Past Events

CFAB Summer Party

Huttons Farm, Henley-on-Thames

On Saturday 3rd July 2010 CFAB held its first Summer Party which was very kindly hosted by Mr and Mrs Ali Sarikhani at their magnificent Hutton Farm Estate in Henley-on-Thames. Over 80 guests attended the event and were treated to an exceptional afternoon which included entertainment in the form of archery, sheep dog trials and lively music. The food was delicious starting with tea and scones and finishing with an evening buffet that was truly splendid. Fundraising on the day consisted of a small live auction with three prizes, a pledge card appeal and a silent auction of artwork provided by the Broad Gallery.

The event raised over £35,000 for CFAB in our work to help protect vulnerable children and adults across international borders.

We would like to sincerely thank the Sarikhani family for their generosity in organising and hosting this event. CFAB would like to thank all guests for their kind support and generosity throughout the evening.

 

 

 

CFAB World Market Thank You Party

Hyatt Regency - The Churchill Hotel, London

On Tuesday 1st June 2010 CFAB held a World Market Thank You Party at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. It was wonderful to see many of the stall holders again and be able to express our heart felt thanks for their efforts and support over the last few months.  We are so lucky to have such dedication and generosity from the Diplomatic Community here in London.  Without this support the World Market simply would not be able to take place, and we are so very grateful to all the countries who participated this year helping to make the 51st World Market such a successful and colourful event.

The Thank You Party was very kindly sponsored by Hyatt Regency London who provided the fantastic venue and IDS who provided the delicious food and beverages.

At the moment the World Market has raised around £70,000 and we are still awaiting for some country’s contribution, so we hope this figure will rise.

Planning for the 2011 World Market will begin soon with the first coffee party to take place in November, we hope to see all the countries return next year as well as a few more!

 

CFAB 2010 Pro-Am Golf Tournament & Gala Dinner

Stoke Park Club, Buckinghamshire

The bi-annual CFAB Golf Tournament took place at the magnificent Stoke Park Club, Buckinghamshire on Monday 24th May 2010.  The focus of the day was to raise money for the charity’s work in the field of international child abduction.

Lady professionals joined teams from Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Julius Baer to name but a few and of course our sponsors, Credit Suisse, to battle it out on one most challenging courses in the country.  We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day weather wise.  A competitive round of golf was followed by a champagne reception and gala dinner with entertainment. The eagerly anticipated prize giving crowned the top teams, as well as many other prizes dished out for individual triumphs. 

Fundraising on the evening was a storming success and Steve Rider ensured a lively auction made a considerable contribution to the total raised. The raffle was also extremely popular as there was a chance to win some fantastic prizes. The generosity of all those in attendance resulted in the day raising around £90,000 for the charity which is a new record for the Golf Tournament. CFAB would like to sincerely thank Dr Sattaripour and the organising committee for hosting and arranging such a fantastic event. 

 

CFAB's 51st World Market - a year to remember!

Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall, London

On the 12th May 2010 CFAB held its 51st International World Market in Kensington Town Hall to raise money for the charity and the invaluable work we do with children and families.

Representatives from over 80 of London’s Diplomatic Missions hosted stalls, offering products that are unique to their country including hand made crafts, jewellery, clothing and accessories as well as delicious international food from around the world. The town hall was transformed into a colourful, exotic and lively arena for all to enjoy!

The event was filled with dynamic entertainment provided by the energetic Angolan drummers, traditional Mexican Mariachi band, Fijian warriors and performers from Sri Lanka, as well as wonderful competitions. Guests had the opportunity to win superb prizes in our raffle, tombola and silent auction including hotel stays, restaurant visits, flights and sports memorabilia. Many congratulations go to all the winners of these fantastic prizes. For a list of the raffle prize winners please click here 

We were also honoured to have our patron HRH Princess Alexandra attend our event before it opened. She thanked the stall holders and also purchased quite a few items!

