This month’s meeting began in a sombre mode as a one minute silence was held in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The President then asked the Secretary, Wendy Mansfield to read out the poem published that day by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. The poem is entitled “Floral Tribute” and talks of lilies and Lily of the Valley together with “black lochs” and “dark Munros”. He also invokes “A promise made and kept for life” and “Hands that can rest, now,”
Sentiments that are so resonant with Queen Elizabeth. Hilary Bradfield then read out the Proclamation for King Charles III.
Our speaker this month represented the charity “Cry in the Dark”. Beth Frimpong described how the charity was set up in 1998 as a response to the horrors found in Romania after the fall of communism. Most of us can remember the pictures of the appalling conditions in state orphanages where children were basically abandoned. The Ceausescu regime had banned contraception and thousands of children were born with serious physical and mental health problems. The founder of the charity, Steve, met a lady in London who showed him a video of 26 orphans who were completely helpless as nobody wanted them. They were aged between 11 and 17 years and they were all taken in and cared for. In 2000 a new home opened and all 26 children went there. The home is still running today as a place of love and care. Steve met a 12 year old boy, Albert, who had serious health problems as a result of being given infected blood. Blood came from anywhere and it was the local hospital which treated children with HIV. Sadly Albert passed away in 2004 but a new centre is being built in his name to treat these children. In 2017 the charity built the first Paediatric Hospice in Romania offering respite care for children. The charity has found itself involved in the conflict in Ukraine and was sent a group of deaf refugees recently. Although only a small charity they appear to be doing a lot of valuable work on the ground.
The meeting closed with our first rousing rendition of “God Save The King!”