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PALM WINE EXTRAVAGANZA:
£9,000 raised to train traditional birth attendants in Kambia
On 26th November 2005, Sacred Hearts Hall in Cheltenham was
filled with the pulsating, rhythmic sounds of West Africa, as
top Sierra Leonean guitarist Abdul Tee-Jay and his acclaimed
six-piece band Rokoto took to the stage for the Palm Wine
Extravaganza - an evening of dinner and Sierra Leonean Palm Wine
and High-life music. Vast, hairy-stemmed palm trees towered
overhead, creating an exotic canopy for the guests, who enjoyed
cocktails followed by a delicious three-course dinner.
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Guests dining
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Abdul Tee-Jay and his lively
6-piece band Rokoto, including vocalist Theresa from
Freetown
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Abdul performed three sets - one set of acoustic palm wine
music (he is the top exponent of this traditional form of Sierra
Leonean music alive today) and two lively sets of high-life
music with his band. The irresistible rhythms drew the majority
of the guests onto the dance floor for a final hour of energetic
dancing.
In addition to the entertainment, there was also a grand
raffle and an auction. The evening raised £9,000, which will be
spent on the training of traditional birth assistants in and
around Kambia Hospital and the outlying clinics.
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Abdul Tee-Jay and charity
founder, Richard Kerr-Wilson
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Abdul Tee-Jay with his highly
acclaimed keyboard player, Bessa, and drummer
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The organizers are extremely grateful to Abdul Tee-Jay and
Rokoto; Cookery at Delrey House, Cheltenham; New Wave Seafoods,
Fairford; Mulu, the Big Leaves and Monsters Nursery in
Wickhamford, near Evesham, for making the evening possible. We
are also very grateful to all those companies who generously
donated items for the auction and raffle, as follows:
ArtPortraits, Cheltenham; Asha Dhany reflexology; Birmingham
Symphony Hall; Bliss: The Well Being and Beauty Sanctuary,
Cheltenham; Brosh, Cheltenham; Calcot Spa, Calcot Manor, nr.
Tetbury; Carpenter's Farm, Berrow, nr. Ledbury; Chapel Spa,
Cheltenham; Cheltenham Film Society; Cheltenham Jazz Festival;
Cheltenham Ladies' College Sports Centre, Cheltenham; Churchill
Arms, Paxford; Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham; Five North Street,
Winchcombe; Gloucester Rugby Club; Gloucestershire County
Cricket Club; Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR),
Toddington; Harani Hair, Cheltenham (Richard Weyman); Helen
Brown; Hilton Puckrup Hall Hotel, nr. Tewkesbury; Hotel Le Spa,
Cirencester; Hugh Wilkinson, Cheltenham; Jim Thompsons,
Cheltenham; Kevin McPhillips Travel (specialists in Sierra
Leone); Louise and Hugh Gilbert; Madeleine Bunting and Simon
Robey; Majestic Wine, Cheltenham; Neal's Yard Remedies,
Cheltenham; Number Twelve Suffolk Parade, Cheltenham; Parker's
Brasserie, Inn on the Park, Cheltenham; Queen's Hotel,
Cheltenham; Sarah Palmer Designs, Cambridge; SkyTime Flight
Training, Gloucestershire Airport; Swan at Southrop; Swindon
Greyhounds Stadium; Teresa and Luigi Vannuchi; Tess and Brian
Molloy; TGI Friday's, Cheltenham; The Greenway; The Langton; The
Retreat; Theatre Royal, Bath; Whatley Manor, nr. Malmesbury.
Also, to Pritchards Creative Communications, Cheltenham, for
designing the flyer.
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The infectious high-life rhythms
got everyone dancing
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Guests enjoying the evening
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