My second passion after human rights is Jazz Funk, so I was thrilled to be asked to come along and support the Helen Bamber Foundation by Stephen Brenninkmeijer, a friend and big supporter of People Tree and social business.
Helen, the founder recounted the desperate stories of people that she treats. The boy whose older teenage brother had brought him to her after he had picked up a booby-trapped walkman that blew off his hands and blinded him and how HBF helped him to find the will to live and help find special schooling and support his brother to look after him.
Left – Stephen Brenninkmeijer starts things off and Right – Emma Thompson and Helen Bamber
Emma Thompson talked about the sauna she passed every day since childhood near her home. It had been a bit of a joke in her family not knowing what went on at the sauna, they’d made jokey ticket presents for each other when they were little to visit the sauna. Then one day she’d been asked by HBF to meet a girl who’d been imprisoned and forced to work there for years. She’d been promised a job as a receptionist and come to London with high expectations only to find herself forced into sexual slavery.
HBF and Emma set about helping the young woman to deal with trauma in the most innovative way. Emma described how they divided the experience the young woman had faced into 7 parts (realisations) and set it up as an exhibition for the public. It was a huge success in educating the public and the young woman became involved as a volunteer and watched peoples reactions to it. “Is the girl alright now?” said the tearful burly bloke on his stepping out of the last part. The young woman was there to give him a big hug and tell him that she was alright – somehow there sympathy became the key to her healing.
Many asylum seekers are victims of this kind of human rights violation. This is Emma Thompson’s story not mine.
Left – Me and my husband James and Right Dennis and his braces “tall duck and handsome”
A lot of money was raised for HBF that night, even though I couldn’t afford to buy artworks for thousands of pounds, I did buy two tickets and danced to JazzXchange and Appleton (love them!) – with my friend Stephen on the drums!
Check out the Helen Bamber Foundation!
