A self-funded family support charity which helps those in crisis in Royston and South Cambs have held their first Literary Lunch to help drum up cash on Tuesday.
Cambridge artist and author Ophelia Redpath was the first guest at the talk in aid of Home-Start Royston & South Cambs, which was hosted by the charity’s poet-in-residence Jude Simpson and attended by 50 people.
Home-Start’s Linda Smith said: “The Literary Lunch was a great success.
“Several people joined us after reading the preview in the Crow – including two who had bought some of Ophelia’s paintings 20 years ago and not met her since then.
“The numbers were just right for our first lunch, which we plan will be the first of a series of lunches.
“So many people said they would recommend them to their friends that we are confident we can increase numbers joining us at subsequent ones.”
Ophelia said she was “always inspired, but not always to work” – and that she described her work as “a bit surreal, with humour and quite often a mythological setting”.
She said: “I used to be frightened of Shakespeare, but now enjoy interpreting his sentences – I think of it as ‘Shakespeare via Ophelia!’”
The audience were able to see and purchase Ophelia’s work, including from her children’s book The Lemur’s Tale – and members of the audience who had already bought it gave good feedback straight from the mouths of children.
A charity spokeswoman said: “We are very grateful to Ophelia, Jude and the staff at The Old Bull Inn and to the audience for their support and lively participation.
“Fundraisers such as this are vital. Staff and volunteers have to raise all the funds to continue its valuable service helping families in times of personal crisis to ‘get back on track’ – we have to raise £140,000 in this financial year.”
A Christmas Literary Lunch featuring Jude Simpson, with Emma Bennett and others featured in Cambridge Art Book, will be held on December 5 at The Old Bull Inn.
To book your tickets call 01763 262262, email admin@hsrsc.org.uk or buy online at ticketsource.co.uk/hsrsc.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here