I don't know about you, Dear Readers, but from where I'm sitting it seems like a lot more than twelve months have passed since the last Newsletter. It's been quite a year one way and another, so probably the best way to start is with a recap of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2009 …

From the vaults:

May 2009: Rosie Swale Pope – fresh from her little run around the world - blew into the Keswick Mountain Festival with the force of a small tropical storm. She was there to deliver a talk about her travels. Never having encountered the Unstoppable Force that is Rosie, the poor souls didn't really know what hit them, so that when she asked them if they'd run a raffle on the night in aid of the Centre, they couldn't have said “No” even if they'd wanted to.

June 2009: We lost a very old and very dear friend when local businessman Bar Woodall died after a long illness. He was a Centre Trustee from the very beginning - when associating with us wasn't remotely smart or clever or a ticket to social advancement - and we miss him still.

August 2009: August 22nd was the day we picked - more in hope than expectation - for our 20th Anniversary celebrations and even now, looking back from a distance of many months, what happened is vaguely unsettling. Basically, it threw it down all through August, right up to the afternoon of the 21st , when it suddenly stopped raining and the wind dropped. August 22 nd was an absolutely glorious day – blue skies, fluffy white clouds, butterflies, tweeting birdies, champagne and strawberries, tea on the lawn, ice cream, fluttering marquees … In a word: perfection. Over 300 people came during the course of the day ; some of them old friends whom we hadn't seen in years, others new faces taking the opportunity to call in and enjoy the gardens. Bishop George's Thanksgiving Service was wonderful (service sheets are still available if anyone would like one). He wasn't even fazed when we nicked his power cable in order to rescue the ice cream van, which had suffered a stalled generator. (This called for an executive decision, viz: “Which is more important – Bishop George or the ice cream?” Sorry, George … but you know, coming a close second to blueberry meringue isn't so bad …).

When dawn tried to break on August 23rd, it was blowing a hoolie and throwing it down again. Basically, that was the last we saw of the sun for the rest of the year. Scary, innit?

October 2009: Gretchen and I were both nominated as “Cumbrian Women of the Year”, much to our joint startlement. We think that we were BOTH nominated so that we didn't squabble and that we BOTH didn't win so that nobody sulked.

November 2009: The 14 th was the day of our Christmas Fair which took place in the midst of a deluge of truly Twilight-of-the-Gods proportions. I had to go through to Cleator Moor to collect some baking, and everyone apparently feared for my safety as Radio Cumbria started broadcasting news of flooded roads, traffic chaos, villages cut off, etc, etc, etc. Oddly enough, although hardly anyone showed up (can't imagine why …) we still managed to make over £600. We suspect this is because those hardy souls who DID make it through the mayhem pretty much dug in and stayed put, solemnly and conscientiously grazing their way through most of the cakes and sandwiches, pausing only occasionally to go and indulge in some retail therapy and buy raffle tickets.

Of course a couple of days (and massive amounts of rain) later, one brave man was dead, Cockermouth was devastated, dozens of bridges were closed, whole communities (Muncaster included) were cut off and most of the Lake District was under water. Nearly 5 months down the road, we're still seeing the knock-on effects all around us in the shape of failing businesses and stress-related illnesses, but Cumbrians are a resilient breed and no strangers to adversity, and they are coping magnificently. The Lake District is returning to normal and is open for business.

January 2010: In January we welcomed a new Centre patron - Aubrey Rose. This is what we said in our Press Release about him:

Describing Aubrey Rose CBE DUniv as a remarkable man is rather like  describing Harry Enfield as ‘a bit of a joker' – entirely true as far as it goes but a bit short on specifics.

Aubrey was born and raised in London's East End, the son of Eastern European immigrants.  Starting as an articled clerk in a solicitor's office in Leadenhall Street he eventually qualified as a solicitor at the age of 25 and went on to become on of this country's leading human rights lawyers – sought out by Governments and shoplifters alike. He was – amongst many other things – an advocate at the Scarman Tribunal, Senior Vice-President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.

He is also a respected interfaith leader – joint patron with Dr George Carey of the New Assembly of Churches, and even appointed “Ambassador for Islam” by a Paris-based organization, a rare honour for a Jew.

His long-standing interest in healing stems from the loss of his eldest son David to cancer in 1978 – and in August of last year he made the journey up from London specifically to be with us for our 20 th Anniversary celebrations.

After the celebrations, dozens of people asked us who ‘that lovely man' was and that – combined with his enthusiasm for the work of the Centre – made it an obvious step to ask him if he would consider becoming a Patron.

We were delighted when he wrote back by return of post to say ‘Yes!'.

Aubrey hopes to be up at Muncaster again in May, both to visit the Centre and see the rhododendrons at the Castle.

