Maggie prepared two recipes from Hong Hong for us. One was smashed cucumber and the other one was ginger and egg fried rice.
Everybody joined in with the cooking - and eating!
We had 17 participants speaking the following 11 home languages:
Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tamil, Korean, Russian and Ukrainian!
Suzanne and Katie came to tell us about Healthwatch Richmond and also offered some individual confidential advice during our coffee break - which was appreciated. We were shocked to discover that our borough (LBRUT) has the highest rate of alcohol consumption in all 32 London boroughs but other more cheerful information was about the large number of free classes and groups offering advice and activities for all across the borough.
We were reminded that Healthwatch Richmond also offers free advice from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday each week to enable us to access all the NHS services available.
Seven learners enjoyed a wonderfully sunny spring morning to visit the exhibition of Mingzhang Sun's work at the Orleans House Gallery and then to walk along the river. The languages spoken were: Hungarian, Tamil, Spanish, Russian,Ukrainian and Cantonese. Everybody chatted with each other and the time flew by and suddenly we realised that three hours had passed!
We delivered three information sessions about the HPV vaccination programme sponsored by the NHS for our charity.
Learners were very interested in finding out how to protect their children and themselves from various cancers. Since we now know that one in every two people will develop some kind of cancer during their lifetime, it is vital that we do all we can to prevent this disease.
Five learners enjoyed the beautiful weather on our Walk & Talk last week. Masha introduced us to the wonderful York House Gardens and to her favourite tree which was in full bloom. This mimosa tree is not only the symbol of the arrival of spring in Russia but also the flower used to celebrate International Women's Day on the 8th of March!
We were delighted to see the attached information board produced by Alison Greenwood of the Dose of Nature charity.
Michelle Wheeler gave us an inspiring and informative presentation on the Mulberry Centre.
We learned about the wide range of services which are offered to anyone affected by cancer by this amazing centre.
Michelle explained that relatives and friends of cancer sufferers can come to the centre for emotional support, complementary treatments and relaxation both indoors and outside in their lovely garden.
Alison Greenwood enchanted us all with her workshop about her charity. She decorated the room with bunches of flowers from her garden and supervised a delightful meditation session which all 17 participants enjoyed.
Lee Barbieri once more delivered a useful presentation about the services offered by Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College Information, Advice and Guidance (RHACC IAG). He has offered to come again to give one-to-one advice to learners during our class.
