stalbanslife

The outcome of the Stay Strong Japan – Tsunami Appeal which recently took place in St Albans is incredible! On Thursday 31st March, the £17,335.84 raised from the appeal was matched pound for pound by the Eisai Company in Hatfield. This brought the total to a whopping £34,711.68.  The cheque was then presented to the British Red Cross.

Marie Otchi, one of the five organisers, says; “It has been such an emotional two weeks. First we saw the surreal images on BBC from Japan, then the power of the people gave us hope. We will rebuild our country again.”

This news has especially been welcomed by Councillor Beric Read, Deputy Mayor of St Albans.  Japan has played a huge part in Councillor Read’s past and he has a great love for the country. He enthusiastically attended the fundraising event  and his positive presence was especially enjoyed by the Japanese Community.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross, click;

http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal 

or email Marie Otchi on marieotchi@hotmail.com who will welcome any comments or donations for the Japan cause.

It takes the Japanese to organise an event with such efficiency and ease  in such a short time, as they did last weekend. I am referring to the Japan Tsunami Appeal ‘Stay Strong Japan’ in St Albans. In just a few hours, they managed to raise £14,475.00 with more donations still coming in. They prepared this event in just 5 days!

Marie Otchi, a member of the Japanese Club, said,  ‘Such an amount could only be raised through true community action. Everyone came together, the people in the street, local schools, businesses, associations and churches.We have been encouraged by many kind words and gestures. It’s amazing how people come together at times of tragedy.’

The spirit of their pulling together with positive attitude for an unthinkably sad event was moving in itself. To watch the Japanese ladies buzz about the Jubilee Hall merrily preparing the goods for sale, to see the older members help the children do oragami, to listen to the great  drums, the violinist and taste their homemade sushi all made for a cultural experience in itself.

But sadly, over 4,300 people have died in the disaster and many thousands more are still missing or injured. The costs of rebuiding homes and lives are immense. If you are willing to contribute, please email marieotchi@hotmail.com .

 A fundraising event is taking place in St Albans to help support the Japanese Tsunami victims. It takes place in the Jubilee Centre (AL3 5NX) on Catherine Street tomorrow, Saturday 19th March between 11am – 3pm.

 This urgent event includes food and drink, flea market, origami crafts and entertainment.  Everyone is invited to come along or  donate bric-a-brac items/cakes before 11am tomorrow. Whatever support you give will be very much appreciated. All donations go to the Red Cross.

Please contact Marie on marieotchi@hotmail.com or me, Maria Larmer on marialarmer@gmail.com . Telephone 077 68411144.

                 “We are committed to fighting MND and so we really value the passion and commitment of our supporters because every penny raised helps to make a real differance to the individuals and families affected by MND.” Louise Coxon, Motor Neurone Disease Association. 

             “MND  is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the upper and lower motor neurons. Degeneration of the motor neurons leads to weakness and wasting of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility to the limbs and difficulty with speech, swallowing and breathing. This is often a terminal disease affecting 2 people in 100,000.” (Stephen Barbour)

               Stephen’s friend Howard suffers from the disease. Last September, Stephen and his bookclub friends headed to the Yorkshire  to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge.  So far they have successfully raised just under £4,000 for the MND Association.

             We at stalbanslife congratulate this local bookclub for their achievments and invite all who wish to support the MND to click on; www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Barbour0   or www.mndassociation.org