Happy Birthday LASSN

Yesterday was LASSN's 10th birthday. www.lassn.org.uk and they've got a new website to celebrate. First was the boring bit, the AGM, but necessary for legal reasons. I am so glad that all this is now behind me; I did over 20 years of committee meetings: Council, School Governors, Charities. I'm glad I did, as I like to think that some of them made a difference, but now enough is enough and I am very happy to be a volunteer and nothing more. We heard from someone who had been in at the very beginning of LASSN, over 10 years ago, before the charity itself was officially launched. She made the point that we all hope not to be here in another 10 years, but we fear that the need will be just as great as it is now. Conflict around the world does not lessen just because the EU has been given a peace prize.

Then the party, lovely food, cooked by a local couple who were born in East Africa and have lived in Leeds for many decades. It was good to share experiences, both happy and sad, with other volunteers, some were short stop hosts, some English at home tutors and others befrienders. We also talked of other things, holidays, I had just returned from another train trip across Europe, this time to Porto, and dogs, other people's, I don't have one, (regular readers might have guessed this!)

Earlier in the day I had visited my friend, still waiting to hear when and where she will be moved to; no news may be good news, but can also be very stress making, for her at present it is the latter.

A friend from WAST, women asylum seekers together, was there. We reminisced about a lovely holiday they had all had in the Lakes, in a guest house owned by the local Society of Friends www.quaker.org.uk , everything had been paid for by the Friends, including a boat trip on Derwent Water. By coincidence I had stayed there, as a paying guest, whilst I was doing the Coast to Coast walk two years ago. I remembered the food being very good and they agreed with me. It was lovely to relax and talk about ordinary things, far removed from the current stresses.

Back to Coasties next week, continuing some work near Runswick Bay that we started some months ago on the Cleveland Way.
http://www.facebook.com/clevelandway?ref=ts there is now a Facebook page for the Cleveland Way, I'm not sure if this link will work if you're not signed up to FB, but if it does you might see some familiar pics.

I'm now back to my Small Society for some months, before I take off once more on my travels.