Our supporters amaze us. In using their talents of baking,running, writing or even public speaking, they show extraordinary commitment to helping provide energy access to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and raising vital awareness of SolarAid’s mission. Together with our supporters, we make sustainable change happen, overnight.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a long-standing supporter of ours, Edward Gildea. He inspired me with his dedication to raising awareness on the effects of the climate crisis and the urgent need to “pull every lever” to address them.
Originally an English teacher by profession, Mr. Gildea always had a passion for storytelling so he knows how to engage others in how solar lights can have an instant, transformative impact on people’s lives. The lives of those who are disproportionately affected by rising global temperatures, whilst being those who contribute least to the CO2 emissions fuelling them.
Mr. Gildea took some time off after working as an education consultant to sail around the globe. “My motivation was to challenge myself and connect with nature in the most profound, sustained and direct way,” he told me. While on his adventures at sea, he was confronted with the tragic impact of the climate crisis and witnessed first-hand what he calls the “beauty and delicacy of the planet.”
Good progress under gale force winds on the beam in the South Atlantic.
“I found myself crashing around in hot water, sailing in overheated oceans throwing up enormous cloud formations,” Edward said. “It was a startling reality check: the oceans were not as they should be.”
He witnessed one particularly poignant image when snorkelling along Whitsunday’s coastline in Australia. Edward told me how he revelled in the “exquisite beauty of the coral reefs on [his] first visit, but was devastated to find that 4 years later it was a graveyard”.
Edward shared how “visceral experiences of the oceans and energies of the planet had a profound effect on [him].” He also found out that he was a grandfather on a route much like the North Atlantic passage his own father had sailed decades before. This news and the discoveries he had whilst at sea compelled him to do something to tackle the climate crisis.
Edward meeting his second grandson for the first time in St Katharine’s Dock after sailing back from Australia.
For Mr. Gildea, action takes form in writing poems, engaging in national politics- he stood as a Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Northwest Essex in 2024- and delivering educational talks about how and why he is encouraged to motivate others to do what they can to reduce their CO2 emissions.
He delivers talks to community groups like the Women’s Institute and Probus clubs across the country and gives money he raises from talks to SolarAid along with other sustainability organisations. He also donates to offset emissions from flights he takes, and encourages others to do the same.
Edward Gildea’s commitment to addressing the adverse effects of climate change, particularly for those living without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, inspires us. By supporting SolarAid, he helps us deliver practical solutions to the climate crisis at the flick of a switch.
“The joy of helming in ‘champagne’ ocean sailing conditions,” says Edward.
If you too would like to get involved with SolarAid, please reach out.
Any activity, big or small, can contribute to providing clean, green energy to families in sub-Saharan Africa so that they can safely cook, read, work, study, all after the sun has set. Each light in someone’s hands is an instant win for people and the planet. Let us know how you’d like to support, or start yourJustGiving page today. We’re here to help so that together, we make light work.