On Saturday 2nd December I held a fundraising lecture in aid of IFAW (International Fund for Animal welfare). The projector worked and the sound system didn't fail me so, as far as I'm concerned, it couldn't have gone better! To all of you that came (200+), thank you so, so much for your support and generosity both in terms of giving your time to attend and the money you parted with. The exact figure was just shy of £2400 of which, approximately, £900 was from raffle ticket sales alone. Incredible!
So, why did I decide to do the talk in the first place? I’ve been giving lectures to all manner of groups throughout the UK for over 25 years and in that time would give in the region of 20 talks per year. Returning to these clubs is always an enjoyable experience as many who first saw me all those years ago continue to do so to this day with many becoming firm friends. It’s great going to a club and seeing so many familiar faces. They, more than anyone else, have watched me grow and develop as a photographer. Over the last few years, however, my number of speaking engagements has dropped considerably to less than half a dozen each year due to the sheer number of photography workshops and overseas tours that I now lead. And so, a while ago I came up with an idea. If I can’t go to them, then perhaps they could come to me! Nature has given me so much over the years (much, much more than just a living) and being that I will have a captive audience it seems the perfect opportunity to raise funds for a charitable organisation that do a considerable amount for animal welfare across the globe – the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). We are all very much aware of the plight of our planet and animal species that we live alongside need our help, now, more than ever.
