Category Archives: Charity

IWC Breda Presents “Het Bonte Perdje” with Record Charity Donation

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After two years of intensive fund-raising led by our fabulous and highly-driven Angela Shaw, we were pleased to join her at the November coffee morning when she and Hope presented the head of Het Bonte Perdje, Mr Paul Mol, with € 3460.

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Presenting the amount (l-r): Angela Shaw, Paul Mol and Hope Turner at De Blaker

Angela explained how an unfortunate horse-riding accident and subsequent rehabilitation programme had led her to Het Bonte Perdje.  The charity operates out of her local riding stables, Manege Rosenberg, where each Saturday morning, a group of handicapped youngsters are given the opportunity to sit on the back of the horse.  Horse-riding is an expensive hobby and one ill-afforded by parents who have many additional day-to-day costs to bear just raising a child with special needs. Het Bonte Perdje supports parents not only with the costs, but also offers them the gift of a moment of respite and seeing their child on horseback, which in turn helps the riders to develop their inner confidence and also physical strength.  Angela, who ran the risk of being confined to a wheelchair after her accident, was inspired by these children. Seeing them overcoming their own disabilities and gaining so much pleasure from being on horseback spurred her on with her own rehabilitation.

As a way of saying thank you, Angela nominated this worthy charity as the IWC charity for the club years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Once officially adopted by our members at the 2013 AGM, Angela set about organising a host of fund-raising activities for our members to enjoy.  Ably assisted (and some may say “abetted”) by Kriss Stallabrass, a whole host of activities were organised including a Burns supper, a Catalan evening, a Thanksgiving Dinner, an 80s disco and cake and book sales to name just a few.  We would also like to extend a huge vote of thanks to Hope, Nicole, Beatriz and Anna for their time and effort in organising these events.  And of course, a huge thanks to our members who gave so much in time (and talent) and for their generosity.

Needless to say, Paul was delighted with the funds raised and assured us all that they would be put to good and immediate use.  He also reiterated that IWC Breda members would always be welcome at the Manege Rosenberg on a Saturday morning.

Because of the time and money spent over the past two club years, we will not be supporting a new charity this club year.  We would, however, like members already to start thinking about a charity the club might like to support next year.  Proposals can be put forward at our AGM in September 2016, but we will give you more information about this nearer the time.

Thank you all!

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Guess Who Went to Dinner?

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By Rajitha

Being a new member of the club, I have been looking forward to each possible event I could attend. The name “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” appealed to my curious nature. It was a very simple and interestingly described event addressing the reason and rationale to support a charity organisation in its name. Groups of up to four could reserve their place by paying a very reasonable amount for a surprise dinner, and all with the privilege of having our dietary preferences catered for. The feeling that the money I pay is directly supporting a charity itself was the big incentive for me to go ahead and book this event. You can guess, then, that I wanted to share this enjoyment with three of the dearest people in my life.

Guess Who 2The game of guessing started right from the hour of reservation. The four of us had our minds wandering in four different directions. What if a celebrity is joining the event? Oh no…we are not aware of any famous names in Dutch television or film industry. Let’s Google them! Who is the mayor of Breda and surrounding places? Who is the best Dutch culinary chef? Is someone coming from a paparazzi or art background? Our minds only became still when we finally arrived on D-Day at hostess Angela’s beautiful home in Bavel.

It was an evening where ten people came together to get to know each other, share laughter and fun. We learnt a lot about how the charity works and how the money raised through these dinners help make the lives of others stronger. There was a four course menu, with four rich complementary wines, involving eight hours of preparation and five hours of celebrations that ended at midnight. Our menu and dietary preferences were smoothly taken care of with a personal touch.

Guess Who 3Being from India I went with my partner who also from India. We were joined by two best buddies, one from Nepal and her spouse, a pure Dutchman. We enjoy Bollywood (Indian film industry with dances and dramas) music a lot.To our surprise, Angela’s spouse was very familiar with Bollywood music and needless to say it was a BINGO moment☺. After the last course of dinner the room slowly transformed from dining hall into dance floor where Angela showed us traditional dance from Scottish culture. Another group who had been enjoying a similar event at a neighbour’s house joined us for drinks and then began the Bollywood music with booty shakes banging the floor with super fun and joy.

You may be wondering who had stolen the show. Who was the icon of the guessing game after all? It was Mr. Mathijs Eggli – the Chef from Vis restaurant Ginneken. Mathijs Guess Who 1dedicated his whole day to preparing a delicious menu with carefully picked fish, vegetables, fruits, wines including all the small details. Angela was the sous-chef, pouring all her energy to mobilise the cooking and make our moments memorable. I hope this event raised a fair amount for the charity after the initial outlay for the dinner itself. Special thanks to Kriss who moderated the event.

All my best feelings and warm greetings to each one (including the people behind the scenes) who were involved in this event to make it wonderful. Wishing your selfless efforts to flourish in this world and help mankind.

At Home Coffee & Charity Book Sale

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On 21 May a group of ladies got together for an at home coffee morning at Rina’s home, whose gorgeous garden is currently in full bloom and showing all the fullness of spring. It was a pleasure to be able to sit and chat in the warmth of the sun and enjoy some time together as our club year begins to draw to a close.

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At the same time, we also held a book sale in aid of our charity, Het Bonte Perdje, to raise a few extra euros for a good cause.  Next year we will choose a new charity to support, which means this was one of the last opportunities to raise our grand total for Het Bonte Perdje.

The ladies brought their old books, magazines and other curiosities along to sell to one another. By the end of the morning, the table’s load was lightened as we each went home with a few new and interesting titles to try.

IMG_1441This was a last-minute get-together event, which replaced the planned trip to the Unesco World Heritage Site at Kinderdijk which unfortunately could not go ahead this time.

Nevertheless, a lovely coffee morning was had by all in its place. Tip: next time you’re at Rina’s be sure to ask her for a cup of her mint tea, made with leaves cut fresh from her garden. It’s the best! 😉

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