March 2009: It isn't really anything much to do with the Centre as such, but it's so surreal, we have to mention it. Centre Manager Moira – not generally associated in the minds of those who know her with all that is light, winsome and feminine - went down to London to judge the ‘Pure Passion' Romantic Novel of the Year award, and then attend the seriously glitzy awards lunch at a five star hotel on Kensington Park Lane. Honestly. She did. She has a whole Other Life that hardly anyone knows about …

A ‘Please' …:

Like the Beatles, we get by with a little help from our friends. Well, more than a little – a LOT , actually. As well as pitching in to run all our fundraising events, fold our newsletters and bake for every occasion, volunteers gather at the Centre every Wednesday.

Some work in the garden, growing vegetables for our weekly soup, planting fruit trees and bushes, digging, clipping, weeding and generally doing the thousand tasks needed to keep the landscape cared for.

Others labour indoors to make wheat bags, sort jumble, recycle cards and lay out lunch for the dozen or so helpers and staff, and then wash up afterwards. Lunch (especially cake ) is an important part of our volunteer days, and possibly the main attraction for some. Please come and join us if you fancy some companionable work, homemade soup and – of course – cake!

And a ‘Thank you …

As well as willing hands, every organization needs funds. We have always welcomed for healing all who seek it regardless of their ability to donate towards the costs, thereby creating an endless need for new funding streams to make up the difference. If it weren't for friends, this masochistic tendency would have sunk us long ago. But – here we still are, and going strong.

We are grateful for every pound in the donations pot, for each corporate, individual and charitable grant, for the providers of jumble and makers of saleable goods. Together they add up to solvency, even in such hard times as we all face now. Every donation is special and the variety wide.

For example, this year we have been delighted to receive a private donation from Kelly and Stuart MacVean (who arrived on West Cumbrian shores from America in the friendly invasion that is the new management at Sellafield) to establish our new Open Door Fund . They identified the difficulty of finding running costs (always much harder than funding specific projects) and set about finding a way to solve it. Nothing like setting a personal example to get the ball rolling!

And then there was the donation from the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation to enable the building of a greenhouse to replace the original Victorian one, long gone. It is SO beautiful that Gretchen threatened to move in before anyone could fill it with plants. But filled with plants, including a handsome red grape vine given by a former neighbour, it now is. It has transformed the way we garden and assures a steady production of the vegetables and herbs we need for the making of all that volunteer soup!

Sometimes, events overwhelm a community and swift action is needed to deal with the immediate effects as well as with the long-term aftermath. Cumbria suffered just such a calamity in the November floods and the excellent Cumbria Community Foundation was on the case at once. As a part of their extensive floor recovery operations, the Centre received funding to offer healing treatments to anyone directly or indirectly affected by the catastrophic flooding. We are therefore able to help old friends and new clients who suddenly found themselves in entirely altered circumstances, with conse-quences stretching far into the future.

We could go on. And on. (And we know we frequently do …). But what we really mean is “Thank you”.

Healing: A couple of our far-flung Centre friends write that occasionally they would welcome hearing something about healing in the newsletter. (As well as money, we think they mean!). So, here it is, straight.

Healing by gentle touch continues to be the main activity of the Centre, which all the other efforts exist to support. It still goes on quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) five days a week, 9.00am to 5.00pm, with consistently excellent and long-lasting results. Appointments can be made by telephone or email. Read more about it on our website at www.cccare.org, or request an information pack by post.

Future events and assorted other Good Stuff:

Spring Raffle 2010: Because the Christmas Fair was always intended to be fairly low-key (mostly because we were all completely puttered by the 20th Anniversary bash and at least two of us are a l-o-n-g way past our salad days) we decided to hold the main Raffle over until the New Year. We had such good prizes, it seemed a shame not to get some decent mileage out of them, which is why the raffle this year is being drawn on Thursday the 3rd of June, at the Festival of Fools (of which, more anon – which means ‘in a bit, keep reading …).

The prizes can be viewed at the Centre and on our website and are:

A Super Genie 16 ? folding bicycle

A unique autographed photographic self-portrait of the actor Edward Petherbridge , entitled Wimsey Through the Looking Glass , kindly donated to us by Edward himself.  It was taken by him in the dressing room mirror at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, when he was playing Lord Peter Wimsey in Busman's Honeymoon.

A beautiful handmade double quilt which was a prop in the ill-fated West End ‘musical' Too Close to the Sun , which ran for just two weeks in the summer of 2009. It comes with a Programme and a letter of provenance if wished.  Even without the interesting track record, it's a gorgeous quilt …

An autographed copy of Edward Enfield's latest book Old Age and How to Survive It.

