Letter to Enya

Dear Enya,

A quote from my diary, 1.40p.m. Sunday 10th December 1995 … ‘ finish letter & contemplate one to Enya. Her music speaks to God – do I let her know ? She must know already’.

That was written in Eilat ; the birds and plants danced to your sound.  Later, staying in the annexe of the American Colony in Jerusalem one night, even the dust particles in the air moved in time. You are blessed & Roma writes beautifully. Thank you both.

I cried to ‘Hope has a Place’, thinking back to when I was 7 & first read in the Bible about the crucifixion, crying for him then, struggling to read the words with a torch under the bedclothes after lights out at my prep school.

Saw you once when Clannad performed roughly 3 years ago at the Royal Albert Hall.

I’m nearly 42, educated at Eton & Christ Church Oxford, an organic wholesale baker for 11 years after travelling the world by land, an ex over-doer of cannabis, married 10 years (divorced for 2) & proud dad to Pippa 8 & Charlotte 5¾.

Only in the last 4½ years have I done an honest day’s work though. They came close to taking my life in December ’91 at an NHS psychiatric ‘hospital’ & I thought no, this is not good this must change. So I’ve been working voluntarily, half-time then full time in Mental Health ever since.

I help run Consumer Forum, 153 Hammersmith Road, W14 0QL (close to EMI’s new offices) a drop-in / day centre where 50+  people come in daily & we do Sunday lunch for 70/80.  Good place , Monty’s HQ in WW2 – Nazareth House down the road where Sister Celestine feeds the homeless.  Also sit on committee of APCMH, Association for Pastoral Care in Mental Health (ecumenical bunch I’m pleased to say) who are soon to have a national office bang next door to Southwark Cathedral sharing the space with the UK Federation of Smaller Mental Health Agencies. UKFSMHA was the vision of Peter Thomson (Matthew Trust) & now has the full support of some 300+ small groups all doing good work but as yet unrecognised by Parliament & worst of all the tabloid media.

If you could Enya, any cheque to the UK Federation …

It irks me to ask but please trust me.

Do write or phone.

Yours,

Jamie Summers

(Fundraiser, UKFSMHA)