News Clarinet and Piano Concert in Aid of the Refugee Council 17.10.2019

'When I was ten years old I went to a screening of the film 'Nicky's Children' held by the Refugee Council. The charity joined others in paying tribute to Nicholas Winton, who, now famously, brought 669 unaccompanied refugee children to the UK, saving their lives from Nazi persecution. As is now widely known, in Prague Sir Nicholas worked to enable Jewish children to leave Czechoslovakia before the imminent total occupation of the country. He arranged for eight trains to bring the children to live in safety in the UK. These heroic acts were only made public in 1988 when the BBC reunited Sir Nicholas with some of the children he had saved in its programme, 'That’s Life!'. As a wide-eyed, admittedly deeply stubborn, ten year old, I was determined to campaign at my primary school that all money raised from bake sales and bazaars was to be donated to the Refugee Council. Now, seven years later, I am giving a clarinet recital to spread awareness of this wonderful charity that remains very close to my heart. At the end of 2018 around 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced across the world. Of these, 25.9 million were refugees, whilst 41.3 million were internally displaced within their country of origin. The asylum system in the UK is fraught with problems that compound the suffering of refugees and people seeking asylum. I am the granddaughter of a war refugee; 80 years since WW2 and worldwide, be it due to war, human rights violations, the environment, economic hardship, or political turmoil, families are still being fragmented and lives shattered. Please join me in supporting a charity whose work is so crucial in the UK and worldwide; donate and sponsor my recital. It is time we demand and push for an asylum system that is fair, humane, and effective – so that refugees can get the protection they need and have the possibility to rebuild their lives.