Supporters of the Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust will be pleased to hear that a lot has happened through the summer – additional HLMT-sponsored student midwives appointed in Liberia, successful fundraising events in the UK. And there are more events as we move from summer into autumn. More of all of that later.
Firstly we are asking ALL HLMT supporters to do a couple of new things to help support the Trust.
1. HLMT Charity of the year!
Could HLMT be the charity of the year or month for your employer/ club/ religious organisation/ pub? Many companies, religious organisations, clubs, orchestras, choirs, pubs sponsor a charity for a year or a month. Sponsorship like this would provide much needed funds to enable HLMT to maintain its support for midwifery training in Liberia.
If you work for a company or are a member of an organisation, club, religious organisation, or
a regular at your local pub please ask if they might sponsor HLMT. You can download our leaflet to provide information about HLMT at https://hlmt.org.uk/?p=1378 .
If you would like more information or help with this, or if there are other ways in which you
think you may be able to help, please get in touch by emailing us at info@hlmt.org.uk .
2. Do your online shopping via Easyfundraising and automatically raise funds for HLMT
You simply sign up with Easyfundraising https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ by creating an account (it’s free) and then choose The Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust as your good cause. Each time you go online shopping by doing a Google search or going to a website that Easyfundraising links with, a “Donation Link” tab appears for those sites linked to Easyfundraising. If you click on this it takes you to the site you want to look at and when you buy anything, a small percentage goes to HLMT. It’s as easy as that. Please give it a go and help raise funds for midwifery training!
3. Recent Developments in Liberia
* Two additional HLMT-sponsored midwifery students appointed in Liberia
In July, the Esther Bacon School of Nursing and Midwifery held interviews for its intake of midwifery students for 2022-2023. HLMT had indicated that we could pay the study and accommodation fees a further two students in addition to the six whom we already sponsor.
Two students were selected who meet HLMT’s criteria – that they are academically good AND that they would not have the means to pay the student fees and dorm expenses without a bursary. They are Annie Z. Sumo aged 33 and Ruth Y. Harris, aged 27. We wish both Annie and Ruth well with their studies, which begin in September.
* Visit to Liberia by HLMT trustees, Peter Loewenstein and Stella Nickolay in March 2022
Pete and Stella went on a private 18-day visit to Liberia, which included scattering some of their daughter Helen’s ashes; meeting some of the people Helen knew and worked with; strengthening contacts with key Liberian HLMT stakeholders; and meeting staff and students at the Esther Bacon School of Nursing and Midwifery. It was an epic journey, with so many positive experiences. Their itinerary would have been possible without Abdul Bah, ho made many of the arrangements and introductions and undertook all the driving. They had very productive meetings with the Director of the Family Heath Program on the Ministry
of Health; with the Chief Pharmacist, Ministry of Heath; representatives of the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery and of the Liberia Midwives Association; a recently-elected independent Representative in parliament with a brief for supporting women’s issues; and the Deputy British Ambassador for Liberia. Many of these stakeholders have subsequently written letters of commendation for HLMT.
They drove the 8 hours from Monrovia to Zorzor, to meet staff and students of the Esther Bacon School of Nursing and Midwifery and spent two days there. They were given a wonderful welcome by staff and students and had detailed discussions with all concerned. he leadership and management of the school is very effective, working in a collegiate style. There was a real sense of team and the students responded positively to the staff. The school has very impressive teaching resources and facilities.
They also took a range of baby clothes and blankets that had been knitted in the UK to three
places – Soniiwien Clinic, Zorzor Lutheran Hospital and the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia.
4. Forthcoming events
* Ana Gonzalez – the Comrades Marathon August 2022
Very sadly, Ana Gonzalez has experienced health issues which have forced her to withdraw from this year’s Comrades Marathon. She is gutted and is hoping to run the Comrades for HLMT in 2024. Watch this space!
