We have set up this foundation in Emily’s memory. Through sport, drama and education we bring communities together to create a sustainable future.
How we started
After Emily died, we were asked by many people if we wanted them to send flowers or to donate money to charity. We decided that we would like to raise money for charity. We set up a gofundme memorial fund and we chose two charities, the Environment Society of Oman and Good Chance. These were both charities that we thought Emily would have wanted to support. People generously donated to the fund and sent us beautiful messages. We were quite overwhelmed, and we realised how Emily had touched so many people. We have now been able to set up a stichting here in The Netherlands called Emily’s Garden Foundation. We will continue to raise money in Emily’s memory.
Good Chance
We have visited both charities that we are supporting to see how the money is being used. We joined Good Chance in Coventry at the end of World Refugee Week and saw the local community joining migrants and refugees in workshops and performances. We practised kung fu with Yasin from Iran, made kites with a man from Afghanistan, watched dance and drama and listened to storytelling and poetry from all over the world. The dome was a place of hope and fun, at the same time raising awareness of the plight of refugees. We chose to support Good Chance because of Emily’s love of drama and performing and her political awareness. Emily would have loved the Good Chance theatres.
The Environment Society of Oman
We visited Oman last year to raise money in a charity bike ride and meet ESO. Ian has been back more recently to do another charity event called the UTMB Oman. It was great to meet the people at ESO who are using the money raised to run the Green Schools Initiative. This project involves working with the local schools in Oman. We chose to support this initiative because of Emily’s passion for the environment, she was a member of the schools eco club and had taken part in similar projects in her own school here in the Netherlands. Follow this link to read more about the Green school initiative.