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Phoenix Inspire

(The Chef and Restaurant School, Novo Selo, Bulgaria)

Update October 2009

Dear Friends,

October has been an interesting, challenging and rewarding month.  There have been a wide range of activities to keep me occupied in Novo Selo and a number of people in the UK too.

Training venue development  

The application for funding to redevelop the old restaurant:  Mitko, the architect, has almost the finished the ‘project’ and plan of the venue in readiness for presentation to the appropriate body in Sofia by the Mayor of Novo Selo.  A ‘project’ in Bulgaria is a document which seeks funding from the government or an agency to do a particular task; our task is to redevelop an old restaurant into a new training venue.  6,000 lev (£3,000) was transferred from our account in Bulgaria to the Municipality to contribute towards the payment of the application.  Our contract took a little while to get sorted.  However, after I had lost my patience with the municipality’s solicitor and told him in no uncertain terms that I was not happy, it is was ready the next day for signature!  Hopefully we will hear from the government about our application with a positive outcome.  For those who have not seen the plan, you can view it on our web page www.phoenix-inspire.org

 Our application for training status: The Chef and Restaurant School will be called Phoenix Inspire.  This might sound complicated as the charity is also called Phoenix Inspire, but as Phoenix Inspire will be leading the training in the venue, our application for National Agency for Vocation, Education and Training (NAVET) training status has to be sent using our name.  Genko managed to spend a weekend in Novo Selo with us during October so that we could complete as much as possible of the 23 page application.  This document for approved training status sets out how the Chef and Restaurant School will operate, how students’ applications will be administered, what procedures we will follow, the rights of the students, the management structure, what curriculum we will deliver, who will deliver and other rules and regulations, many of them statute in Bulgaria.  Our application will enable us to teach and train Bakers, Butchers, Chefs, Pastry Chefs, Restaurant and Bar staff at different levels.

 As we are a young organisation with little history we were advised by NAVET to seek partners to make our application stronger.  With this in mind, Valentin and I met with the Director (Principal) of Vidin College on 30^th October.  Fortunately Vidin College has a catering department.  Whilst it is in no way comparative to catering departments in the UK, members of staff who teach catering are approved to teach in Bulgaria.  Our meeting was extremely popular and as a result, the Chef and Restaurant will be recognised by Vidin College as a partner institution.  As a result, our application to NAVET, highlighting this partnership becomes even stronger.  Added to this I will also be adding the international names of partners who have agreed to support the Chef and Restaurant School through exchanges, mentorship, secondments and training, including one in France.  More about this in the November update.

To make it even stronger we approached the Vidin Enterprise Centre to discuss how we could support an application to establish a trans-border initiative with Serbia and Romania.  We spoke to the Director of the Enterprise Centre about our work, our aims and our intentions with great success.  It transpired that the Enterprise Centre is an approved training centre sanctioned by NAVET.  As a result of our constructive dialogue I was invited to use their training centre status whilst our application proceeds; a great outcome.  I am now planning a series of free seminars and demonstrations to the local hospitality industry during which I can promote Phoenix Inspire to a wider audience.

Based upon Kate’s question in September about what happens at Christmas in the Home, we offered to organise Christmas presents for all the children.  We are now collecting presents for 69 children; 49 from the Children’s Home, 12 from families identified by Social Service as being in poverty and 8 from the Kinder Garten in Vruv.  Thankfully a number of people are helping to achieve this worthy cause; Nigel Whiteley at City College Norwich, Kevin Buck at North Herts College, Jeremy Curtis in Peterborough and Mandy Dixon in Scarborough.  A number of organisations are sorting out 69 Christmas boxes for the children.  Each child will be given their Christmas box by Father Christmas on December 25^th by Nick our Father Christmas for the day.  I will be travelling back to Bulgaria in December with these items in the lorry.

Following on from our presentation of gifts to the Children’s Home in September, financial support was offered towards presents for local children.  When Valentin asked the Director of the Social Services ‘what do you think we should spend the money on’; he was told winter boots.  So with this in mind and with thanks to Sophie my eldest daughter and her boss Sue we have organised the supply of 49 pairs of winter boots via Asda in Grimsby.  I shall not embarrass those who offered their financial support, it goes without saying, thank you.  It is greatly appreciated.  Like the Christmas boxes, I will be taking the boots back with me in the lorry in December.

In September I asked for videos suitable for children for the Kinder Garten and Children’s Home.  The response was amazing and within a matter of days I had sufficient videos.  As we had so many duplications we donated videos to the Kinder Gartens of Novo Selo and Vruv.  Whilst we were at Vruv we also donated a computer and printer, blackboards with chalks, a range of toys and a video player.

Anything that happens in Novo Selo never fails to surprise me.  However, during October I received an email from a fan of Phoenix Inspire with a couple of pictures of herself and a group of children at the Children’s Home.  After a couple of more emails I found out that Mandy Dixon, from Scarborough had been helping the children of Novo Selo herself.  I am pleased to say that we are now working together to meet the same common goal. I will be taking some of her goods including blankets, to Bulgaria in the lorry too.

Finances: We now have our own bank account in Bulgaria.  Our account is held in Piraeus Bank, Vidin.  Unfortunately, as I type all funds donated and collected are now exhausted.  The majority of the money has been spent on transporting all the equipment and other goods to Bulgaria including the purchase of the lorry.  The purchase of the lorry has paid for itself and saved us over £3,000.  I have sufficient funds to pay for travel back to Bulgaria.  Hopefully in November I will be able to let you know that we have our own charitable status here in the UK.  Thank you to Hugh Russell of the Bulgaria Project for looking after and distributing all funds donated to Phoenix Inspire.

Other: We have some spectacles donated already.  However, there are more people in need than we have spectacles for, so if you or your friends have and spare specs please let me know.

I am currently in the UK working, collecting equipment for the Chef and Restaurant School and goods for the children.  I fly back to Bulgaria on November 18^th, returning on or around 28^th then setting off in the lorry on 12^th December and calling into London on Sunday 13^th before going through Dover at 1600hrs on 13^th.

We could do with some publicity in order to progress that little further.  Does anyone know how I can get a TV company to do a documentary of Phoenix Inspire or an article in a national paper? 

Please pass on details of Phoenix Inspire’s web site www.phoenix-inspire.org and our page on Facebook to friends and work mates where possible.  On behalf of the less fortunate of Novo Selo, thank you all once more for all your support.

Best wishes www.phoenix-inspire.org