EnRiching Greek - inspired by Karen

26/08/2015

For Barbara, Keith and any other bee keepers out there! Ancient clay beehives in the National archaeological museum in Thessaloniki.

02/08/2015

A few photos from the Greek evening at 'Go Greek' in Layton Blackpool. We raised £307.20 for the Karen Rich Foundation. Well done everyone!!!

20/07/2015

Hi Everyone

As you know, a number of Karen’s friends and family have set up the Karen Rich Foundation - the aim of which is to provide additional support for young people in education ( in the Blackpool area) with a talent for languages.

Some of you have asked how to donate to the foundation (and some of you have already kindly forwarded donations) - this is to let you know that the Foundation bank account is now ready to accept donations.

If you would like to donate, can you please make cheques payable to ‘The Karen Rich Foundation’ and forward them to our Treasurer - Hilary Angus, 9 Holmeswood, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 2HG.

I am attaching a link to a gift aid form to this note - if appropriate, could you please complete it and send it back with any donation.http://biaa.ac.uk/common/gift_aid_form.pdf

Also, we have registered the foundation with Easyfundraising. If you go to:www.easyfundraising.org.uk, you can see how you can choose to support the Foundation via online shopping, or by registering your credit / debit card with Easyfundraising, you can make donations when shopping in stores that support the site
http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/raise-more/in-store-donations.

You can follow what’s happening with the Foundation on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/karenrichfoundation?fref=ts - we’ll post information about events, funds raised and awards made there.

Thanks to you all for your support.

Best wishes


Alison xx

06/06/2015

Well - today would have been Karen's birthday. I know that many people will be thinking about her and some are celebrating it and her memory in various ways. I'm on holiday in Crete and when we booked our accommodation last year we had hoped that she would join us here next week. Sadly, that can't happen.
However, what has happened today is a true celebration of everything about Karen as our teacher. Our lovely landlady Irini has been happily chatting away to me in Greek and earlier today came to our apartment with her husband to teach me how to make Greek coffee, laden with 'goodies' for us to sample.
I know that this doesn't sound very special, but without Karen's encouragement, enthusiasm and exceptional talent for teaching, I wouldn't be here today having this experience. Yes we miss her, but thank goodness we had the opportunity to know her.

12/03/2015

Hi Everyone

Joanne has asked me to let you know that the final total for donations to the Cinnamon Trust in memory of Karen was £783. An amazing amount.

Thanks to everyone who donated.

Alison xx

21/02/2015

Hi Everyone - something for you to think about!

Karen Rich’s family and friends are hoping to set up an educational charitable trust in her name to honour her passion for teaching languages.

The trust aims to raise £5,000 a year to support gifted foreign language students between the ages of 4 and 18 living in Blackpool. Teachers would be encouraged to apply on behalf of their individual student through an application process twice a year. They would be able to use the funds to receive additional classes and go on foreign exchange trips in order to develop their language skills.

We are seeking Trustees with fundraising, publicity, finance and educational skills to establish the Charitable Trust. The Trustees will meet once every two months at the Spanish Learning Centre in Blackpool.


We are having a meeting of all interested trustees on Saturday 21st of March at 11.30am at the Spanish Learning Centre. So that we can explain the trustee responsibilities and vote interested participants onto the Board. After this we will complete the application to be a Charitable Trust and setting up a bank account to coincide with the new financial year in April.

In the meantime donations to establish the Charitable Trust can be made to Joanne or Alison.

I do hope you will be able to support the Karen Rich Foundation during the coming years as we carry on a small amount of the wonderful work that Karen did during her lifetime.

18/02/2015

Hi Everyone

I know that those of you who managed to attend Karen’s funeral were touched by the poem I read out at the service. I’m posting to below should you want to have a copy and also because I thought that those of you who couldn’t attend might want the opportunity to see it.

As I said at the time, Michael has captured all that I wanted to say about our ‘Teach’ , but so much more eloquently than I could have managed!

