There was sooo much which was quite special……………

Hope House always ends the year with its Open Day. Open Day is such a happy occasion and this year was no exception. But to add a special dimension we were treated to very beautiful music created by the string trio Marianne and Allan Mclean and Sandy Orchard.   As in the past, the garden was filled with satisfied visitors enjoying a beautiful tea as well as buying small items made by our residents.  In the games room, art of a high standard was displayed as well as moving poetry written by the residents.  We thank Sue Miller our Skills Therapist for her dedication and hard work and gently assisting the residents to produce such works of excellence.  

The Christmas party was a Wow. Sherezaan, our house mother is an excellent cook, and with money donated by our bridge ladies, Jacky, Benita, Joy, Lynn and Eleanore as well as the Fish-wives club she served up a feast.   This is the sixth year the bridge ladies have donated their bridge losses to Hope House Trust to assist in providing a delicious meal.

The residents have enjoyed varied outings this year.  They went to Muizenberg where they visited the Het Posthuys one of the oldest buildings in South Africa followed by a walk on the beach and a meal at Knead. On another occasion a coffee morning and a visit to an art exhibition and finally the residents were treated to the movie “Mama Mia here we go again” which they so enjoyed.

We always have a few community projects. The staff at Brown and Annie Lawrence Home in Pinelands asked if Hope House could produce some colourful drawings to be turned into place mats. They were thrilled with the art work the residents produced which helped to brighten up the dining room tables.  Our other community project - filling coke bottles with plastic is progressing slowly with team work. Regular visits to Helen Keller where the residents entertain the ladies to musical concerts is always popular.   

Our ever-popular book-sale in May was once again a huge success. This was our 10^th book-sale! Our hosts Lizette and Mike Nash once again opened their home to provide us with a special venue to serve tea and display our books. This fundraiser raised R22 880.00. Sadly Mike Nash passed on in July. The book sale will be held at Hope House next year.

In September delighted supporters filled the Hyslop Hall, Bishops for a very special soiree by Beverley Holman, Marianne and Allan McLean and Colleen Oxtoby. What a treat it was and supporters were able to enjoy the excellent music with delicious wines donated for the evening. We are most grateful to these artists and the R18000 raised will assist us in buying our pool cover.

In October Chris Bertie very generously donated two nights in the tented Luxury Kuzuko lodge at Addo with all meals and game drives included. Raffle tickets raised an unbelievable R24,200.00. The biggest seller was Hope House resident Renee Rode who raised R7,500.00. 

We were delighted when Anne Campbell drew the lucky ticket as she had previously opened her garden as a fundraiser. David Borman is seen making the draw.

During the year the residents enjoyed singing with Marianne and Allan Mclean, Line dancing with Lynette Resnick, aerobics with Allyson Berrange and Linda Stephens and games with Betty Solomon.

And then there was the BAD……………………

Hope House struggled with the drought and water restrictions. All residents and staff stuck to the rules of “when its yellow let it mellow”. Water charts were kept. Buckets were carried and tanks were bought from donations. Unfortunately, the pool developed a leak and got greener and greener. In October the Trustees invited the parents and staff to a meeting at Vincent Pallotti to discuss the way forward. Vincent Pallotti kindly donated their conference room to us. We decided to try and keep the pool going and look for a future plan. We will continue fundraising to assist us with solving this problem.

Sadly times must change. David Borman, a founder Trustee and a firm believer in the importance of Hope House Trust retired as a Trustee. We owe much of the success of Hope House to his hard work and many hours spent. However, we are delighted to introduce our two new Trustees, Jane Durham and Paul Rode. Together with Grant Mackintosh we have three energetic siblings who will continue guaranteeing the excellence of the Hope House Trust.   

We thank the many supporters of Hope House Trust. Whether it is the Woolies Collection ladies, the book clubs who donate their books to us, or the large donors who continue to support us. We thank our auditors HVM, our Maintenance Man, Tom Fair, our accountant Sherry Templeton Grobler. We thank our staff, Sue, Bonita, Sherezaan, Charmaine, Belinda, Zukiswa, Leticia and Stanley.

Our recent notifications have been sent through our website. If you did not receive these could you please email me so that I can update the supporter's list. 

Should you wish to send us a donation our banking details are Hope House Trust, FNB Rondebosch code 201507 A/C 62021701009. We will gladly provide you with a tax certificate.

And finally, on behalf of the Trustees, staff and residents of Hope House I thank you for your continued interest in Hope House. We also take this opportunity of wishing you happiness, good health and joy in 2019.