FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
Splendours of the Commonwealth celebrating the best of London’s film festivals at the May Fair Hotel on Monday 28 September 2015
London, UK September 2015. The Splendours of the Commonwealth fundraising event is once again being hosted at the May Fair Hotel, the official host hotel for London’s film festivals, on Monday 28th September 2015. This year’s dramatic event takes place during the Autumn season of film festivals in London and headlines film, music and dance from countries around the Commonwealth.
The evening’s centrepiece is a 30 minute screening of a film featuring a CCLEF sponsored girl, “Nancy A One Girl Revolution”. Nancy Tomee, who has already been internationally recognised for her work by the UN and the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, has been successfully campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Pokot Tribal area of Kenya. The film will be followed by a 20 minute expert panel Q & A which will be chaired by Bianca Jagger.*
Nancy Tomee speaking in Lomut in the Pokot Tribal area
Our expert panel includes Sara Nason, film maker; Professor Sara Chandler, Vice President of the Federation of European Bar Associations (FBE) and Dr Joanna Nurse, Head of Health and Education Commonwealth Secretariat.
This year’s glittering event is thought provoking and unforgettable. It includes a fund-raising prize draw and sale of artworks created by CCLEF girls and their friends, as well as colourful entertainment from musicians ACD-arts Ltd from Uganda, Garba365 dancers who will perform traditional North Indian folk dancing with a twist and Bollywood dancing with Jay Kumar and DanceAsia.
As in previous years, the event is being organised by trustees, supporting partners, friends and sponsors of the Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF). The guest list includes celebrities, members of the Diplomatic community of the Commonwealth, CCLEF sponsors and supporters, and senior influential women and men representing UK business, education and global women’s campaigns.
Judith Fisher, event organiser and CCLEF Hon. Treasurer said, “This is the third year the CCLEF is organising the fabulous Splendours of the Commonwealth charity event. We are fortunate to have had so much assistance from our sponsors, partners and supporters. We are hugely grateful to the May Fair Hotel owners for their generous sponsorship and support, and to Melt Chocolates for their sponsorship. Once again, we also have the invaluable help of the SOTC 2015 organising team. Such assistance has contributed immensely to make this happen and help this charity continue educating girls in Commonwealth Countries.”
She continued, “We would like to thank Sara Nason, Bianca Jagger, our presenter Lola Royle and our expert panel speakers, our organising team including Market Accents, Cypher Design and Shelley Stock Hutter and various supporting partners including Davy’s Wine Merchants and Wine Bars, The Sourcing Team Ltd, Usborne Publishing and Sunita Mukhi, our entertainers ACD-arts Ltd, Garba365, Jay Kumar and DanceAsia, BFI, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Ghana High Commission, The Diplomat, Share Radio and Wessex Design Associates Ltd.”
Tickets cost £50.00 and may be purchased from the website and CCLEF Trustees. All monies raised on the evening will go directly to sponsor girls’ secondary education in parts of the Commonwealth where, without financial assistance, they would not be able to afford to go to school. www.splendoursofthecommonwealth.com.
* Subject to no higher priority commitment arising in the UN.
About the Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF)
Registered Charity No 1048908
The Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF) is a secondary education sponsorship scheme for girls that has sponsored thousands of capable girls through secondary education since 1967. Today we are sponsoring over 400 girls in 30 low economy Commonwealth countries across the Pacific, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Without our help, these girls would not otherwise receive an education and their lives would be very different indeed. Some of these girls will go on to university, others to training colleges: all should now have the ability to take greater control of their lives, increased knowledge, earning capacity and the opportunity to overcome poverty. Others have already reaped these rewards and are passing on the benefits to their families, communities and in some cases, their whole countries.
The Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF) was formed out of the suffrage movement in the 1920s and promotes the education of girls and young women. The Commonwealth Countries League (CCL) supports the work of the CCLEF with the help of the High Commissions in London through the annual Commonwealth Fair and other fundraising events.
Further information can be found on the website: www.cclef.org