Angela – Lignum Vitae Club

Keep On Moving: Sponsored Walk 2019

Angela — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 12:40:24 +0000

Bridges Crossed: Westminster, Waterloo, Blackfriars, Millennium, Southwark, London, Tower

That’s what we did on Sunday 26th May for our annual sponsored walk. This is one of our 50th Anniversary events this year.

We walked from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, stopping for one break just before the millennium bridge. This walk covered both sides of the river Thames, crossing Waterloo, Blackfriars, Southwark and finally Tower Bridge. We met up with another member and her daughter at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster for a well earned bring and share picnic. Proceeds going to Jamaica Moves UK, each Walker paid £10 which provided them with a t-shirt supplied by Jamaica Moves UK, Adopt a clinic and Ellen Pearl Outreach Children’s Charity.

We started at 11.45am from Westminster Tube Station and walked across our first bridge.

The walk organiser who has chosen route didn’t realise that this walk would actually involve us crossing several bridges. A few walkers were uncomfortable about walking across bridges especially the Millennium (previously the ‘wobbly’ bridge) it didn’t bode well on the day because several men were repairing one side of it. I told the organiser to focus on St Paul’s straight ahead and not look left or right but she got more and more anxious and sped across very quickly.

Several of us have never seen Tower Bridge open which it did as we approached it because a replica steam paddle type boat called the Dixie Queen was the reason it was opened and again the organiser wasn’t sure about crossing this last bridge. Walking across few of us were again anxious especially as the traffic driving across would make a thump noise as they approached and drove over the section of the bridge which opens! We completed the walk in 3 hours finishing at 3.00pm and took the tube from Tower Hill back to Westminster.

THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT SUPPORTED OUR SPONSORED WALK. WE RAISED OVER £500 FOR THE EVENT.

JAMMING at Jamaican High Commission

Angela — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 13:16:39 +0000

Bob Marley’s birthday is 6th February and each year the Jamaican High Commission holds Reggae Month. This year’s theme was “Women in Music”.

The evening began with the Jamaica National Anthem. Vivienne Siva introduced HE Seth George Ramocan who set the record straight about the events that happened on Monday 4th February. A Press Release was issued on 6th February and the work that the High Commission does for its people.

He talked about Jamaica, and Reggae. He recalled the One Love concert when Bob Marley got the two political leaders Edward Seaga and Michael Manley on stage and put their hands together in unity.

This year UNESCO has added Reggae to the Cultural Heritage List.

He talked about famous women in reggae e.g. Marcia Griffiths and Millie Small to name just two.

The evening then continued with a panel of Women in Music

Sista Culture, Radio Presenter aka Donna More whose mentor was Ranking Ms P.
DJ Cameo aka Melissa Sinclair
Carroll Thompson, Queen of Lovers Rock

Facilitated by Lynda Rosenior-Patten, Founder and CEO Maestro 7 CIC

Each panel member gave a short presentation about their career and this was followed by a question and answer session.

The panel have over the years been involved in radio, DJ, newspapers Black Echoes, and magazines Gargamel etc

Carroll suggested that young people who were interested in the music industry should learn to play a classic instrument, she herself plays the piano.

There was a Vote of Thanks to the Panel, HE and his wife, DHC, Grace Foods and Port Royal and the Jamaican High Commission Staff. The evening ended with Carroll Thompson singing three songs: Hopelessly in Love and two from Phyllis Dillon: Win or lose and Don’t stay away.

Light refreshments were available while people networked.

Nurse Association of Jamaica UK 40th Anniversary Concert

Angela — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 12:00:34 +0000

Over 400 people attended the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK (NAJ UK) at Bishop Thomas Grant School on Saturday 14th April 2018.

The comperes for the evening were Mrs Del Cooper and their patron, Ms Paulette Simpson (Jamaica National Bank).

Sherill Gregory and the President, Paulette Lewis, introduced the show acknowledging one of the founding members Dorothy Turner.

Councillor Marcia Cameron, the Mayor of Lambeth thanked NAJ UK for their invite and said that it was appropriate that this event was being held in Lambeth as many of the nurses arrived on the Windrush and settled in Brixton, and that the NHS was celebrating its 70th birthday this year.

She talked about the Mayoral chain that is 165 years old with the words ‘by your actions you will be judged’.

Two civic badges were presented to Sherill and Paulette on the night. There were several dignitaries including Noel Holmes Hospital, George Ruddock, Galaxy Radio, and staff from The Jamaican High Commission.

The Jamaican High Commissioner was due to arrive later on in the evening from another event he was attending.

The show started with members of the NAJ doing a welcome dance and song in traditional costumes, one of the songs was Mango Time and the comperes said they were going to enjoy plenty of mangos tomorrow.

This was a showcase for young people including Ruth Brown from The Voice UK who sang songs including At Last, Valerie and I want to run to you. An artist named Ricky Dragon a rapping pathologist from Birmingham performed poems.

