MET ANNOUNCEMENT
October
Twenty-five years ago, after a mass exodus of Saxons from Transylvania, the MET began its work*. It set about highlighting the precious heritage which was under threat and embarked on saving and restoring their abandoned buildings, farms and fortified churches. The objectives have been simple: - To re-train local craftsmen with the necessary skills to repair and renovate the unique buildings; - To provide ongoing support for local teams to continue applying and developing their crafts and to keep alive an understanding of the traditional methods they have inherited; - To broaden the philosophy into what we call ‘The Whole Village Project', supporting the development of all aspects of village life and agriculture, while safeguarding the underlying principles of conservation; - To help the Villagers set up their own businesses and guesthouses; - To aim to handover a thriving Trust which can continue the work we have started. We are proud to announce that the time for the handover of full responsibility has come. MET UK will remain a special partner and supporter of its Romanian offspring, which will carry on under the Directorship of Caroline Fernolend. *The Trust was founded in 1986 to help Romanian philosophers and historians keep contact with their counterparts in Oxford and Cambridge. It brought them books and articles to which they were denied access. Following the fall of Communism and President Ceausescu’s execution, the Trust began its work in Transylvania.
BUCHAREST BANQUET
28th October
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Jessica Douglas-Home (left) speaking at the banquet and MET Director Caroline Fernolend (right)
A banquet was held at the ambassador's residence in Bucharest by the British Ambassador, Andrew Noble, to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the achievements of the Mihai Eminescu Trust. Many of those present were brave dissidents from Jessica Douglas-Home's first visit to Romania in 1986.
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