A boxed 3-DVD set of the BBC's award-winning documentary series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World autographed by Jay Benedict, who played the legendary engineer Frank Crowe in the Hoover Dam episode.

A signed copy of Ranulph Fiennes' latest book Mad Dogs and Englishmen – An Expedition Round My Family.

Tickets are £1 each. If you would like to enter, just let me know on the enclosed form. Due to the arcane provisions of the Gambling Act 2005, you can't send me the money until you return the counterfoils. Tickets can also be purchased at Muncaster Castle or at Pelleymounters in Seascale.

Sheffield Half marathon - Sunday, April 25 th : Well, he's another year older, but apparently no wiser, because Bob Stern – Gretchen's son-in-law – is once more running in the Sheffield Half Marathon to raise funds for the Centre. There's a joke in there somewhere about one of us being touched, but it would be churlish to make it, so I'll just say “Thank you, Bob, you are Our Hero and we love you.” Please would you sponsor Bob if you possibly can, to make all that pain worthwhile (mind you, this is a man who runs for miles over the fells in all weathers just for fun, so he probably won't feel a thing …). You'll find the little sponsor thingy-doodad on the attached form. Ta.

West Lakes Music Centre Windband :   On the evening of Tuesday May the 11 th at St Michael's Church, Muncaster the West Lakes Music Centre Windband will be giving a concert on behalf of the Centre.

The Windband is one of several groups from West Lakes Music Centre, which is based in Egremont. The Music Centre is keen to promote music-making by the community, for the community and involves all ages and abilities. The programme will include music for Big Band, Gershwin, Dvorak, Holst, MacArthur Park , Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Lennon and McCartney to name just a few …

Tickets will be £5.00, available at the door on the night and the concert starts at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be available.

Festival of Fools - Muncaster Castle – Sunday May 30 th to Thursday, June 3 rd : Once again, Muncaster Castle is choosing its new Fool. Five days of (barely controlled) lunacy in the form of jugglers, street entertainers, sideshows and assorted mayhem culminate on the Thursday, in the International Jesters Tournament, during which the contestants will compete before a panel of judges to prove that THEY are the finest fools in all the land (it says here …). Anyway – we're running the sideshows on all five days (and then running off with all the money from them when no-one's looking). It's pretty labour-intensive, so if you could spare us any time during that week, please let us know on the form. We'd be really grateful because the more volunteers we have, the less likely we are to ruin them for life - and we need them all in good shape for the Christmas Fair.

And speaking of the Christmas Fair , stop singing, take your fingers out of your ears and put the date in your diaries now , please … it's Saturday the 4 th of December.

Trivia Quiz results: As usual, we had two trivia quizzes running over Christmas, one insanely difficult (and I have the death threats to prove it) and one everso slightly easier. No-one managed a perfect score on either quiz, but as always it was tight at the top …

Our congratulations to the winners:

Trivia Quiz results:

1st: 94/100 – TONY PENNICK of St Bees.

2nd: 91/100 – HENRY STEWART of Holmrook.

3rd : 89/100 - MARY HART of West Green, Allonby

Abandon Hope results:

1st: 42/50– HENRY STEWART.

2nd: 39 /50 – TONY PENNICK.

3rd: 38/50 – ROGER HART (husband of Mary …).

Mailing List: We are working on revamping and updating our mailing list. (NB: when I say “We”, I actually mean Andrea and Kelly, since my contribution is generally limited to making helpful comments like “Well, I dunno, really …”). We've switched the whole kit and caboodle over to Access, necessitating the retyping of all 2,900 entries, which is likely to result in some teething troubles, so please bear with us and let us know if there are any problems. ALSO we are trying to trim our mailing list a bit and would be very grateful if those of you who are on the internet would agree to receive the Newsletter by email. It will be in the form of a PDF (we now have the technology) so you can print it out and read it the old fashioned way if you want – but it saves us a lot in paper, ink, labour and postage. As an incentive, everyone who is on our email list will receive a short additional newsletter in the Autumn … Am I tempting you yet? If I am, just tick the box on the form.

Calendars will be available later in the year as usual. This year's, featuring images from around the Centre, was much admired, so we'll probably do something similar again for next year. If you have photographs of the area which you think might make a good calendar image, we'd be very happy to see them. No promises, mind …

Quizzes will also be available in the autumn for those who want their brains messed with. If you're interested in receiving either quizzes or calendars, just tick the relevant boxes on the enclosed form and we'll let you know when they're ready.

And that would appear to be that, for this time around. Don't forget you can keep up to date with everything happening at the Centre by visiting our website at cccare.org or dropping on Moira's blog.

31.3.10

Back to Top