Those of you who did not attend our Gala Dinner on Saturday missed out on a real treat!..

The date was set several months ago, and the Council Officers started working immediately... Baring in mind that, back home, Mother's Day is celebrated on March 21st, it was decided that the theme of the Event should be to celebrate all mothers..

Along those lines, we decided to name the tables after some Pioneering Arab Women throughout history.. The search yielded an impressive list of prominent Arab women who have made an impact in their individual fields.. The 'shortlist' was narrowed down to 19, the number of tables we had... A short resumé for each of these women, in Arabic and in English, was printed on the Table Name cards.. To ensure that everyone had the opportunity to find out about all these remarkable women, all the resumés were put together in a short leaflet that was put on all the tables, along with copies of our latest Newsletter...

After the main course, Samera welcomed the guests who came from all over the UK, including delegations from the Syrian British Medical Society and the Syrian Arab Association in the UK. After that, the Singer Yahia Abousaada took to the floor with a series of delightful songs and tunes.. The guests started flocking to the dance floor, once they finished their meal, and the evening came to life!...

At the short break, Ayman spoke briefly about the SOS Children's Villages, the Charity that we are supporting, and encouraged the guests to visit the Charity Stalls, and to buy raffle tickets, the proceeds of which, he emphasized, will all go to the Syrian Arab Association for SOS Children's Villages. He then spoke a few words about our Guest of Honour, Mr Wadi Nassar OBE, before presenting him with an Honorary Membership of Syrian Friends in Britain. Mr Nassar, who was genuinely touched by the gesture, responded with a short speech, thanking the SFiB Council for this acknowledgement, and pledging to do all he can to help and support the Society and its aims.

The music, and the singing and dancing, then resumed, and carried on till Midnight.. Then, Hunadda and Waseem, two of our young Members, delivered a touching tribute to all Mothers, which was followed by a parade of beautifully decorated cakes, complete with lit sparklers, that were delivered to each table... At the same time, a few of our young Members handed individually wrapped roses to all the mothers in attendance..

After another session of music, singing and dancing, Faten and Fawaz supervised the raffle draw, and a few lucky guests one a number of valuable prizes. Fawaz announced that the total sum raised for the SOS Children's Villages, including the money raised on our Charity Concert two weeks ago, reached just under £6,000, an impressive figure by any standard!..

Yahia then returned for his finale, to thrill the audience with a beautiful rendition of some classical Arabic songs, to wind the Party down to an exhilarating finish...

Once again, our Council Officers, our Members, and our friends, have proven that hard work and dedication will be rewarded.. The reward was to see our guests having a wonderful time, enjoying each other's company, and appreciating the delicate touches and the delightful details that the Organizing Committee has provided.

Our thanks and gratitude go to all the Council Officers for their hard work in organizing this event, and to all those who helped on the night, particularly Hunadda Sabbagh and Waseem Aldeek for their excellent delivery of the beautiful piece that was written by Dana Jundi, Deema Al-Mohammad and Khaled Tayan for handing out the roses, Hala and Dana Jundi for their help in selling the raffle tickets, and, of course, the beautiful Sophia Abdulnabi, who picked the winning raffle tickets..

So, another very successful event comes to an end, and the SFiB moves to plan our next activity, a Dish Party at Motram St Andrews... We look forward to seeing you all...

And if you cannot wait till next time, click here to view the photos...

Would like to invite you to

Our Annual Gala Dinner

on Saturday, 20th March 2010

At the Radisson Manchester Airport Hotel

Chicago Avenue, Manchester M90 3RA

Drinks Reception at 7:30 pm

Dinner starts promptly at 8:30 pm

Carriages at 01:00 am

Menu

Roast Vegetable Terrine with Red Onion Confit & Toasted Brioche

Tender Roasted Rump of Lamb (Halal)

with Scallop Potato Lyonnaise, Grain Mustard Sauce

and Seasonal Vegetables

Vegetarian Option

Penne with Roast Mediterranean Vegetables & Roast Tomato Sauce

(Please request your vegetarian option at the time of booking)

Fruit Platter

Fresh Brewed Tea & Coffee with Petit Fours

Dinner will be followed by Quality Live Arabic Entertainment

Tickets:

SFiB Members £45 per person

Non-SFiB Members £50 per person

Please make your cheques payable to:

‘Syrian Friends in Britain’

Guarantee your place by ensuring early payment

Parking

Car Parking at the Hotel, subject to availability, is charged at £3 per car

for the duration of the event

Please get the Car Park Ticket validated at ‘Level 3 Reception’

Accommodation

The SFiB has negotiated an excellent accommodation package at the Radisson

Double and Single Rooms are available at £75.00 per room (Breakfast included)

A limited number of Family Rooms (Two adjoining Double Rooms) is available at £155 (Breakfast included)

Overnight Car Park £5 per car

We sincerely hope that you will join us in what promises to be

a classy and enjoyable evening

To book your places, please send your cheques and contact details to

Mrs Samera Tayan, 1 Bridge Drive, Cheadle, Stockport SK8 1HN

For further information, please contact the Activities and Social Affairs Officers

Mrs Heba Abu-Kalam This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mrs Lena Amir Baurak This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mrs Samera Tayan This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it