Auction for Syria -  Friday 21 April 2017 at 7.00

We are looking forward to the Auction on 21 April 2017 – at the Earl Haig pub in Crouch End. We have a great evening planned with a short talk from Maggie Tookey a volunteer for EDA who will be talking about her recent visit to Lebanon and how the funds will be used for the benefit of Syrian families. We have lots of wonderful raffle prizes, a cake stall and of course the auction. 

The Earl Haig have food to buy on the evening – great chicken wings and other starters, mains and sides and there will be a bar.  

There’s lots of auction items – see the list below, and there will be more to come. If you can’t join us on the 21 April and wish to bid – just email auctionforsyria@gmail.com and let us know:

Description of item

Your starting bid

Your maximum bid…we’ll then bid for you on the night. 

Please let us know if you are able to join us on the evening – by just sending a quick email  auctionforsyria@gmail.com  it will help us plan for the evening,  - and if you can’t come along and wish to donate here’s the link  http://www.edinburghdirectaid.org/PaypalOptions.htm  London Fundraiser Auction 21 April

Thank you for your support – your donations, your contributions to the auction and your bids ……and we look forward to seeing you on the 21^st April 

Jo, Rachel and Sharon

Crouch End Auction - For EDA

Friday 21 April 2017

Schedule of Auction Items

Bid No.  DETAILS                                                                                                                MINIMUM BID HOLIDAYS AT HOME AND ABROAD
A1	Luxury Apartment - A week in a 2-bedroom luxury apartment in the Calahonda, Costa del Sol, Spain The miles of sandy beaches and good restaurants and bars of Puerto Cabopino are a five-minute drive away. Cabopino also offers a range of water sports, fishing, golf, sight-seeing and boat trips see http://www.cascadas-calahonda.com/	250
A2	Character Grade II Listed detached thatched Country Cottage, Castor near Peterborough Sleeps 7 in 3 bedrooms (or 9 if using sofa bed in the lounge). Available for a 3-day mini break (excl Easter and August Bank Holiday). 3 double bedroom, 2 bathrooms, lounge and kitchen	120
A3	2-night stay in lovely B&B in the Wiltshire countryside https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/11739029?guests=1&ref_device_id=3675ec0276b6fab7&s=39&user_id=93690855	70
A4	Glamping in Salcombe, Devon – In new Shepherds Huts, sleeps up to 4. Voucher for 3 weekend or 4 nights (week) mid- season. Worth £150.00 http://www.salcombeshepherdhuts.co.uk/	80
A5	Caravan in beautiful Suffolk countryside - Static 2-bed caravan – sleeps up to 6. All seasons available http://holidays.lifestylelivinguk.com/our-parks/carlton-meres-country-park/	150
A6	Enjoy the New Forest – A week’s stay in 2-bedroom static caravan on the beautiful south coast https://www.hoburne.com/holiday-parks/hampshire/naish/	200 or  400 incl August
A7	And don’t forget the travel - Lift either to or from London Airports for 3 people	40
A8	And here again........ Lift either to or from London airports for 3 people	40

AROUND THE HOME AND GARDEN
B1	Plant up window boxes ready for summer flowering – you supply the boxes and they will be filled with summer flowering plants	30
B2	Handyman – Get all those odd jobs done - and your home all working! Back by popular demand	80
B3	Gardening by Jim and Cathy – A day’s work getting your garden ready for summer	80

EATING AND DRINKING

C1	6 fruit and vegetable and garden produce baskets for you – May -October	50
C2	A cake a month for a year – by those well-known North London Bakers!	80
C3	2 course meal & wine for 2 at the Queens, Crouch End	40
C4	Voucher for £60.00 Cote Restaurant	50
C5	Italian cheese and wine – a fresh block of Parmesan cheese and 2 bottles of wine	25

ACTIVITIES

D1	Theatre - Upstairs at the Gatehouse – Voucher for 2 tickets See here for what’s on http://www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com/	20
D2	2 tickets for Saracens home match – 2016/17 season check out the matches http://www.saracens.com/	85
D3	Backgammon – Enjoy an evening of Backgammon for 6 friends in N8 – Nibbles and prosecco on arrival	100
D4	Annual Membership for 1 adult for the Arthouse Cinema worth £45.00 http://www.arthousecrouchend.co.uk/	30
D5	Cinema –2 tickets for the film of your choice at the PictureHouse Crouch End https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Crouch_End_Picturehouse	10
D6	Meet Catherine West MP – Tea for 2 with our local MP at the House of Commons	50
D7	Get to know the Bees – Introduction to the world of beekeeping and North London bee-keeping 6-week course and membership of NLBK. Worth £140.00 http://www.beekeeping.org.uk/	70

