[ Home ] [ Newsletters ] [ Contact ]
Autumn 2008 newsletter
This archived newsletter is provided as a record of the activities of the White Rose Initiative. Whilst reading this newsletter you may find references to what appear to be up-coming events. It should be noted that, as this is an historical document, these events will now be in the past. Where possible, the year has been added to clarify that dates are now in the past.In this newsletter
- Thank you
- Comings and goings
- June trip
- Dates for your diary
- Contact details
- Collections and donations
- Appeals
- 2009 White Rose calendar
- Slide shows
- Membership
Thank you
We are always grateful for your help and support. We cannot thank everyone personally but appreciate each and every donation.Special thanks go to Wetherby Clinic for their constant supply of medical goods. Thanks to Leeds Equipment Services for the waterproof mattresses for Târnăveni, and the walking sticks and crutches. These have been given out to our hospital and Dan's centre for the homeless.
Also, thanks to Mark Murphy for supplying us with prostheses. We have been able to help 110 ladies from all areas of the country who contact Mimi for help. The prostheses make such a difference from wearing a small bag full of cement!
Comings and goings
After many years of amazing work for us Gerry McLennan is retiring as treasurer. Gerry will be sadly missed as he has worked so hard over the years trying to keep us in order. Margaret and Trevor Martin are taking over the roll.Dr Wadsworth is also retiring after 16 years (you can get less for murder!) We have a new trustee, Eileen Stanton, who has been with us from the beginning.
Paul Selina has been with us from the beginning. Although he now lives in Canada he flies to meet us in Sighişoara to join the work teams. More recently Paul has been to Lesotho in southern Africa, and has worked repairing a reservoir, installed lightning conductors, and built two houses for teachers to enable a village school to open. Paul is continuing our work in Lesotho.
June trip
Seven of us set off for, what turned out to be, a very successful June holiday. We were so lucky to be invited to the end of term speech day at Papa Radu, where we were special guests and presented with a white rose each. We were very emotional as the director thanked us for all our help and support - we hope you can share in the grateful thanks from the staff, parents and pupils. Your help makes a massive difference.
We were also invited to the youth club to see the new computer room and attend a show. The new
computers have helped the children significantly. To our amazement we were greeted by a wall full of
diplomas the children had won at various contests over the year. We were presented with a doll that
the children had made from a wooden spoon, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a thank you. The
show covered all aspects of dance from children of all ages, with the children giving a display of
the dance routine they had been using for the national contest. The clothing material we sent had
been made into the most amazing costumes, each being made by hand by the teacher, and all the
children looked great. After the show the children all gave their thanks to the teachers by
presenting them with flowers.
This year found us in Sighişoara while the students of the colleges within the town were celebrating graduation day. The town centre came alive with people as families and friends gathered to greet the graduating students and cheer them on their way. The main street was lined by students from the colleges, to form a guard of honour for the graduates, which marched in groups behind a brass band visiting each college in turn. Each of the colleges has their own Song of the Youth. Once at their respective college, the grandaunts sing their song and release coloured balloons representing their college. They then march onwards to the next college where the ritual is performed once more. All the graduates have flower crowns on their heads and carry bouquets of flowers which they present to their teachers by way of thanks.
We had a trip to the salt mines at Sovata, and a village where traditional gifts are made. The group enjoyed all their visits, culminating in our usual party at the OAP's where we now have Gina, who joins in the fun with her renditions of traditional songs.
Hanescue, the special needs school which looks after handicap children, was supplied with three computers to assist the therapists in their work. In September 2007 a new 'sensory room' was constructed by the White Rose charity at the school and furnished with equipment for its use. The school has reported that they are gaining excellent results from the use of the facility. The William Merritt Centre provided some special chairs to help increase the mobility of the children. When we arrived it was great to see all the children were outdoors using the chairs. The therapists say they can now see the difference in the children that the chairs have made, allowing them access to a different environment from being in the rooms all the time.
At the 7th November school numbers are stable and the progress is amazing. We now have 8 computers in the school and the children and staff are really benefiting form them. Thanks to Will Gamble and Tony Drinkwater from Leeds Metropolitan University who had the foresight to see the future for these children. The school has also been equipped with tables, chairs and desks, again thanks to Leeds Metropolitan University.
The Papa Radu school is now fully equipped with computers, tables and chairs. The 'Leeds Metropolitan University Laboratory,' as it is called, is amazing. The children have now won several national competitions, the last competition gaining a 1st place from 600 competitors, with the children gaining many diplomas. The standard of achievement is very high.
Leeds Metropolitan University presented an overhead projector to the director of the school, whose grateful thanks resulted in Tony being kissed repeatedly - no one else, just Tony!
Eight computers were donated to the school in the Village of Şaeş.
We were surprised to find a room ready and newly painted with tables donated from Leeds Metropolitan
University in place for the computers. The children all helped to carry the computers in and get
them in place ready for Tony to install them. Within two hours they were all fully functional and we
left a group of very happy children and teachers. The school was also supplied with pencils, books
and educational equipment. Thanks to all who have helped us.
Tony and Brian were interviewed on Romanian TV about the donations from Leeds Metropolitan University and to our surprise were transformed. Brain Bolton was promoted to 'Professor Brian Bolton,' a title he thrived on for a week and then relinquished on his return to Leeds Bradford. Tony Drinkwater was introduced as 'Antonio Watergate,' a title which went to his head and drove us all crazy for a week and which he is still using today.
