We are delighted to announce that our first online fundraising event with Sunday Times bestselling author and Emmaus Cornwall trustee, Raynor Winn, has raised £4,600, with people from all over the world attending the Zoom webinar.
Raynor’s highly acclaimed memoir, The Salt Path, followed her and husband Moth on their journey around the South West Costal Path after being made homeless in their fifties; its sequel, The Wild Silence, explores the harsh realities of returning to mainstream life.
The hour-long event, which took place on Thursday 21 January, saw Raynor in conversation with fellow Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink. Attendees, who came from all over the UK, and as far as Brussels, the United States and Canada, also participated in an ongoing Q&A session with the author.
Comments from attendees during the event included:
Sarah: “So wonderful to participate from far away in London, a true silver lining of current adversities.”
Emily: “What a lovely, inspiring way to spend an evening.”
Clare: “This event was a real tonic, so inspiring.”
We would like to thank everyone who was in attendance for joining us, purchasing a ticket, and making a further donation. We aim to raise £1million over the next few years to create the first Emmaus community in the county to support people who have been homeless. As a new trustee of Emmaus Cornwall, Raynor kicked of our fundraising efforts with this event and everyone in attendance helped to take us one step closer in reaching our goal.
Raynor said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved, and all the generous people who bought tickets from far and wide. It was a great pleasure to kick off our programme of exciting events as we aim to reach our fundraising target for Emmaus Cornwall.”
Emmaus communities provide a unique residential setting for people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. There are currently 29 established Emmaus communities across the UK, each providing a home for as long as it is needed, work experience in a social enterprise, daily support and funded training.
View the full event here:
Next in the event series we are hosting, is Terry Waite in conversation with Cathy Rentzenbrink on Thursday 11 March at 7pm.
In 1987, as the Church of England’s special envoy, Terry went to Beirut to negotiate the release of a broadcast journalist that had been kidnapped by jihadi terrorists. Terry was taken hostage as well and held in solitary confinement for almost five years before both men were released in 1991.
Since his release, Terry has dedicated himself to writing, lecturing and humanitarian causes. He founded Hostage International, a charity to help captives and their families, is a patron of several organisations, President of Emmaus UK, and a bestselling author.
Following the same discussion and Q&A format as our first event, Terry will be sharing his own experiences of captivity in light of recent national and global lockdowns, as well as discussing his versatility as an author, and the organisations he supports.
Tickets cost £10. To book your place, visit www.tickettailor.com/events/emmauscornwall