Posts Tagged ‘Cake’

Kennington Fete: Diamond Way Buddhism raises money for local charities

Posted on: July 29th, 2013 No Comments

Volunteers from Diamond Way Buddhism again manned a cake stall at the Kennington fete this year. They rolled up their sleeves, got their oven gloves out of the cupboard, and baked their socks off. Kennington Fete is one of the brightest spots in the Kennington community calendar, and for good reason.
For one lovely sunny afternoon on Sunday 7th July, dozens of Kennington businesses and organisations came together for an afternoon of fun and fundraising. There were attractions too numerous to mention, including Punch & Judy, a human fruit machine, plenty of food and drink stalls and a pop-up bar from the local Black Prince pub.
All proceeds from the event went to Kennington community “Dragon’s Den” and local charities.
At the London Diamond Way Buddhist centre we are spoiled with excellent cooks, and the fruits of their labour were very well received by the cake-loving public. We also enjoyed taking part and visiting the other attractions, and look forward to the next Kennington Fete.

Setting up the Diamond Way cake stall at the Kennington FeteKennington Fayre cake stand from the Diamond Way London Buddhist centreKids enjoying our cake at the Kennington Fete

 

Beaufoy Institute Open Days: Diamond Way Buddhist centre invites Lambeth for tours and tea

Posted on: May 12th, 2013 No Comments

The Beaufoy Institute has been empty for over a decade, and many Lambeth residents who walk down Black Prince Road often look at the grand facade of number 39 and would very much like to see the inside. That was never possible – until this April. Having taken ownership in January 2013, the charity Diamond Way Buddhism UK, which is renovating the building as a Buddhist centre, opened the doors for the first Open Days on the weekend of 27-28 April.

The Open Days showed the past, present and future of the Beaufoy Institute. Photographs of children attending lessons in the Beaufoy when it was a technical school were exhibited on the wall in the main hall. We were even lucky enough to have a visitor who happened to be a former student of the Beaufoy Institute. He was able to tell us many stories of what life was like for the students in the old days.

Photographs of the children studying in the old Beaufoy InstituteStands about Diamond Way at the Beaufoy InstituteOpen Days at the Diamond Way Buddhist CentreOur visitors to the Open Days were a cross-section of Lambeth residents

We also exhibited architectural drawings of Diamond Way’s plans to renovate the building into a Buddhist centre. And in one room, there was a video touring different Diamond Way Buddhist centres around the world, showing how volunteers have renovated beautiful and historical buildings, transforming them into vibrant meditation centres while carefully conserving the beauty and listed features.
And of course, being British, there was tea and cake.

After the Kennington Fayre, the Diamond Way centre is now known for delicious cakesLambeth residents talk with our architectVisitors in the meditation room in what will be the new Buddhist centrePlans for the Beaufoy as Diamond Way Buddhist centre

As there are so many interesting architectural features to the Beaufoy, we gave regular guided tours around the building. The history of the Beaufoy family’s philanthropy, how they built Ragged Schools in Lambeth, and the original features of the Institute such as the Cockrill-Doulton tiles, made for fascinating tours.
Some visitors were themselves very knowledgeable about local history, and told us about the Black Prince, after whom Black Prince Road is made, and the Duchy of Cornwall’s ownership of the area and how it had changed over the years.

Over the two days, more than a hundred Lambeth residents dropped in to visit us, having seen our sign on the pavement, or heard about it through friends. Everyone was impressed with the progress made so far in cleaning up the building, and with the plans that we have for it. One recurring theme was how happy people are that “someone is now taking care of the building”. Many people signed up for more information on the various art, renovation, and history projects run or planned by the Friends of the Beaufoy group. Several people also expressed an interest in learning Buddhist meditation.
Everyone wished us well with our work, and lots of visitors left touching comments in the comment book.

Lovely to see the Beaufoy in use.

Thankyou and good luck! Welcome to Kennington!

Really fabulous space. Good to see the old building being loved.

Very encouraging. Looking forward to the final opening.

Thanks for today’s viewing and tour. As a past student of the school it is good to see the new exciting project the building is to be used for.

What an amazing place! Thank you for opening the doors this weekend, a wonderful insight into this beautiful Lambeth landmark! Your neighbour (Orsett Street)

The tour of the Beaufoy Institute, looking out onto Black Prince RoadThe tour of the Beaufoy InstituteComments for the Beaufoy Open DaysWe received pages of supportive comments in the Visitors' Book

Diamond Way cakes at Kennington Village Fete

Posted on: June 5th, 2012

After an epic bake-athon the day before, a Diamond Way team brought cakes galore to the Kennington Fete in Cleaver Square on Sunday 27th May where thousands of locals enjoyed a day out in glorious sunshine.

The team sold hundreds of slices of cake along with donations from the Tommyfield pub, a 12 year old local resident and Fete organiser Alex (with his glorious organic chocolate mousse). To add to the festivities, the team also hosted a “Guess the Weight” competition with a splendid Jubilee Themed cake as the subject matter and prize. A thrilled winner took home the 5.196kg beauty – we’re confident she’ll find plenty of friends to share with. A buzzwire also kept quite a few kids busy!

The fete itself was a splendid occasion, featuring exotic dancing, the local beekeepers, a human slot machine and the famous Kennington Tandoori to keep us all entertained. It was a wonderful chance for us to work together with the local community and to raise money for this year’s cause, Kennington Market Garden.

We look forward to coming back next year!