* Mistakes Party Saturday 3rd September 2022 from 4.00 p.m.
Nottingham HLMT supporters Bob and Paula are organising a ‘Mistakes Party”! Basically, ‘Mistakes’ can be ANYthing – from a ‘mistaken’ purchase or gift, to hoarded, inherited, no longer wanted / pre-loved items. They need to be good quality and in good condition and can be toys or books, jewellery (even ‘odd’ bits & pieces), vases, plants, pictures, toiletries, garden paraphernalia, ornaments, clothes, material etc. Please support the event in advance and on the day – see the poster below.
* Nottingham Green Festival, Sunday 11th September
The Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust will have a craft and plant stall at the Green Festival at the Arboretum, Nottingham from noon until 5p.m. on 11th September.
* Boots Orchestra in Nottingham: Concert Saturday, 19th November 2022 at 7.30 p.m.
The Boots Orchestra is performing a concert at St Mark’s Church, Woodthorpe, Nottingham to raise funds for HLMT. Megumi Rolfe, soloist in residence at the Boots Orchestra, will be playing Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor. The programme will also include Overture to “Mireille by Gounod, Masquerade from “The Merchant of Venice” by Sullivan; Pavane by Faure; and Selection from the opera “Henry VIII” by Saint-Saens.
Tickets are just £6.50 & can be purchased in advance online at https://www.trybooking.co.uk/BUKE or on the door.
5. Recent events
* Zumbathon, 7th May 2022
Charm Daley, a HLMT trustee and Zumba instructor, together with four other instructors ran this fundraising event to celebrate the International day of the Midwife! Three hours of non-stop, high-energy, fun-filled Zumba, with over thirty women taking part, having either raised their own sponsorship or donated to Charm’s fundraising page. A raffle, featuring a signed Nottingham Forest football shirt, raised around £100. Altogether, a great morning, at the end of which a whopping £1,461 had been raised for initial midwifery training in Liberia!
Massive thanks go to Charm and the Zumba instructors and to everyone who took part
and/or contributed.
* HLMT Plant and Craft Stall, 14th May 2022
The sun shone, the stall attracted many people to look at and buy a wide range of indoor and outdoor plants and crafts. and raised over £1,100 for HLMT. Big thanks to Carol, Charm, Leonie, Liz, Pete, Roger and Stella for volunteering at the event.
* An evening of Live Music, 28th May 2022
A packed hall was treated to an evening of wonderful music by Louise Jordan and Paul Carbuncle. The theme of Louise’s songs was “Extraordinary women, lesser known and better known.” They included journalist Dorothy Lawrence, working-class suffragette from Derbyshire, Hannah Mitchell and Florence Nightingale. Paul’s folk-punk medley included a brilliant self-penned song about the hostile environment faced by asylum seekers arriving in the UK. At the end of the evening close to £1,200 had been raised for HLMT. Huge thanks go to Louise Jordan https://louisejordan.co.uk/ and Paul Carbuncle https://paulcarbuncle.com/ who both performed without charging for HLMT.
6. Standing orders, donations and bequeaths in wills
HLMT plans are to increase the number of Liberian midwifery students it sponsors from year to year. A key basis of our fundraising is the regular Standing Orders and one-off donations from supporters, for which we are so grateful We depend on this regular income to do our work – during the Covid period this has been crucial.
Our overheads are minimal, there are no paid staff and all the funds we raise are used to fund the training costs of student midwives in Liberia. If you have not already done so, it would be tremendous if you can please set up a Standing Order, no matter how small or large.
https://hlmt.org.uk/hlmt-Standing-Order-Mandate.pdf Please return the form to us and not to your bank.
Whilst we hope that all of our supporters have long and happy lives, we would also be very grateful if you feel able to include HLMT in your will!
As always, a massive “thank you” to everyone who has supported the work of The Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust www.hlmt.org.uk. Helen would be astonished but very proud at what is being achieved in her memory.
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