The old peoples home has received external wall insulation, new double glazed windows and doors all courtesy of the EU & Romania Government. We were surprised that the insulation was nothing more than polystyrene glued to the wall with an external render coat on the outside and painted yellow. We hope it works well - it certainly looks good. All of the en-suite bathrooms we started last year are now complete and the old people are so happy, what a difference they are making.
We have another couple. It seems that love is in the air, so once again they are busy reorganising to make room for them. At present they share with a third person.
Thanks to Eddie from the Morley Rotary Club who made contact with Covance Clinical Research Unit for us. They have made a generous donation of medical equipment. We have taken 36 waterproof mattresses to Târnăveni psychiatric hospital which are now in use and make life much more comfortable for the patients. The director sent a van to collect the mattresses. This took 3 trips of 30 miles, but was worth while. We also received two crash trolleys, a centrifuge, two heart defibrillators and resuscitation training dolls. Dr Mashca is so happy with the equipment. It will make a big difference and also save lives. The resuscitation dolls are now in use training doctors at Târgu Mureş University.
Dates for your diary
The White Rose Open Day will take place on Saturday 14th November 2008. Come and meet the staff and see slides of our work. This event is from 9:30am until 12:00 and is taking place at our warehouse.The 2009 holiday trips to Sighişoara will depart Saturday 7th February 2009 and Saturday 29th August 2009, both for 1 week. The trips cost £650 fully inclusive, which covers all transport, food, accommodation and excursions while in Romania. The excursions will include visits to all our Romania work projects, the old peoples home, the gypsy school, youth club and psychiatric hospital.
Fund raising events are taking place on the following dates in 2009:
4th January - Pudsey House
13th June - Pudsey House
15th July - St Crux Hall
8th August - Pudsey House
25th August - St Crux Hall
9th October - St Crux Hall
Pudsey House can be found at The Market Place, Pudsey, LS28 7BE. St Crux Hall is at Pavement, York, YO1 9UP. Events are from 9:00am until 12:00.
Contact details
The charity's website is available at www.whiteroseinitiative.co.uk.You can contact the White Rose Initiative using our contact form.
Collections and donations
We no longer have a van as it is too expensive to run and therefore not cost effective to the charity. If you can deliver to the warehouse it will be a great help for us. If not and you need a collection, this can be arranged. Please be patient with collections as we all work and have to fit in with our family commitments.We need disposable nappies, underwear (new,) socks - both adult and children's, school stationary, Zoflora disinfectant, children's vitamins, clothing (all ages,) sanitary towels, incontinence pads and bric-a-brac.
Soft toys will be used for tombola prizes.
We cannot take electrical goods, not even for car boot sales. Also, no furniture, toys with batteries, crockery or pots, plates etc. We have no bins at the warehouse - it costs time and money to dispose of unwanted, broken or damaged goods.
Appeals
The White Rose Initiative needs a new home.The charity has been fortunate since its creation to benefit from the generosity of Leeds City Council, who have provided our warehouse free of charge. Now, understandably, we have been advised that we will have to pay the commercial rent from next April. Again we are fortunate in that two benefactors have agreed to pay the rent of £12,000 for a year. However, the members who work at the warehouse believe that such an amount of money would provide much needed aid if spent in Romania, and we believe that all of our supporters would agree. Equally we need a long term solution as it is impossible for the charity to raise this sum of money on a regular basis. In current terms it represents between 25% of our turnover in a good year to 33% in an average year.
So, we are looking for a new home. Does anyone know of, or have, any spare storage capacity which we could use? Ideally we need somewhere secure and dry with lighting and the facility to make hot drinks. Any area of the city would be a bonus. If you think you can help or provide any suggestions to helping us find a location please contact us.
Could anyone arrange a 'Flip Flop Service' in their church this Christmas instead of the usual toy service? The patients we help support in the psychiatric hospital have no shoes and have to constantly walk on concrete floors. Flip flops are comfortable, easy to wash and would make such a difference. All sizes are needed from small adult upwards. Maybe you could add a pair to your shopping?
As many volunteers as possible are needed for our St Crux fund raising events. Can anyone bake cakes? Home made cakes go down well at St Crux Hall.
Thanks to the on-going efforts of all our knitters. The knitting is so appreciated, especially the balaclavas - it is so cold in the winter, temperatures drop to -32°C (-26°F.) New jumpers, hats, scarves, mittens and blankets are always needed. Knitted squares for the chairs at the school and youth club are very well received, but more would be appreciated.
Last year we made £1600 from rags. Please keep sending them as they almost pay for a lorry.
Although the practical work is coming to an end, we need to constantly support our work projects, especially the girls working with the abandoned children. We are now focusing on the gypsy schools as education is the way forward for the children. We now have a large group of children in the middle school and a few in high school, which is a first!!
2009 White Rose calendar
The Ideal Christmas gift! See the boys from the George Inn in a very tasteful and unusual way. Copies are available from our warehouse. All proceeds from the very reasonable £5 cost are to help renovate two rooms in Hetiur village to provide a kindergarten. The kindergarten's original building has been repossessed by its original owners - another legacy from communist times.Slide shows
We have a team available to present our work. Please contact us for further details.Membership
If wish to remain on the membership list, or to become a member, please contact before 31st December 2008.· This page was last updated by W Gamble on 4 February 2010