We would like to thank our Committee Chairman Heather Starkey, Mrs Carmen Davies, Mrs Pauline Sieler, Mrs Caroline Stephens and Mrs Judy Chilton for all their invaluable help in making this year a great success.

 

Read about the CFAB World Market in Hello Magazine!

Read how the CFAB World Market made the news in the Philippines

Read about CFAB's 51st World Market in Diplomat Magazine

Read about the Czech Republic stall at the World Market

 

View the photogallery here

 

 

CFAB Inaugural International Child Protection Lecture

Governors House , London

On 29th April 2010 CFAB was delighted to hold its Inaugural International Child Protection Lecture with guest speaker Lord Laming.

Over 60 guests were in attendance at Governors House, London including Directors and Assistant Directors of Children’s Services throughout the London Boroughs, Senior Home Office and DCSF figures, Senior Judges and Senior Charity figures, who enjoyed a champagne reception followed by a thought provoking lecture delivered by Lord Laming entitled ' Where were you on the.." This was followed by an interactive plenary session with Alex Verdan, QC and Lord Justice Thorpe.

Please click here for a transcript of the lecture

The lecture touched on the Victoria Climbie case of 1998 to highlight the measures professionals can take to ensure that every child is properly protected. Lord Laming stressed the importance of professionals recognising what is unique to their profession and suggested a framework of thought to bear in mind to ensure that focus is always centred on the what is in the best interests of the child.

Lord Lamings 6 steps to good social work practices can be viewed here

The event was a huge success bringing professionals together in a relaxed environment to discuss vital issues affecting social work practice.

"Fantastic - very uplifting and motivational. Food, venue, people excellent. Thank you for a wonderful event."

View the photo gallery here

 

 

4th annual International Child Protection Dinner

Spanish Embassy, Belgrave Square, London

On 11th February 2010 CFAB held its fourth annual International Child Protection Dinner at the Spanish Embassy on Belgrave Square. The beautiful residence and exquisite food helped to make this evening a stunning success. With a fabulous silent auction and live auction run by our Chairman Douglas Lewis. The evening managed to generate huge income for the chrity breaking all previous records and raising an outstanding £170,000!

This is an incredible achievement for CFAB and we are enormously grateful to HRH Princess Alexandra, HE The Spanish Ambassador and Mrs Massanet and the staff at the Spanish Embassy and our ICP Events Committee for making the night a truly memorable occasion.

All the staff at CFAB would like to extend their warmest thanks to all who came to support the charity on the night.

To view the photogallery for this wonderful event please click here

 

Kuwait Embassy Charity Reception and Dinner

Kensington Palace Gardens, November 2009

On the 12th November 2009 ISS UK held a Reception and Dinner at His Excellency the Kuwait Ambassador’s Residence in Kensington. The funds raised will enable the charity to continue and expand their valuable work promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of children across international borders and helping those threatened by abduction and trafficking.

The spectacular venue coupled with the fantastic quality of food helped to make this event a real success. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere created by the Ambassador, his wife and their wonderful team that made all the guests feel relaxed and comfortable.

The Charities Chairman, Mr Douglas Lewis, took the role of auctioneer and with the help of some superb auction prizes made the bidding lively and very competitive. This helped the charity to raise over £60,000 on the evening which is an amazing achievement.

Mr Harvey McGrath, President of ISS UK, also announced that the Charity is in the process of changing its name to Children and Families Across Borders, which will be launched in the new year and hope it will help the Charity progress in the future.

Special thanks go to the ISS UK Kuwait Dinner Committee and the staff at the Kuwait Embassy for all their hard work in making this event run smoothly. The event was also fortunate to have generous individuals and sponsors that donated the prizes for the auction, which included Olympic Air, Mrs Zandra Rhodes, Mrs Irene Vasilopoulos, Mr Yannis Zounalis and Mr Gary Lewin.

Click here to see our photogallery