French Ambassador celebrates Emmaus' 60th Birthday
His Excellency Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, French Ambassador to the UK, hosted a dinner at his London residence on 19th November to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Emmaus Movement. The dinner was an outstanding success, with 74 people in attendance. The Ambassador was a charming host, the ambience was wonderful, and everyone was very interested in what Emmaus has achieved in the UK to date.
The dinner was rounded off with an auction conducted by Simon Grainge, Community Leader at Emmaus Cambridge, who did a fantastic job raising nearly £10,000 for the Emmaus solidarity fund*. Included in the auction lots were Abbé Pierre’s Legion of Honour rosettes and some memorabilia donated by Laurent Desmard; a tour of the gardens at Highgrove donated by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall; a personal cookery lesson with Antonio Carluccio and a selection of items from Emmaus Communities such as CD artwork, a knitted 'Christmas pudding' tea cosy and a Victorian pot-cupboard!
A Special thank you to all the Communities who donated an item for the auction - it was especially exciting to watch the "war of the St Albans bird-box" in the auction bidding which peaked at £300!
*The Solidarity Fund is money raised by or donated to the Federation Office that is available to be given as grants to members of the Emmaus UK Federation. The members can use a Solidarity grant to pay for the initial salary of a project worker, as a contribution toward the purchase or refurbishment of a property or the initial salary of their Community Leader.
Once Emmaus Communities become self-sustaining they repay grants received through the fund so the money can be used to help other members in the future.
Published on 14th December, 2009
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