Over the last year, 18 projects were completed in different parts of Africa. An excellent achievement given that it wasn’t possible to hold as many fundraising events as usual in the early part of the year because of covid.
As ever, there are many people to thank for their contributions. Firstly there are the members of the General Committee who work away steadily and effectively to keep the wheels turning and the various fund raisers happen. In a similar way, the Gardens Day Committee makes sure our flagship event continues to be successful. Next is the Trustees Committee whose tasks are to decide how best to spend the money raised, oversee the projects to which it has been allocated, ensure that the finances of the charity are in order and keep accurate records of all our activities. Next there are those who support us by making a regular financial donation. This is valuable because it provides a steady income allowing the trustees to commit to supporting projects with confidence. Last but definitely not least, there are the many volunteers and supporters who come forward in a plethora of different ways and without whom we couldn’t function. The work of all these groups is greatly appreciated.
12 months ago, the usual autumn Bridge Drive and Souperday couldn’t happen in 2021 but they were replaced by Afternoon Teas served to people’s homes which proved popular. However, last March after a two and a half years year break, the spring Souperday did happen at the URC and the autumn one took place at St John’s when it was back to the old format of the pre-covid days with pre-booking and timed sittings not being necessary! Also, after a three-year gap, there was a bridge drive again in November at Morley Green Club which raised £2,400.
Once again, the weather was kind on the last Saturday of June and Gardens Day was a great success raising £19,200 – a colossal achievement! The 19 varied gardens which opened looked fantastic, spreading from Styal in the north through Wilmslow and Alderley to Mottram in the south generating quite a buzz across the area. Thanks to everyone involved!
Rosemary Stubbs once again designed a beautiful Christmas card for us which, again, was printed without any charge by James Townley of Printforce meaning every penny raised by their sale went to the projects we support in Africa. The cards will be on sale in the Christmas Card Shop which opens in Wilmslow Library this Saturday morning. We are very grateful to both Rosemary and James for their support.
At the end of the year, John and Jocelyn Fallows decided to move south for family reasons. They have both made a huge contribution to WWfA and will be greatly missed. We wish them well for the future and are delighted that John is prepared to continue looking after our website and setting-out the bi-annual newsletter, at least for the time being!
Sadly, three of our great supporters died over the last year. In January, we lost Hetty Lewis, member of the General Committee and invariably a friendly face dispensing hot drinks at our fund-raising events. Then suddenly in July, news came of Ronnie Dykstra who had been so active on our behalf on many fronts over the years. Shortly after this, Richard Gibbs died. He was a great support to Jenny over the years she chaired Wilmslow Wells so successfully before stepping back at the end of 2021 to look after him.