info@hlmt.org.uk

HLMT Newsletter, November 2023

Buy your seasonal gifts from HLMT’s Etsy shop and upcoming events

1. Buying your seasonal gifts at our Etsy shop

Stocking-fillers and special gifts – the HLMT merch group has been hard at work creating a new range of Liberian Lapa-based products. Additions to our range include new seasonal cards,  draw-string gift bags, tote/shopping bags, lavender bags, aprons for adults and children, hair scrunchies and head bands. These and all the other HLMT merchandise can be found at https://HLMTMerchandise.etsy.com. Please go there and browse our extensive range of cards and crafts.

Tote Shopping Bags
Lavender Bags
Seasonal Cards
Children’s Aprons
Drawstring gift bags
Hair scrunchies
Head bands

2. Upcoming events

* HLMT Stall at Sherwood Vegan Market, Saturday 9th December 2023

Get your Christmas shopping done early AND support HLMT‘s Liberian Arts and Crafts Stall at Sherwood United Reformed Church, 1 Edwards Lane, Sherwood NG5 3AA. There will be Arts, Crafts, Greetings cards and gifts, Liberian Lapa fabric arts and crafts, jewellery, home-made preserves and more…

* Live music evening, Friday 24th November 2023

This event is proving very popular and tickets may have sold out by the time you read this; if you cannot get to the evening, the next HLMT live music evening is on Saturday 10th February 2024. Details will soon be in the forthcoming events section onwww.hlmt.org.uk

3. Recent events

* Nottingham Green Festival 10th September

On a hot, sultry day at the Arboretum, Nottingham, that also brought rain, HLMT’s plants and crafts attracted large numbers of customers. We raised a wonderful £627.50 on the day as well as a great deal of interest in the trust. Thanks go to Arline, George, Jim, Joan, Mike R, Nick, Pete, Pippa and Stella on the day, to Carol, Celia, and Liz who did a lot of work sorting the plants before the day; and to everyone who donated plants and preserves.

* Roger Williams ran the Robin Hood Half Marathon on Sunday 24th September

Roger generously completed the run, both to raise funds for HLMT and to prove that he could do it! On a windy day Roger came home in under three hours, and raised a spectacular £1200 for HLMT, which will more than pay for a year’s training for a student midwife in Liberia. Huge thanks go to Roger and those who supported and sponsored him.

* HLMT Arts/Crafts/Plants Stall 30th September

HLMT was invited to a Christian Aid Fund Raising Event at St Martins Church, Trevose Gardens, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 3FU. Just over £200 was made for HLMT funds, all of which will go to funding a place for a student midwife in Liberia. Thanks go to Carol, Celia, Liz, Pete, Pippa and Stella for staffing the stall; and to St Martin’s for inviting us.

* HLMT Arts/Crafts/Plants Stall Sherwood Vegan Market 4th October

On a sunny but cold day, HLMT held a stall at the Sherwood Vegan Market. Crafts, plants, greetings cards and gifts were on sale, with Liberian Lapa fabric arts and crafts, jewellery, plants, home-made preserves and more. £260 was raised for HLMT funds. Thanks to Carol, Celia, Liz, Pete, Pippa and Stella for working on the stall and to supporters who came to say hello and those who bought HLMT merchandise.

* Cake sale by Nottingham City Hospital Maternity staff mid-October

In mid-October 2023 the maternity staff at Nottingham’s City Hospital baked sold, bought (and ate!) a large selection of delicious cakes. This event raised a WHOPPING £525 for HLMT funds. All the money raised will go to providing grants for midwifery students in Liberia who otherwise could not afford to undertake their studies. Huge thanks go to all maternity staff at the City Hospital and to Jennifer Ross for coordinating the event.

* Zumbathon 4th November

Thirty-eight Zumbathoners lit up the hall with their energy and joy. Charm, Daley, HLMT trustee and herself an experienced Zumba instructor and four other brilliant Zumba instructors led the Zumbathon. Two-and-a-half hours of dancing, exercising, laughing and fun! A raffle, HLMT merchandise, cakes and refreshments too.

RESULT : over £1000 raised for grants to Liberian midwifery students’ study and accommodation fees – more than enough to cover the costs of training one midwifery student for a year! Magnificent!! Thanks to everyone who participated and to those worked behind the scenes to make it happen. And special thanks to Charm Daley for organising the event.

4. Shop online via Easyfundraising and automatically raise funds for HLMT

Sign up with Easyfundraising by creating an account (it’s free):

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/

  • Enter “The Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust” as your good cause.
  • When you search online for a product or service, e.g. home insurance, screwdrivers, a selection of sites will appear. Those linked to Easyfundraising will display the Easyfundraising logo.
  • When you visit a website that is linked to Easyfundraising, an Easyfundraising “Free Donation!” tab appears automatically.
  • Click on the “Free Donation!” tab – and when you make your purchase, a small percentage goes to HLMT. It’s as easy as that.

Please give it a go and help raise funds for midwifery training!

The amount raised per online transaction may be small, but the amount raised by those who’ve signed up to Easyfundraising is already well over £100. Please encourage all your family, friends and contacts to sign up and to nominate The Helen Loewenstein Memorial Trust as their chosen cause.

5. Standing orders, donations and bequeaths in wills

HLMT aims to increase the number of Liberian midwifery students it sponsors from year to year. The mainstay of our fundraising is the regular Standing Orders and one-off donations from supporters, which are crucial to our work and for which we are so grateful. We continue to fundraise, however we have a long way to go before we are financially sustainable into the future.

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 could 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 – our trustees, volunteers, supporters, and Sherwood URC for providing space for us to meet and hold events at minimal cost.

Helen would be astonished but very proud at what is being achieved in her memory.

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