2007 - Some Of The Highlights At Emmaus Leeds
Well it's been quite a year at Emmaus Leeds. A year which has seen considerable amounts of staff changes. Numerous companions have been and gone, and we are also glad to welcome back some companions who were at Emmaus previously. Another major development at Emmaus Leeds was the opening of our stall in the Leeds market, which has been of great success so far and one of its main advantages is that it allows us to reach many different customers.
‘Say Hello, Wave goodbye’
Firstly we will start at the staff changes. Sharmyn Kennedy the community leader has left and is now working for Leeds City Council, Jennifer Blaikie the office manager has moved onto a new job at Leeds University, Beth Frankland the business manager and Rob Newby assistant community leader have also moved on to new pastures.
Coming in are Chris Minns who is our new office administrator, Ali Ward who is the new community manager, Anna McKay who has become an assistant community leader and Katrina Mattock who has also become an assistant Community leader. Plus a former companion James McFaul has volunteered to be an Emmaus Leeds driver. So as you can see its been a year with a lot of change.
Market Stall Opened
For years Emmaus Leeds has been a quality second hand furniture store and in the past few months we have expanded to Leeds City Market. We now have an Emmaus Leeds market stall selling even more of our quality second hand furniture. The market stall has been open since October 2007 and getting the stall up and running was quite a task.
We only had a week to prepare the stall before opening to the public. One of our companions Adam helped by painting the stall while another companion George decided what pieces of furniture to include in the stall.
The new market stall has increased the awareness of Emmaus Leeds and is providing to be a great addition to the community. It is situated In Leeds Market between Row F & Row G, it offers an alternative to our main store to get the furniture that you require.
Terry Waite Joins In On ‘Emmaus Festive Fun’
Emmaus Leeds was delighted to welcome Terry Waite to our annual Christmas fair which took place on Saturday 15th December. The day saw Terry reading the Christmas story to the younger visitors of the Christmas fair. The book he was reading was later signed and was raffled off as a prize.
Since his release from captivity 17 years ago Terry became heavily involved with Emmaus and has become the president of Emmaus UK.
The fair was a great success and a very enjoyable day for everyone involved. At the fair itself there were many exciting things for everybody including a cake stall, raffle, the splat the rat game, face painting and children's crafts. Plenty of smiles were had all around. The companions also had an enjoyable day running the stalls.
Of course no Christmas fair would be complete without Santa himself, who paid the children a visit at Emmaus Leeds in his Grotto. We would like to thank all those involved with the Christmas fair for all there help and participation in the events.
Burmantofts Senior Action Christmas Dinner
On Sunday 16th December, Emmaus Leeds hosted the Burmantofts Senior Action’s Christmas dinner and the response we have had from them is terrific. They would like to say a big thank you to Emmaus Leeds and all the companions for organising the day.
One lady said to Wendy Davies, the project manager of Burmantofts Senior Action; that it was 'her Christmas' as she would be spending Christmas day alone and it was so uplifting to have a nice meal with such great company.
Everyone from Burmantofts Senior Action thought the food was superb and they hope that Emmaus Leeds will host their Christmas dinner this year.
Leeds Bands Rock Emmaus
On the December 17th 2007, The Bedroom Orchestra and The Jutes played a gig at Emmaus Leeds. The bands performed as part of a BBC podcast which was being recorded and presented at Emmaus Leeds. The Bedroom Orchestra aka. Tristan Mackay as many may know him, was the first to perform and he wowed the crowd with a rousing set.
The second band The Jutes, are another Leeds band tipped for big things this year. They have supported the likes of The Pigeon Detectives. The Jutes are a five piece band; and they have been likened to fellow Leeds band The Sunshine Underground and Wakefield trio The Cribs. The band is also up for nomination in NME’s breaking bands competition.
The concert lasted around 45 minutes and both The Jutes and The Bedroom Orchestra played there part in entertaining the crowd. The compere was a member of the BBC team.
Audience member Kirk (Who is also a companion at Emmaus Leeds) said ‘The bands were really good, brilliant in fact, I especially liked The Jutes as they had a more punk edge to them, but then again The Bedroom orchestra was brilliant, I can’t wait for Emmaus to do more events like this’
The event was very much a success for all those in attendance and hopefully this type of event could be the first of many for Emmaus Leeds. Neil from The Jutes said ‘The gig we recently did at Emmaus was perhaps the most rewarding gig we have ever done’ ‘As for the charity, Emmaus has given a lifeline to people who really need it. What makes Emmaus so special though is the fact that this lifeline isn't just a handout or a freebie, it allows the people who live there the chance to work to pay their way.’.
Concerts like this really do help make a difference in the community and a great day was enjoyed by all.
Looking To The Future
On the 13th April 2008 Emmaus Leeds companion Clayton will be running the London marathon to raise money for Emmaus UK. Clayton is also running the event in the memory of his best friend and former Emmaus Leeds companion Allan Penn who sadly passed away last February. He is hoping to reach a sponsorship minimum of £2,000. So your donation would be greatly appreciated. To sponsor Clayton visit his website at: Claytons Sponsorship Site
Another big date in Emmaus Leeds calendar is the Emmaus Super Sale which is taking place on Saturday 16th February. The day will see prices slashed with as much as 70% off on selected items. As well as the furniture and electricals there will be additional stalls selling clothes, Books, Toys, Cakes and Much more!
So All that’s left to say is thank you to everyone has contributed to 2007 being such a successful year. Hopefully 2008 can bring us as much success and if not more. Lets make 2008 a prosperous year.
(If you are interested to learn about upcoming events and news at Emmaus Leeds then please continue to visit our website0
By Tom Holynski
With Additional Input by Emily Morton
Published on 6th February, 2008
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