientist, to better the lives of people in 3rd world communities. He did this via sustainable, educational, and health care initiatives throughout his professional life.  

Following his tragic passing in 2020, due to the global pandemic, Paul’s friends and family endeavour to ‘carry his beacon’ of compassion and service. They do this via projects which are all centred around developing a sustainable future. Their group, named Climate Action, isn’t a registered charity, but a small group of like-minded people, who want to help 3rd world smallholders. 

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine grants an annual Paul Bedingfield training award, in honour of his research on Malaria. In commemoration at Lingfield College, alumni planted a walnut tree for him, as well as naming the winning football boot for our annual alumni football match, after him too. We’re so excited to see this event grow, especially with an annual netball match starting this year.  

There is a ‘twin’ to the Bedingfield Boot, and this year, Climate Action, whose project director was a colleague of Paul’s, arranged an annual match between two villages in Kenya. We were delighted to receive a picture of the boot winners, from Peter Bedingfield, which you can see in the accompanying gallery.  

The long-term goal of Climate Action is to double crop yields within ten years, keeping pace with population growth without having to cut down any more wild forests in Kenya. If you would like to learn more about what they do, please head to their website: Climate Action - 1Planet1Destiny 

Lingfield College and Old Lingfieldians would like to congratulate the winning team in Kenya and wish the alumni players the best of luck for the upcoming match on the 6th of September! To the volunteers at Climate Action, the work you are doing is incredible, and we hope your cause continues to grow.