In early August 2007 we took a group of young people to Cluj in Romania. This was an incredible time - we ran kids clubs (in Sardu, the village where we stayed, in a Gypsy commune and in another local village), helped to clean a church after it's renovation, met the local mayor, took a church service, played football with local young people. There were many opportunities for the team to use their gifts and talents to serve in different ways.

 

   

Click on the above images to see photos from our trip to Romania

 

Click here to see Kimberley's photos

 

 

A short video of some of the highlight of our trip to Romania

 

 

The above video was put together by one of the young people who went on the trip.

 

 

 

Click here to download our timetable for our week in Romania.

Click here to see lyrics to our Romania song..."Sarduuuuu, we love you!"

 

Visit the website of our hosts in Romania: www.corabia.co.uk

 

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Team T-Shirts

These are a mock-up of what the personalised team t-shirts will look like. These will be worn in Romania and then kept as a souvenier of the trip. Click here to see these t-shirts being 'modelled'

 

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Training Day

On Saturday 28th April, a team came from Bradford to do an orientation day with the young people and leaders who will be going to Romania in August. The day started with a last-minute change of venue and problems with the video projector, but when we got over those hurdles we had a great time together.

 

We were shown some photos of the area we will be travelling to and told a little of the history of the work that is going on there. It was also explained to us that there are cultural differences that we will have to be sensitive to when we are there. We then learned some basic phrases in Romanian and were taught a few Romanian songs.

 

All in all, it was a great day, and certainly gave us a taste of what to expect when we arrive. It left everyone feeling very excited. So a very big thank you to Alistair and Liz, who gave up their Saturday to be with us - it was very much appreciated.

 

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Parents Evening

On Thursday 22nd February, we held a meeting for parents to discuss the trip to Romania. This meeting was to help parents decide whether this trip was something that they felt they wanted their child/ren to be a part of. We started by talking a bit about why we had decided to take a group to Romania, what the travel arrangements would be, and what the accomodation and living conditions would be like. We then spoke a little about some of the activities we were planning to do whilst we are there, including running a morning club for the local children. We ended by discussing some of the practical preparation that were necessary - including getting a passport, travel insurance, an EU health card, and arranging for vaccinations.

 

The evening was very informative and there was a very positive response from the parents that attended. After the meeting, all 14 places were quickly filled.

 

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Fundraising

Over the course of a year, we have been consistently raising funds to subsidise the cost of the trip, so that each young person and leader would only have to pay £100 each. The fundraising target has grown bigger and bigger as we discovered how much the trip would cost and some of the extra costs involved in what we would be doing when we arrived. The overall cost for the trip ended up being approx £8,500. This was significantly more than the £3,000 target we originally had.

 

We are pleased to say that 1 week to the day before leaving for Romania, we reached our target. We give thanks to God for his provision. We have exactly the amount that we needed.

 

 

Below are some of the fundraising activities that went on throughout the year:

 

Quiz Night - 14th July

 

We had a fantastic evening of fun and laughter, with people of all ages enjoying the atmosphere. The band Constella Chapters played for us and there was an auction of items that had been donated. The event raised £335.61 towards the Romania trip. A huge thank you to Tim & Matt for hosting the evening and doing so much of the organisation.

Click here to see photos from the Quiz Night

 

Car Wash - 7th & 8th July

 

The carwash weekend was a great success, with the young people showing loads of enthusiasm...not to mention a real entrepreneurial spirit - they made banners to attract cars in from the street and sold cakes and cards to passers-by. The total raised was £336. Thanks to everyone who took part and especially to Dan & Clem for organising the whole thing.

Click here to see photos from the carwash

 

Dan's Sponsored Haircut

In February, one of our youth team, Dan Hawksley, said goodbye to his floppy hair in a fundraising event at the school where he teaches. The pupils sponsored him to lose his manly mane, and the pupil who sponsored the largest amount had the privilege of wielding the scissors! The event itself was pay-per-view, and hundreds of pupils paid 20p each to watch. Dan raised over £400 - well done!

Talent Show

On December 9th, 2006, we held a talent show with a veritable feast of talent. We had dancers, singers, bands, funny sketches...and a few surprises!. It was a great evening and raised £360 towards our target. DVDs of the evening are now on sale for £3. Please email Damian at damian@sellyelim.org to order a copy.

 

 

This video was part of our 'James Blond' sketch at the Talent Show

 

Sponsored Run and Cycle

On 10th December, 2006, Adam Williams and Clare Neve did a sponsored 14-mile run and cycle. It was a cold day, and they both arrived back tired and shivering...but it was well worthwhile, because they raised nearly £400 towards out target. Well done guys!

 

Original Handcrafted Cards

Over Christmas and the New Year, after the church service, we had a stall selling beautiful handcrafted greetings cards. There were Christmas cards, birthday cards, blank cards and cards for special occassions. They were each sold for £1.50...and raised over £500 towards the trip!

 

Collection Jars

Everybody has loose change. What do you do with all those coppers?...fill one of Tim's copper jars, of course. We raised nearly £300 doing this.

 

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