London Marathon Experience
The Speaker at our April meeting was Dee Humphris speaking about her “London Marathon Experience”.
She rather “accidentally” entered for the London Marathon, never expecting to be selected but six months after filling in the online form late one night, found she had been accepted for 2019.
She had no previous experience, so went into training, increased gradually to a longest run of 17 miles and a run of 13 miles without stopping.
On Marathon day she gathered with the other runners in Greenwich Park. Thousands of people along the route encouraged with cheering and handed out refreshments.
Dee told us that the hardest part was at Canary Wharf but by then she was 2/3rds of the way and determined to finish.
She finished in 6 hours 12 minutes 55 seconds, received her medal and raised a fantastic amount of £2,273 which she donated to Christ Church, Portsdown.
Tear Fund
The meeting on 3 May began with a short service and the relevant notices. Today Elizabeth Mitchell spoke to us about the Tear Fund, a charity which works with partners to help people in extreme poverty throughout the world: “Carrying out God’s love where it is most needed”.
The poorest people cannot access education and medicines and are excluded socially. They have to live from day to day and cannot make plans for the future.
Tear Fund and its partners avoids where possible giving out handouts but instead helps to empower people to become more independent.
Volunteers support Self Help Saving groups where people save minute sums of money, which added together can provide short term loans at modest interest. We were told about a woman who started a business baking bread, another sewed skirts and a man used a second hand bicycle to carry surplus produce to town and rented it out when he didn’t need it.
Projects bringing clean water to villages in Africa, capping and diverting streams, gravity feed using pipes and storing water in huge water butts. All essential things that we take for granted in the UK.
MU Tea Party, 7 June
Our annual Summer Tea Party with guests this year had a “Jubilee” theme.
Members brought in plates of sandwiches, savouries and homemade cakes, also scones with fresh strawberries and cream, and tea and coffee.
There were various stalls including plants, bric-a-brac, MU Merchandise and a large raffle.
We had a “Jubilee” quiz, and it was a most enjoyable afternoon.
Inara won a giant Sloth which we brought home by car, safely tucked into his seat belt!
