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"If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable." Nichiren Daishonin
Jan 2010 - HAITI FUNDRAISER Saturday class - together, we raised a grand total of £336 for Save the Children Haiti Earthquake Appeal, click Save the Children & read for yourself what your contributions will help towards.
So many, many thanks for supporting & showing the power of 'togetherness' at work. (see above quote)
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Fundraiser July 09 - 'Thank You' letter dated 18th Aug from Anita Smith MBE, Bansang Hospital Appeal
"Once again my sincere thanks to you & your lovely students for the continuing & generous support for the patients at Bansang Hospital.
Your gift will be used to help fund our lates project which is the refurbishment of the 7 bed labour ward. This is of vital importance in the fight to reduce the risk of women dying in pregnancy. In the Gambia 1 in 17 women die giving birth: a horrific statistic. To try to reduce the mortality rate we have joined forces with Child Advocacy International who are training traditional birth attendants in rural areas to recognize problems earlier and refer the patients to the nearest hospital as a matter of urgency. Bansang is the nearest referral hospital in the Upper River Division but may be many hours away travelling on foot or by donkey cart. Therefore the sooner a problem is recognized and a referral made the better the chance of avoiding the unnecessary death of mother or baby. The staff at Bansang are well qualified and highly motivated and already involved in the training of traditional birth attendants. The upgrading of the labour ward and the experience and dedication of the staff will put Bansang at the forefront of the fight to reduce the mortality rate.
The project will cost £9,500 and will include all electrical and plumbing installations. The windows will be made larger because more natural light is needed during the frequent power cuts. There will be new toilets and showers for the patients and also for the staff. The labour ward and maternity ward are linked by an open breeze block corridor which is a magnet for mosquitoes. We intend to fill in the blocks and install large windows fitted with mosquito screens. This is where the patient's escorts sleep so we will be doing our bit to help prevent them being bitten and getting malaria.
I can't thank you enough for your help in funding this project which I am sure will help to save many lives which otherwise would have been lost needlessly."
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Fundraiser for Bansang Hospital Appeal - July 08
....Also, to report back on our fundrasier last month in memory of Sarah Dodds, we raised just over £300. So big thanks to all who contributed, by attending & also donations. Know you can make a difference ! Below, passing on 'thank you' messsage from Anita Smith MBE who set up www.bansanghospitalappeal.com.
" Thank you so much for your continued support of Bansang Hospital Appeal and the latest very generous gift aided donation. Please offer my warmest thanks to everyone who took part in your fundraiser workshop and helped to raise such a wonnderful amount in memory of Sarah. Such a sad reason for having a fundraising event but hopefully we can honour Sarah's memory by using the money to help save the lives of some very sick patients at Bansang hospital. (...) Your generous donation will be used in a way that best benefit the hospital, the patients and the community. I cannot thank you enough for the help you have provided."
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~ Gambia Yoga Hols…
“Thank you for sharing this beautiful part of Gambia with us. The relaxed atmosphere, good humour and wonderful people of Gecko Lodge was exactly what I needed. Have a beautiful year ending and a brilliant 2008. We hope to see you in Sierra Leone!”
Fedor R, Holland – Christmas& NY 07/08
“Thanks very much for everything! The yoga, good company, excellent food and relaxing beaches was what I needed!! Hope to see you all again – we’ll be back. All the best for 2008!” Nicole M, Canada – Christmas & NY 07/08
“Dear Oli, Ancelle, Gabbie and Belle, thank you for a truly fantastic holiday. I have not felt so looked after and spoiled for a long time ! What a wonderful, relaxing and peaceful place to have the joy to find.” Sarah D, London - Christmas & New Year 07/08
“Thank you so much for a truly fantastic holiday. You have really looked after all of us and made us feel truly at home. The relaxed atmosphere and the care you have taken over everything has made my holiday fun, relaxing and luxurious. I hope to be back soon ! “
Hetal S, London - Christmas & New Year 07/08
“What can we say except it’s been a wonderful experience. Have had an amazing time and met wonderful people, eaten fantastic food in a relaxing environment. Belle and Oli have been great hosts making us feel like part of the family. We will be back !”
Geraldine McG, London - New Year 07/08
"I thoroughly enjoyed my first african experience. You provided excellent info in advance...
About the Gecko Lodge vibe, I found it a haven of peace and calm given its location in the local flora and fauna. The close walking proximity to the beach was a boon…. All the people I came into contact with at GL were lovely - it felt like being part of a family…My room was loverrrrrly.. ….I loved the food with its emphasis on fresh fruit, veg and fish. The yoga was great - I particularly enjoyed the breathing exercises which we did. I liked the balance of it with other excursions especially when I could only be there a week (how I wish it could have been longer).
Fiona W, London March 07
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~ W.E Retreats... Symondsbury Manor, Dorset...
Thank YOU both so much...thought it was a lovely weekend and you made it all feel so effortless and made us feel so spoilt. Thanks for all the fab food, yoga and love...
Jenny, Symonsbury Manor, October 07
Thank you so much for a fantastic retreat. I really enjoyed every minute of it... And you said before hand, it was a gresat way to move on in my practice, Its also enthused me to do more. Esther, June 07
Just wanted to say a big THANKS to you ladies for a lovely weekend. Really enjoyed it. Please keep me informed about any other retreats / classes you are running.
Sian B- Symonsbury May 06
"Thanks you both for organising such a great Yoga retreat. It was fantastic and you're right, the benefits carried me throught this week feeling relaxed and smiley ! I look forward to the next one!"
Isla, Symondsbury July 05
"Thank you for a wonderful weekend, it was fantastic and I felt very relaxed. Also I was impressed with how smoothly everything ran."
Alison, Symondsbury Nov 05
I just wanted to say how good the weekend was, I really enjoyed it and learnt lots of interesting stuff and ate some really nice food."
Liz, Symondsbury Nov 05
"Just wanted to say thanks for a great weekend in Dorset. I really enjoyed the yoga classes, in fact it feels strange now not to be doing yoga every day!! The meals were delicious too and it was really nice to have such an interesting group of people together."
Sarah T , Symondsbury Nov 05
