The lush emerald wilderness of the Amazon rainforest represents the epitome of profound tropical celestial beauty, entwined with ecological consequence and cultural stature that is tragically evermore at the forefront of a devastating deforestation crisis.
Marking its respect with a powerful testimonial to Amazon Day and International Day of Indigenous Women that took form on September 5, The Caring Family Foundation (TCFF) and iconic private members’ club Annabel’s recently unveiled an enthralling and stimulating façade in Berkeley Square earlier this month, to mark these milestone occasions with the Annabel’s For The Amazon campaign.
A radiant shining beacon, illustrating sybaritic discretion for the haute-monde clique of London’s W1 neighbourhood in Mayfair, it was Eton alumna and British entrepreneur Mark Birley, whom founded the opulent members only sanctum within the silken abode of 44 Berkeley Square in 1963, christened after his now former wife, Lady Annabel Goldsmith; daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry.
After decades of playing host to a legion of lionised royals including her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, millionaire baron Richard Caring and brains behind the acclaimed Ivy Collection and Caprice Holdings, took to the saddle in 2017 with a grandiose samsara. This started with a fresh abode, inside the Grade I listed mansion house at 46 Berkeley Square, while working alongside Swedish native and interiors godfather Martin Brudnizki, for Annabel’s design aesthetics that mingled flamboyant opulence with fabled surrealism.
Gliding into 2023, Annabel’s continues to have the membership committee’s dials on round-the-clock duty, with applicants persisting in their pursuit to cajole and weep their entry into the fluorescent sanctum that rubs its besuited shoulders with the silk-stocking clique from our native Land of the Rose and beyond. Visitors amass to purely gaze at the highly heralded annual installations where the club has spared not an expense nor heart, to set the seal with one of the most ambitious and spellbinding exterior setups to have graced the club, which has fused unabashed grandeur with a moral ethical soul.
For the full month of September, Annabel’s has chosen, with heartfelt vigour, to illustrate an artistic exterior exhibition of the awe-inspiring magnificence of the verdant Amazon labyrinth dipped in touches of ruby red and golden yellow hues. The display is coupled with an earnest declaration to highlight the catastrophes, which continue to plague and erode the natural beauty of this chaparral.
Nestled at the nucleus of TCFF’s mission, is a dedication to reach beyond the realms of simply ecological conversation, and the project of planting trees as they look to explore funding initiatives to provide families a healthy and promising future. This can be done by developing supply chains that promote community products, and consequently, boost income generation for indigenous families by a remarkable 100 per cent within the first year of project implementation, with more continued growth of 30 per cent to 50 per cent over the following three years.
All funds raised for this 2023’s Annabel’s for the Amazon campaign will allow TCFF to continue their investment strategies that one step further in social projects within the state of Acre, alongside the tree-planting proposals, rallying of women empowerment and establishment of income generation for native communities. With a steadfast commitment to actioning positive change and by listening to the leaders of the local people, TCFF will religiously seek to be expanding its efforts to a further two more traditional communities, including 193 remarkable women, (34 single mothers), alongside their partners in Brazil, SOS Amazônia.
The formidable endeavours done by the foundation for a heart-lifting cause, means that, to date, they have proven victorious in their spirited quest of having successfully planted 1.75 million trees and seedlings in the Amazon, and look set to be on track with a further breakthrough to hit a target of two million by March 2024. This concludes with this stellar commitment and humbling diligence making TCFF the largest UK donor to reforestation efforts, in the Brazilian Amazon.
Living up to their coveted reputation of organising some of the most palatial events that ooze plush hedonism, with eccentric aristocracy the UK has ever witnessed, Annabel’s had once again in its fourth year of the campaign, hosted the lavish annual Annabel’s For The Amazon event on September 21.
Show-stopping memoirs included appearances from multi-award-winning singer Seal, and the internationally acclaimed house group WhoMadeWho. Both of whom joined in the celebrations to not only pay homage to Brazil, but also radiate the spotlight on TCFF and their humble hustle. Distinguished members and their pedigreed guests were also invited to sip and savour their way through a medley of theatrically curated cocktail concoctions, teaming up in a formidable collaboration with The Lost Explorer Mezcal. All profits were contributed to TCFF to aid in their ongoing initiatives, with each cocktail sold equating to the planting of 2.5 trees.
Patricia Caring, co-founder of TCFF and chairwoman of Annabel’s, said: “Annabel’s for the Amazon was established four years ago and set out to raise awareness and funds for the crisis happening in the Amazon. We think about the Amazon for the trees but there is so much more that is affected by deforestation. Families strive to survive amongst the challenges, mothers need to feed their children and communities are at the risk of extinction.
“Our work on the ground directly supports the livelihoods of the indigenous people in the Acre region who choose the species of trees planted by TCFF. It means they are able to grow, produce and generate income for their families, thereby giving them a chance to thrive.”
Factbox
Address: Annabel’s, 46 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1J 5AT
Telephone: 0203 915 4046
Website: annabels.co.uk
All imagery used in this article credit: Annabel’s
