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As the summer holidays approach, we wanted to take the opportunity to give you a round up of what has been going in at Prospero of late, inspire you with a recommended reading list for your summer holidays, and share top tips with you for the Venice 10k race which will be taking place in the Autumn.
An Overview of Recent Events
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Ek Tara, 2nd July 2022
It was inspirational to hear from Vinita Saraf, founder of one of our adopted charities, Ek Tara who is visiting London from Kolkata. On the 2nd July, we hosted an informal talk at The Hillgate Pub in Notting Hill Gate. Vinita told us about the extraordinary work they have been doing in Kolkata especially during COVID lockdowns.
Ek tara provides first class English- medium educational interventions, supporting girls and their families to flourish. We were especially pleased to welcome some younger guests who asked excellent questions.
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The Trojan Women Project, 27th June
On 27th June, we were also delighted to support our partners at the Trojan Women Project with Artists for Refugees, a Contemporary Art Auction held in collaboration with KHARPP and SET, and hosted by Harry Dalmeny, Chairman of Sotheby’’’s UK. The evening was held in aid of Ukkrainina Refugees and work being undertaken to support them.
The Trojan Women Project have successfully launched their refugee theatre programme, Trojans 22. The project will work with refugees, including Ukrainina Refugees who have newly arrived in Britain. If you would like to combine the purchase of some great art with supporting them, please have a look or better still visit the gallery in South Kensington. The auction will be closing soon.
(Image: Daria Kovtun - 'Hotel Ukraine')
Blind Ambition, 16th June
Our board member Alicia Eastman invited us to a pre-screening of Blind Ambition, a documentary about four Zimbabwean refugees who were forced to flee their home country in search of a better life. They become Africa’s best and most unlikely sommeliers and compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships – the Olympics of the wine world.. The screening raised £90,000 in aid of the IRC Zimbabwe. The film will be released September 2, 2022. We highly recommend it!
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Upcoming....
We look forward to hosting you in the first week of September (date TBC) at a talk by cultural historian, wine writer and best selling author, Tilar Mazzeo. Her latest Book “Sisters in Resistence” is ‘the extraordinary true story of the unlikely friendship between three women: Mussolini’s daughter, a German spy and an American socialite who conspired to assist the Allies and whose lives were drawn together in one of the most unlikely rescues of the second World War.’
The talk will be introduced by the daughter of one of these heroines, Jacqueline de Chollet who will be hosting the evening at The Sloane Club.
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Summer Reading: Prospero and Prospero’s Friends Recommend….
Please don’t forget to always purchase from Amazon Smile and support your charity of choice. To select Prospero World click here.
Agata Sivokhin, recommends: My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird by Afghan Women which includes the afterword from Lucy Hannah, Founder of our Adopted Charity Untold.
"Powerful, profound and deeply moving, new fiction by Afghan women writers will expand your mind and elevate your heart"
ELIF SHAFAK
Sita Schutt, Founder of Prospero World recommends: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie-Garmus
She says “I adored this book.
A brilliant and inspiring protagonist, a genius dog, lots of actual chemistry and some hilarious cooking. “
Charlotte Eagar, co-founder of The Trojan Women Project recommends:
Alevtina Nepomniachtchikh, founder of Phoenix Space recommends:
Zero: the Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
Elizabeth Chatalas Benoit recommends: The Soil will save us by Kristen Ohlson. She says "A practical, accessible and effective solution to climate change? No, it’s not science fiction.
This inspiring read with a colourful cast of characters in soil health, will re-ignite your optimism for our future.”
Elisabeth Kendall, Founder of Mahra Youth Unity Association recommends: The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin.
Elisabeth says: “a wonderfully vibrant who dunnit set in Imperial Russia, with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your sun-lounger and a hero with whom you end up in love.”
Anna-Louisa Psarras recommends “Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and its silent past”.
This work of non fiction examines "the pact of forgetting" and why some of Europe's most voluble people have kept silent so long.
Penny Richardson, Trustee of Prospero World recommends "The Chosen" by Elizabeth Lowry, a remarkable portrait of the remorse that followed the death of Thomas Hardy's wife Emma, and the poetry it inspired.
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And Finally....Running Tips for Those Preparing for Venice.
For those of you who are going to start training for the Venice Marathon, below are some top tips from Alberto Camponaro, our health and well-being partner. Alberto and Marco who founded The Running Mind will be giving a talk for us early in September watch this space for dates. You can also contact them directly if you would like to train in person.
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I am unfit - how do I start if I want to run 10K by October?
The best and safest train to run 10k if you never run or very little is to brisk walk. Walking fast improves your cardiovascular system preparing the bones and tendons for the running load. Aim to build up gradually a 60 mins brisk walk in couple of weeks. After that, you can implement 1-2 minutes of running alternated to 2 minutes brisk walk for 4-5 times, slowly increasing the number of sets. Eg. 20 walk + 2’ run / 2’ walk (x5 sets) + 20’ walk. Every week aims to increase 1’or 30” the running time. Recommendation: do not increase the speed if you are increasing the time spent running.
I am reasonably fit but I don't run: how should I train?
Depending on your sports background, running can be easy and natural or extremely exhausting. Keeping in mind that what you have done in the past matters, build up slowly the minutes that you run during the week. At the beginning it is not important how fast you run but how long you can run. This will give you the possibility to have solid fundamental skills reducing the risk of injury. Do not run for your ego, but for your wellbeing. Slowly increase the volume (distance or time) and not speed.
I am a runner: what should I do to prevent injury?
If you don’t want to get injured do not run. Joking aside, the benefits of running outweighs all the possible risk of injuries, so do not be scared and keep going. Bear in mind that the most common mistake in runners is trying to be faster and faster every run. Nothing is worse than focusing blindly on pace and time. After couple of weeks it may limit the benefits increasing the risk of overtraining and injury. The best tips is to alternate easy runs at slow pace to other runs alternating minutes of fast and slow pace (called intervals or fartlek). Differentiating the runs, allow the body to improve different skills recovering from the stress of the faster runs. Whenever you reach a plateau the next step may be to increase the time of the slow runs. Safety first. Speed will come.