By Margaret Sheard ….
Another extremely warm and humid afternoon and we were grateful for shade under the trees when we attended the Hope 4 Pets members’ meeting on Saturday 16th June at the Pia Bella Hotel in Girne.
An area had been allocated for the meeting and it was beautifully set out with round tables with covered seating, and a lovely floral decoration on each table which looked very attractive.
The Hope 4 Pets stall had many items for sale and after buying some raffle tickets we settled at a table with Barbara Burton and her friend Resmi Abdurahman and also Margaretha Linden joined us, so we were a mixed cultural group and we chatted about many topics. Barbara runs a stall for Hope 4 Pets at Lemar, Catalkoy, Wednesday market, together with Karen Lain and we will be giving more information about this in a separate article.
The Pia Bella staff were very attentive ensuring we all had cold drinks to quench our thirst and they still kept smiling as they took orders and brought our drinks from the bar, which was quite a distance away.
It was nice to meet up with the people who work so hard for Hope 4 Pets – Stephanie Harrison-Croft, Emma Eminsoy and Liz Kirtley (Elizabeth Stowell) who was there on her annual visit to North Cyprus and does a lot of work on behalf of Hope 4 Pets from her home in Yorkshire in the UK. Stephanie and Emma continue the work here in North Cyprus, together with others who give their time and help on a voluntary basis.
Stephanie opened the meeting by thanking everyone for coming and giving information on what has been happening and forthcoming events to raise funds, and was also pleased to let the members know that Hope 4 Pets now has the sponsorship of Creditwest Bank. Liz also gave a short speech and following this Stephanie presented Liz and Emma with a bouquet of flowers to thank them for their hard work.
While this was happening the Pia Bella staff had been setting up the afternoon tea which was to follow the meeting and I must say they did us proud, it was a wonderful selection of sandwiches and rolls with different fillings, salad items, and a lovely selection of cakes. I would have liked to have seen more people there as catering for an unknown number is difficult and there was a lot of food left over, however this was not all wasted as most of the members took something home with them.
Tea was followed by the raffle with some nice prizes and I managed to win a bag of puppy biscuits which our dog, although not a puppy, is enjoying. Thank you to all those who donated prizes, they were very well received.
Gradually people were moving away and we stayed a little longer to chat before we too made our way home. We have been advised that the event raised 1,969TL which is a very nice amount to fund the ongoing emergency treatment and re-homing of the street animals of North Cyprus carried out by Hope 4 Pets.
We have been advised of another fund-raising event in aid of Hope 4 Pets and this is the Gasoline Blues Gig being held on Thursday 21st June at The Courtyard, Karakum starting at 7.30pm. Booking recommended by calling 0533 860 6815.
There is to be a Music and Entertainment Quiz on Thursday 5th July at The Red Ribbon (formerly Stroll Inn) Karakum. This starts at 7pm and will be 50TL entrance which includes a buffet supper. Reservations need to be made by calling Mick on 0533 877 4537. A chance to give support and raise funds for Hope 4 Pets and enjoy a nice evening’s entertainment.
Photos courtesy of Hope 4 Pets facebook page.
