We need your support!
The Ball will be a fun, light-hearted evening, which remembers a significant moment in European history.
But it does have a serious purpose: to give the proceeds to charity. Within our community there are those who suffer pain, distress and illness. We must do everything we can to help them. Raising funds for worthy charities is one way of pursuing this aim.
The following charities are being supported in 2014:
- Project Hougoumont – www.projecthougoumont.com
Project Hougoumont is a heritage project aimed at saving Hougoumont Farm from ruin. The decisive role that the farm played in the Battle of Waterloo was best summed up in the Duke of Wellington’s own words: “The success of the battle turned upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont.” The aims of the project are two-fold: to ensure the restoration of the site, and to create a living memorial for visitors worldwide who are interested in the historical lessons of this battle. Hougoumont will be a site of remembrance and reconciliation, as well as a centre for education and debate. - Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital – www.huderf.be
Inaugurated in 1986, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital is the only Belgian university hospital entirely dedicated to children’s medicine: everything is conceived for the children and their parents. From birth to adolescence, the children receive the most complete care guided by the charter of hospitalized child’s rights. With a capacity of 168 medico-surgical beds, QFCUH accommodates more than 11,000 children annually. The ambulatory sector (consultations and emergencies) is one of the most important in Belgium and receives more than 120,000 patients each year. QFCUH is also a public hospital (Brussels network IRIS) guaranteeing quality care and modern medicine accessible to all children. - the British Charitable Fund – www.bcfund.be The BCF is intimately connected with the event being celebrated, being founded immediately after the Battle of Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington, who remains its Patron, to help survivors and their dependants.
The Fund is very active today in supporting members of the British community in conditions of need, hardship or distress, often as a last resort when family, friends or institutions cannot provide. It is a registered charity for fiscal purposes, relying solely on donations. - the Royal British Legion Brussels branch – www.britishlegion.be, has a mixture of British and Belgian members, and in addition to organizing the annual Poppy Appeal provides welfare for a number of ex-servicemen or women, including hospital and home visits and financial assistance.
- the Community Help Service – www.chsbelgium.org, established 40 years ago, offers confidential support to English-speaking people of any nationality via a Help Line and a Mental Health Centre. CHS is a registered not-for-profit organization run by trained volunteers and professional staff, and depends totally on donations.
