2023 marks The Rural Coffee Caravan’s 20th year. During those twenty years, we have grown from one little caravan and one part time project manager making about 20 visits a year – to 4 vehicles, 8 staff, and a multitude of volunteers making around 400* visits a year with 4 extra networks across all aspects of community.
Everyone’s Business
We believe that loneliness is everyone’s business and that involving both voluntary and commercial elements of community life help to make sure no one is left behind.
We have been busy marking our 20th Anniversary with a variety of fundraising activities, to enable us to urgently replace two of our vehicles and ‘keep the wheels turning’ on the services we provide.
Rallying together
Earlier in the year we sent out a call for help to the villages that we visit and we are so grateful to those supporting us with fundraising activities and donations – from coffee mornings, raffles and fetes to music nights, themed quizzes and sales of handmade textiles. One village has made us their ‘charity of the year’ and is supporting us not with a single event, but through a variety of different activities they are undertaking throughout the year. We’ll report more later in the year. We are also grateful to others – charitable organisations who have newly discovered us, and to anonymous individuals, who have got in touch to make a contribution toward our fundraising goal.
Friends of The Rural Coffee Caravan held a fundraising event for the charity in July, and we are so grateful to them for all their hard work and enthusiasm in organising the event. The occasion was kindly hosted by Old Buckenham Hall – who generously donated the use of their events marquee and kitchen facilities. Our warmest gratitude to Becky Griffiths and OBH also.
An archive exhibition of the Coffee Caravan’s journey as a charity over the last 20 years was on display at the event, along with an array of information about the networks, initiatives and projects we undertake today. Talented harpist Xenia Horne, who has played for us on other occasions, delighted guests with a backdrop of her exquisite music.
…Don’t forget the cake!
RCC team member, Diana, along with a team of tea pouring and coffee making volunteers, delivered an amazing, supersized, ‘Coffee Caravan’ style spread to everyone attending. RCC volunteers, Trustees and members of the team were on hand to chat with guests and answer any questions. We were privileged to have in attendance Clare, Countess of Euston, who cut our special anniversary cake, which had been made by Debbie Lock of Little Barn Cakes from Stoke by Nayland, in the style of our caravan teapot logo.
Speeches of gratitude and calls for support were made by RCC Founder – Canon Rev Sally Fogden; Patron – Stephen Miles, and Chief Exec – Ann Osborn.
Commemorative Catch Up
As part of the marking of The Rural Coffee Caravan’s 20th Anniversary, we have also produced a commemorative issue of our ‘Catch Up’ magazine, charting the charity’s 20 year progress and achievements. You can read a digital copy of it here.
Are we nearly there yet?
So far we have raised enough money to replace one of the vehicles but more support is still very much needed and fundraising continues to reach our target for the second vehicle. If you, or your village, would like to offer your support and get involved in fundraising for us, we’d love to hear from you. Email us here.
Please help us by also sharing the link to our Local Giving page with anyone in your own networks.
(*404 visits were made in 2022)
