Autumn Ladies Lunch with Michael Buerk
Guest Speaker, Michael Buerk.
Queen Elizabeth’ s
Foundation for Disabled People, known as QEF for short, is a charity that works with over 4000 people with disabilities each year and hosts fundraising events that are a prestigious part of the London and Surrey social calendar.
Recently, Michael Buerk entertained QEF supporters at Epsom Downs Racecourse with stories from his time as a BBC journalist. Also speaking at this event was Dianne Finnimore, a retired firefighter, who had spent time as a client at QEF’ s Neuro Rehabilitation Services. Dianne was hit by a car when out running and woke up in hospital with no memory of how she got there. As part of her recovery, Dianne was resident at NRS for three months. At first she could only walk with a frame but her determination to walk and run again has enabled massive recovery. She would
Diane Finnimore.
Sue Jacobs, Chair of the Ladies Lunch Committee( left), with some members of her committee.
spend hours just walking round the centre to improve her walking ability.
At the Ladies Lunch event, Dianne spoke about how selfmotivation, determination, and the skill, care and encouragement of QEF staff enabled her incredible recovery. She cannot praise enough the help she has received, and still receives, from QEF.
The next QEF Ladies Lunch event at Epsom Downs Racecourse will be in April 2017. If you would like to attend this event or to learn more about QEF, Visit: fundraising. QEF. org. uk
ALISTAIR PULLING
The Supper Club to Raise Funds for the Terrence Higgins Trust
This was a wonderful evening and featured a most ingenious fundraising idea. Supporters of The Supper Club host a table at a top London restaurant and invite friends, who each purchase a ticket, to join them with the proceeds going to support the Trust. The restaurants donate their food and services and the evening culminates in a large aftershow party at the Café de Paris, which was attended by celebrities including the ballerina Darcey Bussell. The Supper Club began in 2001 and has raised over £ 1 million for the Trust, which is Britain’ s leading HIV and sexual health charity.
I am not a conventional“ foodie” but I do enjoy a dining experience in convivial company and my host, the figurative artist Sarah Jane Moon, chose The Modern Pantry, an excellent restaurant in Clerkenwell. We dined alone so conversation could flow uninterrupted and the evening was perfection as was the cuisine, smoked paprika roast quail followed by marinated lamb chops with a chocolate and almond sponge as dessert. Cabs, which were included in the price of the ticket(£ 175), then took us to the Café de Paris.
Darcey Bussell with Ian Green.
Tim Vincent.
The Ambassador of the Supper Club is the Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett of Café Murano and several of London’ s top chefs support the evening. At the after-party, which packed this colourful and popular Leicester Square nightspot, the Prosecco flowed into the small hours. Drag artiste Miss Hope Springs provided entertainment and there was an online auction and dancing. The evening raised £ 83,000 for the Trust.
The Terrence Higgins Trust does vital work offering support and advice to those living with or affected by HIV as well as disseminating information and increasing awareness about it. In 2014 there were 103,700 people living with HIV in the UK, 1 in 6 of whom were unaware of their condition. Over 6,000 were newly diagnosed last year when the charity’ s activities raised £ 6.5 million. The Trust aims for a new era of prevention and care in its campaign against this pernicious disease.
RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS
Sam Callahan.
6 THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK