07/09/2026
Hi friends and family
This week’s blog emotional and truly unforgettable week. Saying goodbye all week, while preparing for Saturday’s farewell and 20th anniversary celebration, left me an emotional wreck!
And then Saturday finally arrived. Once again, my community came together in the incredible way they first did for me 20 years ago. What a day! I simply cannot thank you all enough for the overwhelming love, support and celebration.
A huge thank you to my friend Margaret and to two of my sisters, one of whom travelled all the way from Germany to help. They spent the afternoon serving food from the van, freeing me up to enjoy the celebrations with the occasional quality-control check, of course!
Thank you to Kim for keeping the café running through all those food and drink orders, and to Annie for kindly popping in on Friday to ice our beautiful celebration cake.
Massive thanks to Chris and Hamish for organising the music, and to all the wonderful friends who put up the gazebos, decorated everything and blew up what felt like a million balloons!
Thank you to Adrianna and Betty for capturing the day on film and camera, and to everyone who has sent me photos since. You know how much I love photos, and they mean so much to me!
We were honoured to welcome the Mayor of Reading, Matt Rodda MP, and a representative from the Ethiopian Embassy in London, who presented me with a certificate of appreciation. All three speeches were incredibly powerful and emotional and then it was my turn to speak!
Standing there surrounded by so many old and new friends was completely overwhelming. I honestly cannot find enough words to express how much your love and support means to me. Please just know that every single one of you has a very special place in my heart.
And the day still wasn’t over! After the celebration, we went straight on to cater for a private book launch, feeding more than 30 people. A big thank you to another member of my team, Mel, for stepping in that evening and helping us.
What a wonderful evening and what an incredible week! Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for making these last days so incredibly special. I will carry the memories wherever I go.
