charity WORKAID 20th Anniversary

A wonderful weekend celebrating two decades fighting poverty in Africa
Our weekend of celebrations to mark Workaid's 20th anniversary on April 22nd and 23rd 2006 was a huge success, attracting over 800 people and raising almost Ł7,000. Hundreds of volunteers, supporters and local residents joined us for our Open Day at Amersham Free Church on the Saturday, which included videos, talks by the charity's partners from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, and an exhibition tracing Workaid's history since the charity was set up in April 1986. There was also a free buffet lunch and minibus transport to our workshop close by, where volunteers gave guided tours. All 300 tickets sold out for a concert by the Newland Singers in the evening and the Thanksgiving Service on the Sunday was also very well attended. Although the weekend was planned as a celebration rather than a fundraising event, we received some very generous donations, including a Ł4,000 gift from one individual. The rest of the money came from the proceeds of a raffle, concert ticket sales, donations towards the refreshments and the Giftaid envelope collection at the Sunday service. High profile visitors on the Saturday included Jenny Hopkirk, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, and two of our patrons Sir John Johnson - a former British High Commissioner to Kenya - and his wife Lady Jean.

A wonderful weekend celebrating two decades fighting poverty in Africa

Our weekend of celebrations to mark Workaid's 20th anniversary on April 22nd and 23rd 2006 was a huge success, attracting over 800 people and raising almost Ł7,000.

Hundreds of volunteers, supporters and local residents joined us for our Open Day at Amersham Free Church on the Saturday, which included videos, talks by the charity's partners from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, and an exhibition tracing Workaid's history since the charity was set up in April 1986. There was also a free buffet lunch and minibus transport to our workshop close by, where volunteers gave guided tours. All 300 tickets sold out for a concert by the Newland Singers in the evening and the Thanksgiving Service on the Sunday was also very well attended.

Although the weekend was planned as a celebration rather than a fundraising event, we received some very generous donations, including a Ł4,000 gift from one individual. The rest of the money came from the proceeds of a raffle, concert ticket sales, donations towards the refreshments and the Giftaid envelope collection at the Sunday service.

High profile visitors on the Saturday included Jenny Hopkirk, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, and two of our patrons Sir John Johnson - a former British High Commissioner to Kenya - and his wife Lady Jean.

We were also delighted to welcome representatives from our three partner organisations in east Africa - Christopher Otsinde from the Catholic Diocese of Kisii in Kenya, Father Tony Rweza and Father Pontian Wasswa from Interservice in Uganda, and Reverend Latima Bupe, director of the Community Institute for Youth Development in Zambia, who all gave inspiring talks on the Saturday. Our overseas partners Latima Bupe from Zambia, Tony Rweza from Uganda, Christopher Otsinde from Kenya and Pontian Wasswa from Uganda with Workaid's administrator Ray Richards and chairman Sylvia Parrott MBE. Photo by Tony Bell , courtesy of Trinity Mirror Southern Reverend Bupe told a packed audience: "Workaid has been a lifeline for many projects which would have closed a long time ago if it wasn't for your help. Youths who thought that they were worthless because they hadn't been to school have found that they can learn useful skills and support themselves. People living in very rural areas no longer have to travel many miles and pay fees to learn tailoring or carpentry - Workaid has brought this training to the doorsteps of the poorest people. You are giving hope to so many and I bring their heartfelt appreciation and thanks."

The concert by the Newland Singers was sold out	Reverend Dr Colin Morris, another patron and a Radio Four Thought for the Day contributor, gave the address at the Sunday service. He said: "I was honoured to be asked to be a patron of Workaid and the more I learn of it, the prouder I become. It offers the shortest possible conduit between those in need and those who feel called to offer a kind of aid which does not undermine the self-respect of those who receive it." We even received a letter of congratulations from The Queen, which read: "Her Majesty was interested to learn of your work in East Africa… and sends her best wishes to all those concerned for a memorable and enjoyable occasion."
Many of our area organisers from all around the UK made the effort to attend and French student Lea Lolambo travelled from Paris for the weekend to be reunited with the volunteers she worked with for six weeks in 2004. Other visitors included the three daughters of our founder Kenneth Nunn, an Amersham solicitor who died in August 1998. Sally Nunn, who now lives in Ashington, Sussex, came to the open day with her sisters Barbara Dorman from Hindhead in Surrey and Judy Coughlan from Wokingham.	Visitors included the three daughters of our late founder Kenneth Nunn - Judy Coughlan with her son Daniel, Barbara Dorman and Sally Nunn with her children Gabrielle and Charlie

Sylvia Parrott cutting our 20th anniversary cake	Workaid's chairman Sylvia Parrott said: "It was an absolutely wonderful weekend and we were overwhelmed by the number of people who came to share it with us.
	I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers who put so much effort into the organisation over many months, to those who worked so hard on the day and to everyone who made the events such a success by attending them. With dedication and support like this, I hope Workaid will be able to spend another twenty years helping to tackle poverty in Africa."	Volunteer Tony Boulton shows a visitor around our workshop in White Lion Road, Amersham

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