Last march we had the great privilege to be invited to two events up in London hosted by two charities we had support the year before. We attended a members reception for The Wave Project and a parliamentary reception for the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine.
In our modern world so much of our work is done online that it can be quite easy to miss out on interacting in person with one another. Most of our communication between charities is done over email and phone calls. So we are always delighted to receive invitations to meet the charities we support in the real world. Last March we had the amazing opportunity to meet two of these charities at separate events up in London.
Catching up with The Wave Project
Our first event was hosted by The Wave Project, a surf therapy charity providing youth mental health services via surf lessons. We met the charity last year and provided a grant to support their Polzeath project. We were invited to a member’s and colleague’s reception held at The Coach Makers Arms, where guests could discuss past success and new ideas for the project. As one of the trustees said ‘what better way to get surfers together then in the pub!’ We meet trustees, families that have been involved with the surf groups and the director of activities. It was inspiring to hear how the project had shaped so many lives, from the children and families that used the services to the trustees who donated their time and expertise to the project. It was truly an honour to be there and to see the enthusiasm everyone had for the charity.
A parliamentary reception for the Pears School of medicine
The next event we were invited to was a parliamentary reception held by the Pears School of Medicine. Based at the University of Cumbria the school’s mission is to provide a high-quality training centre for the north west. We were ushered through the great hall to one of the pavilion rooms along the Thames. We were able to meet the dean of the school, the head of teaching and a number of the new students to the school. We also had the then Health Secretary Wes Streeting come by to give a speech in support of the school opening.
The most inspiring part of the day was hearing the stories from the students about why they chose to study at the school. We heard stories of students who had to move away to study medicine, working for the NHS during COVID and how the NHS had shaped their lives. Each of these stories provided the motivation behind the student’s applications to the school. The students were thrilled that the school would allow them to study and work in a community looking for quality local medical care.
We had a lovely and informative time at both events and we look forward to seeing the futures of these two charities