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

E1	Pilates – 3 personal sessions at Kinetic Pilates worth £180.00 http://www.kineticpilates.com/	60
E2	Ladies Haircut and blow dry – by our favourite hairdresser at Sano in N1	40
E3	Massage – Holistic or deep tissue massage	25
E4	Facial – 30 mins at Beauty Works	30
E5	Don’t forget your dog – Voucher for dog grooming – by Hair of the Dog worth £25.00 http://www.hairofthedoglondon.com/	25

 PAINTINGS AND OTHER ITEMS

F1

Painting by John Tookey – Watercolour 16 x 20 inches http://www.southwoldgallery.co.uk/artists/142/john-tookey

200

Maggie Tookey, a Syrian Relief volunteer for EDA

Diary - Saturday February 18

On my way down from the Syrian border area after 6 days of very cold and snowy weather. It's been one of the hardest winters experienced by the refugees and by the local Lebanese population. I've been moaning all the time - no hot water - bitingly cold - no central heating. What do I know of non-stop misery in the camps! Just what I see and that's bad enough. However, our EDA work has been going on apace and it's great to see the difference it's making to people's lives. Our workshop for both Syrian and Lebanese women is not only a hub for socialising away from the camps but also a place to make clothes, rugs and items to sell. 

Our vocational training centre for young people offers a chance to learn a skill and possibly employment at the end. This is already happening. Our aid distribution centre is endlessly busy dispensing warm clothing, bedding, woolly hats and gloves and many things to help with the challenges of winter. None of this would be possible without our dedicated team who work tirelessly, efficiently and with much empathy. Our new school for 700 children is now up and running and we are soon to add another 5 classrooms - another new school will be started soon.

The severe winter weather has meant even more demand on our resources and we've had many people arriving at the office in desperate need of help. I've been all over the place trying to answer as many of these needs as possible - a large school which needs heating oil so that pupils can carry on learning. New families arriving from war torn areas of Syria who come with nothing. They need much support. A centre for badly injured and disabled children who now have no money for rent and no heating oil. So it goes on. We try to do as much as we can but it’s never enough. We'll just go on trying.

Syrian Border - 15 February

Maggie Tookey, a Syrian Relief volunteer for EDA

Diary - Wednesday 15th February

For the first time today I was able to visit the new school we've just built near the three biggest camps in the town. It takes 760 Syrian refugee children from Grades 1 (6 years old) to Grade 12 (18 years old). There are two shifts - the older students attend the morning session and the younger children in the early afternoon. The teachers have only received a one off payment of 100$ in the last 6 months - the donor who had been paying their salaries has stopped but still they come in every day to teach - they say that the job is too important to stop.

The place is happy and thronging with hundreds of children. On my visit it seems full of happy faces and the classes I pay a surprise visit to are well ordered and very organised. I do the usual thing - fire simple questions at them in English about their names and ages and they chirp the answers back, some of them in a shy whisper and some with a confident strength. It feels good to have provided a place for so many to learn.

It's started snowing but next I move on to a Syrian children's disabled centre. Two of the volunteer staff came to see us yesterday desperate for some help. They had no heating oil left and the 3000$ donation they had received 3 months ago to cover everything for the 140 badly physical and mentally disabled children, had run out. They had been using what little money of their own they had to buy oil for the classroom stoves and the owner of the building was demanding this months rent. I took Huda, our Lebanese Centre manager with me and we were both very touched by the dedication of the volunteer team here - these children are a challenge and the parents can do little for them in their camps. There were amputees from the shelling, blind, deaf and dumb, autistic, severe and not so severe - they would have received special care in Syria before the war - if this centre in Arsal didn't exist they would get nothing. So we must help even if it's a stop gap payment - we are their last resort. It's the least the staff deserve.

Then another desperate plea for help. It never stops. We examine each urgent plea and they all deserve assistance but we must prioritise. I move to a Syrian school struggling on with 1000 students. It's minus 4 degrees with a bitter wind blowing across the plateau and they have no heating oil left for the classrooms. They already manage with no electricity even in the darkness of these winter days but heating oil is a basic need. Central heating is a distant dream for any school and actually only exists in one hospital in the town. All the teachers and pupils are wrapped in as many layers of clothing as possible. The story is the same. A private donor had been supplying fuel but then just stopped. 400$ a week keeps the classrooms heated to a tolerable level - we give 3 weeks supply and hope the weather warms up by then! It's all we can do. Better than nothing.

Then we get news of some families arriving into the town from the Islamic State stronghold of Raqaa in Syria. They have escaped and made their way here via the mountain route. The journey is extremely dangerous but I guess that what they left behind was worse. Other Arsal refugee families take them in to their tents but they need food, clothing, bedding - someone comes to our team in our centre and immediately all these items are loaded into a small truck from our store room and taken to the new arrivals at a host camp. Apparently, they are just happy to be here. It's cold and uncomfortable and crowded but it's safe.

How many more requests for help will we get tomorrow? I feel like hiding. We just can't help everyone.