IN MEMORIAM - “TEACH”

It cannot be that one so full of life
Is now no more. We’ve lost a friend, but more
Than that, a teacher, an inspiration
To us all. An entertainer, too, who’s
Teaching days were full of fun and laughter.
She had the knack of righting our mistakes
As if we were doing her a favour.

She always thought of different themes to teach:
We never had a session twice and though
We thought our Greek was very simple, with
Her help we could discuss the merits of
The Euro, or the best home for the stones
That Elgin took from Athens’ Parthenon.

We all have special memories, like the time
We sat in ‘Karen’s Kafeneio’, or
The ‘Murder Mystery’ session in the court!
Nor could I dance until she showed me how,
And Zorba’s steps became quite natural.
While if we could not get to Greece, she made
It seem like Greece had come to Chorley town!

Our Karen was unique – in Greek, in life.
A light has just gone out in all our lives.

Michael Wansborough February 2015

04/02/2015

I have just realised that for some reason, the information I thought I had posted about Karen's funeral, have disappeared into the unknown. Hopefully you will all be able to se the here 1

Hi Everyone

Karen’s funeral will be on Friday 13th February. There will be a committal service at Carleton crematorium, Blackpool at 9.30 am https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Life-events/Cemeteries-and-crematorium/Carleton-cemetery.aspx

followed by a service at 10.30 at St Mark’s church Layton http://www.stmarklayton.co.uk/welcome.htm

Karen’s family would prefer that people make a donation to charity, rather than send flowers. If that is something you would like to do there are two suggestion that you might want to consider.

One option is the Cinnamon Trust - an organisation that helps elderly and ill people to re-home their pets http://www.cinnamon.org.uk

The other option is something that has been suggested, that a few of us are willing to take forward. This is to set up a trust fund in Karen’s name that would support disadvantaged young people in the Blackpool area who have a talent for languages. Although there is still a lot of thinking to be done before this can be set up, it does feel like a fitting tribute to Karen and her love of, and enthusiasm for languages.

If you wish to donate to the Cinnamon Trust, you can give donations to the funeral director on the day of the funeral, or send them to:

L.Stewart, Dimond & Son
2 Bridge Street
Garstang
PRESTON
PR3 1YB

We have to set up the trust before we can accept donations, so if you would like to support this cause, we will be in touch as soon as we are in a position to accept donations.

A lot of people have indicated that they would like to attend Karen’s funeral - it would really helpful if you could let me know if you are likely to be there, and if anyone will be coming with you.

Finally, as many of you will know, Karen’s sister Joanne has an ongoing medical condition that means that exposure to people who have colds and viruses etc, can be extremely dangerous to her health. While she understands that people will want to be at Karen’s funeral, she asks that you do not attend if you are ill.

With best wishes

Alison

Details on Blackpool's Carleton Cemetery including location and opening times

04/02/2015

Update - Karen's funeral arrangements

Hi Everyone

When I wrote to you with the arrangements for Karen’s funeral, I explained that we are hoping to set up a trust fund in Karen’s name, to support under-privileged young people who have a talent for languages. We still intend to do
this but we have learned that we have to set up the trust, before we can accept contributions to it.

If you were considering donating to the trust, please do not send any money yet. We will be in touch again as soon as we can accept donations

If you want to donate to the Cinnamon trust, you can still do this on the day of the funeral, or by post to the funeral director.

Best wishes

Alison x

27/01/2015

Hi Everyone - I'm afraid I have some very sad news. Our wonderful friend and teacher passed away this afternoon in Preston hospital, with her family at her bedside. I will post details of her funeral arrangements as soon as I have them. Alison x

27/01/2015

Hi Everyone - Alison here. This is to let you know that Karen is not very well at the moment, in fact she's in hospital. I've tried to contact as many people as possible in case she had arrangements in place for lessons etc, but thought this might be a way of reaching other people who might be in contact with her. I'll update the page as soon as I have any more information.

11/09/2014

Several million years ago one of our ancestors crawled from the sea and took a tentative gulp of air - and I thought that we had evolved since then!!! A.