Dear Everyone,

Following the success of the inaugural Firefly Camp in 2013, Becks and Mungo would like to invite you to camp on Saturday 11th July at our home in Gloucestershire. Firefly is a Charity set up by Mungo's cousin Ellie Constable Maxwell. The camp is open to anyone, and will include many children’s activities, a barbecue and live music. More details are set out below, and will be updated as the camp draws nearer.

As many of you will know my cousin, Ellie Maxwell passed away from cancer in April 2010. We were born 6 months apart and both spent our childhoods growing up together in Alresford. Ellie and I spent two months together in Mostar, Bosnia at the start of our gap year. We arrived in Mostar, following the cease-fire in 2006. Mostar had been at the epicentre of much of the Yugoslavian conflict. From the start, Ellie's exceptional personality stood out.  She quickly became fluent in Serbo-croat and worked with enormous enthusiasm and energy in the youth centres set up by her father's charity, Terre des Hommes. The children in the centres came from different ethnic factions, torn apart by the conflict. Ellie's warm personality and amazing sense of humour meant that all the children she met were completely at ease in her presence. Nearly all the children had some tragic story to tell from their experiences and Ellie was able to naturally draw these tales out. The centres provided a safe haven for the children, regardless of their ethnic background and an environment within which their emotional recovery could begin. The seeds were sewn for a life-long devotion of Ellie's to the Children of Bosnia.  Ellie set up the charity, Firefly, in her first year as an undergraduate at Edinburgh University. She arranged youth camps, art workshops and festivals in Brcko, Bosnia. Ellie won a variety of awards for her involvement with Firefly, including being presented with Young Achiever of the Year by the Queen. Ellie ended her life at a tragically young age. However, the legacy she created in improving the lives of so many Bosnian children lives on. With your help, Firefly can continue to fund a fully equipped youth centre in Brcko, Bosnia as well as other projects in war-torn countries.

A link to Ellie's obituary in The Independent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ellie-maxwell-aid-worker-who-founded-the-charity-firefly-international-1688480.html \u2028\u2028

Donations:

Any donations to Firefly through the just giving website would be much appreciated. We would suggest a figure of around £50 for a family ticket (to include camping, barbecue supper and all the activities), but any contribution would be greatly appreciated.

The Camp:

When? Saturday 11th July 2015 (arrive any time)

Where? Lords Hill, Ashleworth, Gloucester. GL19 4JG

In the Orchard

Activities (start at 2pm)

Swimming (out door pool)

Art work-shops (children and adults)

Bar

Tractor Rides

mini-Tennis, Football, Croquet, Badminton

Bouncy Castle

Barbecue from 6 pm.

Directions (copy and paste into your web browser)

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=208505011829345095886.0004d846f7a5204d81657&msa=0&ll=51.928919,-2.271252&spn=0.049857,0.110035

Contacts:

Mungo and Becks Chambers (Tel: 01452 700726/ 07789545554. Email: mungochambers@hotmail.com)

Lords Hill, The Village, Ashleworth, Gloucester. GL19 4JG

About Firefly: 

http://www.fireflyinternational.org/

  

Firefly works to build peace in divided communities around the world by supporting children and young people from different backgrounds to form friendships and mutual respect. It brings young people together in positive, fun and life-affirming activities ranging from music-making to theatre groups. These young people go on to become ambassadors for peace within their own families and communities both today and as adults. In this way Firefly is tackling conflict now as well as planting the seeds of peace for the future.

  

Children and young people play a vital role in preventing violent conflict and building peaceful societies. Where young people form friendships that cut across social, political or religious boundaries, they can and do help to avert conflict and assist societies to recover from war. Where young people from different backgrounds are supported to celebrate what they have in common this can and does break down tensions and distrust and help warring communities to reconcile and unite.

  

Without Firefly thousands more children would be growing up in conflict. Many communities would still be at war with each other. Lives would have been lost and futures condemned to poverty and lack of opportunity.