Recently the trustees of UKFTSH requested the Charity Commission’s permission to widen the objects of the charity. This was agreed with the Charity Commission.
The purpose of this is to allow UKFTSH to support palliative care throughout Sierra Leone as well as continuing to support The Shepherd’s Hospice. In this way the charity hopes to widen patients’ access to palliative care.
We hope that as a supporter of UKFTSH you will feel able to continue to support the charity with its wider objects.
With many thanks for your loyal support.
Jacqui Boulton, Ruth Cecil, Michael Hurton, Kathryn Ingham, Liz Rose, Peter Stokes & Esther Walker
In February 2019 the Anglican parish of Saint Andrew and Saint Mark, Surbiton held its third wine-tasting evening to raise funds for UKFTSH. A date was chosen that was after “dry January,” but before the fasting season of Lent, and this ensured a good turnout of over 70 people. The tasting was once again led by the vicar, the Revd. Robert Stanier.
On
this occasion the theme was a contest between wines from France and
those from elsewhere. Three pairs of wine were presented – each
pair being of a similar style and selling at a similar price.
The
most interesting contrast was between a white wine from the Loire
valley and another from California. Both wines were made only from
the Sauvignon Blanc grape, but were quite different in character.
Many of the tasters had a definite preference for the light and
fruity example from the US; but others found this wine to be insipid
and characterless, and opted for the greater complexity and structure
of the French version. France won by a single vote.
France
also won the other two contests. The Wine Society’s claret easily
beat a Chilean Merlot, despite the fact that some people thought that
the claret was being sold too soon, and needed more time to mature in
bottle. The heavier reds were less closely matched in style,
although both included Syrah (or Shiraz) in the blend. A French wine
in which the Carignan grape was predominant beat one from South
Africa in which the Shiraz was blended with Mourvèdre – although
the latter won the vote for “best wine of the evening”.
Some of our trustees provided cheese and pâté which, together with a raffle for a fine bottle of champagne, helped to make the evening a social success; and together with other donations from church members, it again raised a total of over £1,350 for UKFTSH before Gift Aid.
Following a very successful wine-tasting event in aid of UKFTSH in 2017, the Anglican parish of Saint Andrew and Saint Mark, Surbiton, decided to see if they could do even better in 2018. On 27 January some 80 people gathered in St. Mark’s Hall to sample wines made from unfamiliar grape varieties.
Everyone was given a glass of prosecco on arrival – and later had their knowledge tested by a quiz question asking them to identify the grape from which prosecco is made. Despite the fact that the vicar and master of ceremonies, the Revd. Robert Stanier, had given them the answer in his introduction, only a few people correctly identified the grape*.
Falanghina
The other grape varieties represented (out of several thousand from which wine can be made) were Verdejo and Falanghina for white wine, Fer for rosé, and Negroamaro and Feteascӑ Neagrӑ for red.
Of these the Feteascӑ Neagrӑ was a clear favourite among the tasters, most of who had never heard of it before – although one person told us that he had recently visited a vineyard in Moldova where the grape is grown. It is an old variety that survived the phylloxera epidemic of the nineteenth century. It produces wine of a deep red colour with a hint of blackcurrant in the flavour.
The event was a success on three counts – all those attending clearly enjoyed themselves; the eyes and taste buds of many were opened to wines beyond those on the standard restaurant lists; and (with other donations, and before taking account of Gift Aid) a total of £1,385 was raised for UKFTSH.
Our annual carol singing, accompanied by our violinist, took place at Surbiton station on a VERY cold night in December. Lots of friends, both old and new, came to sing and a very harmonious sound was to heard. Commuters joined in with clapping, smiling and singing along, PLUS being very generous with their money. In a hour and a half we collected £635.76 which amounts to £794.70 when Gift Aid is added. A magnificent amount in a short space of time.