Our Founder, Sylvia Holder and trustee Lindsay Swan have written the most incredible story.

Fast moving, entertaining, funny and
inspiring, Accidental Lives is a book
about tragedy turned to triumph, ‘sliding
door’ life changers, chance encounters
and a glorious friendship. It tells the
extraordinary story of how a young man’s
tragic death in a poor South Indian
fishing village led to the setting up of a
charity which has transformed thousands
of young lives.

‘This book gives an entertaining and moving account of the
adventurous lives of that fine duo, Holder and Swan, two fearless, funny and brave women. It’s a story of friendship and enterprise and extraordinary generosity, of triumph over tragedy, with some amazing anecdotes and an exhilarating sense of life lived to the full’
Dame Margaret Drabble, novelist and biographer

‘This is the story of a uniquely creative female friendship.
Its fruit was a PR agency built for fun as much as money and a charity which has transformed the life of a poor Indian fishing village. Absorbing, amusing, moving and inspiring, here is a hugely enjoyable read’
Dr Piers Brendon, historian, biographer, broadcaster

‘From Camden Town to the Coromandel Coast by way of
Zambia’s big game parks — the joyful account of roller-coaster lives told vividly with wit and wisdom’.
Brian Jackman, writer and journalist

‘A moving story of the chance encounter between a young boy and an English woman on an Indian beach that changed the lives of a generation of children. Through the efforts of two indomitable women, a poor fishing village with no free schooling has been transformed into a place of educational excellence that is the envy of its peers’.
Dr Naren Chetty, Venkat Trust supporter