Please find enclosed Octobers update regarding Phoenix Inspire in Novo Selo
Phoenix Inspire
(The Chef and Restaurant School &
Bistro, Novo Selo)
October 2010
Dear :
:,
As we move into November each morning begins with frost and mist on the Danube. Later in the morning the sun burns off the mist to reveal blue skies. However, in the shadows it remains cold.
The Cider is fermenting ok but I have slight problems with my red wine. As I had too much juice after pressing the juice from the grapes I had to use two plastic barrels. One barrel with 30 litres in is fermenting ok whilst the other seems ‘stuck’. With the help of Roger Marchbank (englishwineproducers.com), I am trying to resolve the issue.
Earlier this year a 15 year old girl was found in a cardboard box next to some rubbish bins in the city of Vratsa which is between Sofia &
Vidin. After spending eight years on the streets, yes 8 years, this young girl was transferred to the Children’s Home here in Novo Selo. When I first met her she was shy and frightened particularly of men. I met the same young girl last week with the Ceroc dancers and you should have seen the transformation;
she has a beaming smile and is able to communicate much better. I even had a dance with her too. I present this information as it reminds me of what we are trying to do;
offer opportunities to young people such as this young girl where none currently exist and to take them out of the way of potential problems. A similar story was that of Ralitsa. Ralitsa is doing well and is still employed at the Kindergarten in Vidin. Valentin is in regular contact with her and I understand that she is ok.
Phoenix Inspire at the Coliseum – the Bistro.
Progress regarding the development of the Bistro is moving slowly but surely with a number of pieces of good news. 1. The Vidin Rotary Club has confirmed their support for Phoenix Inspire as has the Rotary Club of Rotherham. This is great news. I understand from correspondence that I have received that a member of the Rotherham Rotary Club is trying to get a German club involved too. I am now just waiting to hear the level of funding and when it would be available. As there are two international clubs participating and raising funds, it is possible that the US base of Rotary will also contribute.
When Valentin and I met with Ivan, the Chair of Vidin Rotary Club, he explained why there are two stages required to develop Bistro. The first stage is to raise the funds for the plans to be drawn by the architects and specialists. The second stage will be raising the necessary funds to carry out the work. Apparently, in Bulgaria, it is the architect who decides the maximum amount that a building will cost to be built. The architect’s specifications and drawings are the basis with which building companies bid to carry out the work. The first stage is so important. As we have commitment from the Vidin and Rotherham Rotary Clubs, the architect is now developing final plans with greater details.
2. Another piece of good news is that the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sofia will host a fund raising dinner for the benefit of Phoenix Inspire on Sunday December 5th. All I have to do is cover the cost of food out of ticket sales and the rest will be donated. This is a great opportunity for Phoenix Inspire as it will enable us to raise much needed funds, offer Bulgarians the opportunity to get involved and raise our profile to a wider audience. I am not sure of ticket prices or the menu;
I am being guided by Deborah Haines, the General Manager on these matters. Ivo, our friend in Sofia, will help me promote the event as much as possible. Deborah recommends that we aim for 250 guests. Whilst my Bulgarian is improving I hope that Ivo and Valentin will speak on our behalf at the dinner. I will be writing to all the Embassies to see if any representatives would like to attend.
3. Ivo’s company is involved with advertising and marketing who have agreed to make a donation to Phoenix Inspire from the profits made selling Christmas and New Year merchandising. As Ivo meets representatives of each company he will explain what Phoenix Inspire is doing and seek their approval for his idea. This is very generous of Ivo and his company. All three pieces of good news will contribute to the building of the Bistro.
The Fusion Dance Festival – ‘Modern Jive meets Bulgarian Folk’ 25th to 29th October.
The visitors from the UK and Malta are now back home having what I hope would be described as a successful trip to Bulgaria and in particular Novo Selo. Rather than describing every aspect of the trip I will focus on key elements. The reason for the trip was to see the children and to dance with locals. The visit to the Children’s Home in Novo Selo was a great success. If I had known that some of the guys wanted to play football with the kids I would have been able to allocate time. Next time I will. Latinka, other members of staff and the children at the Children’s Home made all of us extremely welcome. We ate Banitsa and cake, walked around the Children’s Home and with the excellent help of Ellie we spent time hearing how they are doing – a very successful visit. After this we went to see Svetla the lady who runs the Culture Centre where we were entertained with a wine tasting competition by locals, watched how traditional costumes were made and yet more food. The locals were so hospitable and friendly. We then transferred to another building where the dancing was to take place. For the next 90 minutes the visitors taught the locals how to jive. There must have been about 30 locals who were up for a dance. We were also joined by a number of the older children from the Children’s Home too. The evening was a great success too. The next day Albena (our Bulgarian language teacher) gave us a tour of Vidin, unfortunately in the rain. Later we went to visit the Children’s Home of Vidin. This was a more emotional visit as some of the children there are very young. We were met by the Director of the Children’s Home and once more shown around the facilities. I think all would agree that these young people are being looked after very well. There are needs but the building is clean, warm and friendly. It was during this visit that Bulgarian National Television joined us to report on what we were doing and why;
more of this later.
After meeting the Mayor of Novo Selo in the afternoon the group went on to learn Bulgarian folk dance sequences. The Bulgarian folk dancers wore traditional costumes. Before they showed the group a range of dances they sang a couple of traditional songs to great applause. When you look at Bulgarian folk dances you tend to think how simple they are, but when you try to do them yourself, it isn’t that easy. Again, a number of children from the Children’s Home were in attendance. There was a really positive atmosphere in the room with many of the English encouraging the youngsters to dance and join in. I think many of the English will have these memories for many years to come.
Prior to flying back the group went to dinner at restaurant in Sofia called ‘Happy Village’. This was a great success. The dinner included traditional dishes, Bulgarian folk songs and dancing. A good night was had by all. Kevin, we must include this as part of your tour next year. I hope that Litza will write a piece about their visit to Novo Selo.
Needs and plans for the future
Following our visit to the Children’s Homes in Novo Selo and Vidin there are a number of needs. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I will pick these up in December. For Vidin, powdered milk for babies, baby food in small jars – meat, vegetable and fruit, mobiles for cots and small nappies. Apparently this winter will be the hardest and coldest in living memory;
warm clothing for the youngsters in Novo Selo. Boots and waterproofs were purchased last year. The list for Christmas presents has been distributed to those who have kindly offered to organise presents as last year. If any of you would like to get involved and sort out a present for someone please let me know and I will allocate you to a young person.
Bulgarian National Television (BNT 1).
As a result of Albena’s contact at local BNT there are plans for the national station to film where we have donated items and discuss how we have struggled to get where we are today. Two of the tourists, Litza and Vanessa have already spoken to camera. More filming will take place on Wednesday at the Children’s Home in Novo Selo, the school and Kindergarten. I hope that filming will raise our profile and explain what we are trying to do. It is hoped that more support will materialise from Bulgarians.
Thank you for your help, encouragement and continued support for what we hope to achieve – Mick, Christine, Valentin, Len, Kate, Alma, Tony, Valeishko and the many helpers here in Novo Selo.