London, November 2015. An inaugural meeting of the Executive Committee of the Portuguese Centenary Appeal took place on 3 November 2015 at the Calvary and Guards Club in London W1.
Among those attending the meeting where Anthony Bailey, Chairman of Anthony Bailey Ltd, Major Bernard Hornung, Chairman of the Anglo-Portuguese Society, The Rev Fr Ulick Loring, Parish Priest of Church of St James in Twickenham, Dr Xhoana Papakostandini, Chief of Staff to Anthony Bailey and Jane Cliffe, Secretary of the Anglo-Portuguese Society.
At the meeting it was agreed to formally establish an Appeal Fund which would be called the Portuguese Centenary Appeal. It was agreed that Anthony Bailey would become Chairman, Major Bernard Hornung to be Vice Chairman and the Rev Fr Ulick Loring to lead the Executive Committee.
Major Bernard Hornung, informed the meeting of two planned events which would take place in 2016 at which retiring collections will be made to the benefit of the Portuguese Centenary Appeal. These included a Special Evensong service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday 9 May 2016 at 5:15pm and a Solemn Requiem Mass at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London SW1 on 22 July 2016 at noon.
At the meeting it was agreed that the renovation and redecoration of St James’s Church will form part of the appeal as the Church has important Portuguese connections through historic and contemporary figures. The exiled King Manuel II of Portugal was a prominent parishioner of the church until his death in 1932 and in conjunction with the local authorities plans are being considered for the erection of a statue in honour of Portugal’s last monarch.
The meeting also proved to be an excellent opportunity to identify further events can be incorporated into the programme of the Appeal, such as educational activities engaging the local community, schools and universities.
To find out more about The Anglo-Portuguese Society, please visit their website: https://www.angloportuguesesociety.org.uk
To read more about St James’s Church, please visit their website: https://stjamestwickenham.org.uk