The NAJ performed a short play about what it was like to arrive in Britain as a nurse to serve in NHS and their experience.Young nurses thought (although trained to be a nurse), were told they had to empty and clean bed pans and sweep floors first before being allowed to look after patients. As many of us know finding accommodation was not easy in those days. Too many signs read ‘no blacks, no irish, no dogs’. Several families lived in a house working to send money back home. Pardnas enabled people to save and get a deposit to buy their homes. The dream of only staying for five years disappeared when they started their families.

The older generation are now experiencing health problems like dementia, mental issues and the NAJ are still providing them with friendship and support.

The highlight for me was Megumi Mesaku aka Miss Megoo a Japanese Reggae Saxophonist who has been playing reggae for many years with several famous reggae artists and bands. She played Bob Marley’s One Love and ended the first half of the show.

Visit to Sea View Basic School

Angela — Mon, 04 May 2015 21:15:55 +0000

Monday 27th April 2015

After 4 hours driving through St Ann and St Mary we arrived at Portland. My visit was to Sea View Basic School, Long Bay, Portland. The gates were padlocked so we called through the window and a teacher came out. I explained that I was from London and my charity had recently given them a donation to purchase paint for the school. She went and got the Principal and I explained the reason for my visit.

I had a tour of the school which consisted of an office, a kitchen, where the Cook was preparing lunch of plantain and cornmeal porridge, girls and boys bathrooms and 3 classrooms, each was colourfully decorated, walls had alphabet, numbers, pictures etc, rooms had coloured chairs and tables, books and toys. There was a staircase leading to a small concrete courtyard.

She introduced me to each class and their teachers.

Class 2: 4 year olds

Teacher: Larenn Donegan, Assistant Teacher

Class 2: 3 year olds

Teachers: Nicola Wright and Audrey Cole, Assistant Teachers

Class 3: 5 year olds

Teacher: Claudia Smith, Principal

From left to right: Larenn Donegan, Claudia Smith, Audrey Cole and Nicola Wright

The boys wore: green checked shirts and khaki trousers with belts. The girls wore: green checked dresses, hair accessories green/white, both wear green/white socks, black shoes. The children were immaculate dressed.

The Class 3 children whispered “what’s her name” and I told them Angela which when prompted was repeated back to me. A sleepy 3 year old hugged me after waking up thinking it was home time and I was his mum! The Principal explained that they have 49 on role, but as one bright 4 year old informed me ‘some were at the clinic’, 9 were absent. They were all charming.

The outside walls had been painted from grey to red during the Easter Holidays but the Principal explained that they wait until Summer Holidays to repaint inside because it involves removing things from walls, furniture etc.

The Principal allowed me to take photos of the children and reluctantly pictures of themselves. I ended by visit by signing the visitors book.

Sea View is not part of the Basic Schools Foundation but any institution that helps young people deserves our support they are our (Jamaica’s) future!

– Angela

Quiz and Curry Night

Angela — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:46:08 +0000

Over 70 enthusiastic quiz maestros enjoyed a Quiz and Curry Night at the crypt of St Peter’s Streatham on Saturday 28 March. The evening was a fundraiser for Transplant Links Community which Lignum Vitae Club is supporting for three years (April 2014 to March 2017).

Jennie Jewitt-Harris, Chief Executive of Transplant Links Community, her family and friends joined with my daughter and friends, their team name was Krypton (pictured below).

Audrey DeHaney, Chair of Lignum Vitae Club introduced the evening and Jennie explained about the charity’s work. John DeHaney, Audrey’s husband and Quiz Master was in charge of keeping order. The questions were challenging and varied.

There were 6 raffle prizes, Necklace, Grace Food Hamper, Avon Gift Basket, Hair products, Fair Trade Easter Egg, Transplant Links Community Polo shirt and pin badge.

It was a good evening, Krypton team won and we raised over £1000, here’s to the next one.

– Angela Newby, Treasurer

Lignum Vitae Club now supporting Transplant Links

Angela — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 11:03:00 +0000

Transplant Links project in Jamaica for people with kidney failure

Transplant Links Community is a registered charitable organisation who in collaboration with Cornwall Regional Hospital in Jamaica are providing a much-needed kidney transplant programme.

Kidney failure is a high problem in Jamaica (particularly because of the high incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure).

To date, they have worked in Trinidad, Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria and Nepal.

Set-up Visit May 2013

A group of doctors from Birmingham visited Jamaica in May 2013 to prepare for the first transplants.

First transplants October 2013

The first three transplants were successfully carried out.

The project would like to return in May 2014, funding for flights/travel, project management, equipment, Jamaican surgeons to the UK is £15,000.00. Sandals have offered to sponsor the accommodation. Transplants Links would like to make two visit per year over the next 2 – 3 years 2014 – 2016.

Lignum Vitae Club is supporting this project for the next 2 – 3 years as its main fund raising.

Our first fundraising event is a sponsored walk on Sunday 18 May.

We will be walking along Regent’s Canal from Victoria Park, one of the sites for the London 2012 Olympic Games to Camden Town. We will pass through Bethnal Green, Hackney and Islington.

Along the way we pass various Markets, Stations and places of interests e.g. Chapel Market, Angel underground Station, London Canal Museum, Kings Cross/Pancras station and Camley Street Natural Park.

The walk will end with a meal at a chosen restaurant and everybody taking part will receive a complimentary drink.