DINNER AND
AUCTION – 21st February 2008
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The third dinner and auction to be hosted by St. Christopher’s
Cathedral took place at the Regency Intercontinental Hotel, Bahrain, on
Thursday 21st February 2008. It would seem, based on feedback, that this
was the most enjoyed of all three similarly-styled events, the concept
being a relaxed dining environment with no intrusive music, followed by
a dynamic hour-long auction. Certainly the blue and gold ambience of the
Regency Intercontinental Hotel’s ballroom, together with its subtle
lighting, created the right atmosphere. Once the buffet dinner was over, the Very Reverend Alan Hayday introduced the main feature of the evening, the auction. At least 50% of the net proceeds are destined towards the construction and kitting-out costs of a new vocational workshop to be built in the compound of Christ Church in |
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Aden (a sister chaplaincy in the Diocese of Cyprus and
the Gulf). The aim is to provide skills’ training for destitute Somali
refugees and un-trained Yemenis so that they may be encouraged to find
meaningful employment and a more positive purpose to their lives. Given that most of the beneficiaries of this scheme will be non-Christians, the endeavours of the Rev. Peter Crooks and his wife Nancy are community outreach in its most inclusive interpretation. Rather than continue with spoken words to convey their message, a dynamic Power-Point presentation of photographs with captions, accompanied to music, was in the words of two people who spoke to me afterwards, “powerful” and “persuasive”. |
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Without more ado, parishioner Andrew Petty conducted the auction of
58 lots at a cracking pace. His experience during a “former life” as
a property auctioneer in Hong Kong has always been the key to the
auction’s success. Maintaining competitive rivalry among the
bidders is his finely honed skill which, once again, paid off.
Together with the introduction this year of a silent auction
organised by Susan Craycraft, the net proceeds of the event were the
best yet: BD3806.
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