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Another great coffee morning in Fife

How lovely it was to meet so many of our lovely Fife supporters in person again.  More than 60 people, mostly local, came to support girls’ education in Malawi and to enjoy Isabel Stanners’ wonderful baking. The blueberry scones were a particular favourite!

These joyous events remind us all of the power of community – this Fife community supporting girls and their families in other communities far away. The weather was very wet and so we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of ‘Talking Tandems‘. These hardy cyclists decided that a nice coffee and cake was a lot more sensible than cycling in the rain. They cycle on tandems, with a sighted cyclist in front and a blind or partially sighted cyclist behind. We thank them for their support of our event.

We were delighted, too, to have a Fairtrade stall at the event, stocked with colourful and interesting Malawian products from the One World Shop. Winnie Wood runs a regular Fairtrade stall at this Church and added colour and interest with Kibébé products for this occasion. 

Our event raised over £400.00 (net) – the goodwill and fun cannot be measured but joy and fun rose above the wind and rain to dominate the morning. Thanks to you all.

Coffee Day success in Falkirk

Mariot Dallas reports:

We had a very enjoyable MMF Coffee Day at the end of May in Trinity Church hall, with a steady flow of customers for hot drinks, filled rolls and delicious home baking.  We were happy to welcome regular customers from Trinity Church, passers-by who saw the banner and smelt the coffee and a heartwarming number of MMF friends who made a special journey to Falkirk to support the event. You know who you are and we were delighted to see you!

John Dallas’s accordion playing set our toes tapping. The Freedom of Mind Community Choir sang a selection of well-loved favourites and soon had us all singing along. In the kitchen, MMF Trustees and volunteers worked hard as they learned how to operate the kitchen equipment. In no time we were operating as a plausible catering team!

We raised over £400 in donations. We enjoyed telling the MMF story through our publicity material. The small prints of some of the Mamie and Jack historic photos from the 1920s generated a lot of interest.

We are grateful to Nina, business manager from the church, for all her help and encouragement. We hope to book the hall again in December for a Christmas Coffee Day. Watch this space.

Falkirk Coffee day Sat 25th May

Mariot writes about our upcoming coffee day in Falkirk:

“I very seldom drink coffee, I’m mostly rooibos and herbal teas. Coffee is for special occasions, when I’m out about and spending time with my friends and is often accompanied by cake or some other sweet treat.

Saturday 25 May is marked on my calendar already because there will be a Coffee Day in Falkirk, in Trinity Church Hall  FK11JN, from 11.00 till 14.30. It’s a fundraiser for the Mamie Martin Fund, a Scottish charity which helps girls in Malawi get their secondary education. It’s a great cause to support and when you come to the Coffee Day our photos and displays will tell you why. As you enjoy your refreshments and browse the displays, you can also enjoy some live music from the Freedom of Mind Community Choir and from John Dallas on the accordion.

Did I mention the soup? Freshly prepared soup and filled rolls are on the menu, along with a selection of sweet treats.

So, tea, coffee, and sweet treats; soup and filled rolls; live entertainment AND supporting girls in school in Malawi … what’s not to like? Save the date now!

Look forward to seeing you.”

Dalgety Bay Coffee Morning

As part of our two-months long photo exhibition in Dalgety Parish Church, Fife, the Church members and the Fairtrade group hosted a coffee morning for us on Saturday 12th  November. It turned into a wonderful gathering of friends old and new. It was a chance for people to catch up and learn about our work in Malawi. Alan Kimmitt, a previous Trustee, and his family did the 40 mile round trip from Glenrothes to join us!

Not one but two local Councillors, Sarah Neal and David Barratt, attended, giving us their support. Sarah, who had visited Malawi in her 20s and was very affected by the poverty she saw, commented “we (myself and David) want to support the Trustees who do amazing work in Malawi. The work …. is so welcome…. I do think that if you educate and empower a girl you educate and empower their whole community”. See Sarah’s testimonial here.

The show of Nerani Nthara’s recent photos sparked lots of interest and discussion. Church member Isobel’s delicious cakes attracted much deserved attention too! Visitors commented on the welcoming buzz in the room and ate a lot of cake if donations are anything to go by!

Safe to say, this event exceeded our expectations in terms of attendance and donations raised! This church has a long standing link with Northern Malawi and has given us regular support. Nevertheless, we were all astonished at everyone’s generosity. Donations were requested in return for cake and coffee/tea and the basket had to be emptied more than once to make room for more notes! Donations of more than £400 were received on the day, with more coming in later. We also had an offer from Isabel to bake for us again! This may well become an annual event!