Club Visioning

Rotary Club Visioning is something that has proved to be very successful in North America and Australia and Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland (RIBI) had decided look at the concept to explore where it could be utilised in these Isles. 

I was privileged to be asked to represent my district and attend the Club Visioning Training Seminar weekend held at RIBI Secretariat in Alcester.

 

 

RI Coordinators Peter Davey and Chris Garner had invited PDG Steve & Terri Wilcox to lead the weekend.  Steve & Terri are the founders of the Rotary Club Visioning programme and have used their ten years involvement to discover what works, what doesn’t work, and to tweak the facilitation exercise accordingly.

 

A Club Vision Facilitation is a four hour evening session that assists Key leaders and interested members of a Rotary Club in achieving continuity, consistency and consensus. The facilitation session is intended for all interested Rotarians in the  club—from the newest members to the most tenured. The breadth and depth of the facilitation exercise is optimized when club leaders (past, present and future) and member opinion leaders participate. It is suggested that no more than 30 Rotarians are present

It is expected that:

• Attendance at the event by present council members, the current president, president-elect, president-elect nominee, immediate past-president, and two other past-presidents. Their collective involvement is essential.
• Participants to commit to the entire 4-hour exercise.
• The number of Rotarians committed to a session will be no less than 12 for the smaller clubs but no more than 30 (to maintain the time schedule and allow fair and full input from all present). Each Club requesting a Vision Facilitation will designate a "Coordinator" who will work with the District Vision Facilitation Chair providing all the information and direction individual Rotarians will need in preparation for the session. During the Vision Facilitation session, a team of facilitator will lead a process consisting of an overview presentation, a writing exercise, data collection, consensus voting and summary with action plan development. There are at least three measures of success for clubs that complete a Vision Facilitation:
1. An immediate measure of progress will be the members’ pledge and willingness to move the planning processes from a nice-to-do concept to meaningful growth programs for the club, its members and its community.
2. The second is that the output from this session is woven into the annually plans of the incoming and succeeding Presidents. It will be reflected in the continuity and consistency of programming and leadership of your Club.
3. Finally, the long-term mark of accomplishment will be at the end of three-five years when your club advances from where it is to where it wants to be.

 

Club visioning in itself is not a “membership drive initiative.” It was designed to help clubs develop a sense of direction and the structure necessary to achieve the club’s goals.  It is an exercise which strengthens the club and a byproduct of this is an increase in membership.

Club visioning is not something that is ‘placed’ on clubs from District.  Club Visioning Facilitation is by invitation.  The club invites the Facilitation Team in to lead a session.  It is important that the club ‘own’ the whole process, that the movers and shakers within the club are present, and that the club cast their own vision with the facilitators extracting from members what they really want for the future of their club.

Vision Facilitation is never carried out by an individual.  Districts are encouraged to build district facilitation teams, and depending on the number of attendees at a session, 2-3 Facilitators will be present working together as a team.  The facilitators are neutral, not imposing their ideas but drawing (extracting) from the members THEIR vision and THEIR ideas for the success of THEIR club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying the Flag for Hucknall Part Two

As part of the worldwide community art  project, THE BIG DRAW, community groups in Hucknall had united under the banner ‘Flying the Flag for Hucknall.’  The climax of the scheme took place during the October school half-term week where free art and craft activities took place.   I offered to go on a rota to help at one of the venues and not being an ‘art type’ myself was amazed at the creativity the artists from Rufford Craft Centre exhibited in engaging all to be involved. 

The day I was involved, the main focus was on using different types of techniques and materials to create prints.   It was good fun and amazing to see how an individual’s imagination was unlocked and contributed to community art.  If art lessons, had been this interactive when I was at school, I might have developed a greater interest!

Emergency First Aid

St John’s Ambulance member Kate White was the guest speaker at the latest weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Hucknall.  With the assistance of Rotarians Richard White (Kate’s father) and Ivan Manning, Kate demonstrated the latest procedures and techniques in giving emergency aid.  With some good-natured banter flying around the room, Richard gamely offered to be the injured party as Kate explained what to do in an emergency and how to place someone into the recovery position.

I was then ‘volunteered’ to demonstrate the Recovery position and followed the instructions given to me by members (to show whether or not they were listening).

Kate and Ivan then demonstrated how to give CPR using the Little Annie mannequin doll.

Flying the Flag for Hucknall

‘Flying the Flag for Hucknall’ is part of the Big Draw nationwide initiative to  get everybody together through drawing and creative sessions.

It is open to all ages and it doesn’t matter whether you are a complete novice or could pass on your talents to others.

Individual community groups from schools and youth groups created bunting using waterproof markers and recycled banners. These had been donated by local businesses.

The bunting is being displayed outside their own premises and around Hucknall Market Place and the surrounding areas throughout the half-term holiday (Monday October 22-Friday October 26), creating a highly-visible piece of community art.

I volunteered to be responsible for hanging the bunting around the Market Place.

 

In addition to this, artists will be running free workshops in The Gallery (opposite Market Place) from 10am-4pm every day from Saturday October 20 – Saturday October 27 and a range of different activities for all ages (children and adults) are taking place in the local library.

Charter Evening

One of the social highlights of the Rotary club year is the charter anniversary dinner which celebrates the Rotary club receiving it’s charter (in other words, being officially recognised as a Rotary Club) by Rotary International.

Finding a good speaker for the night always seems a challenge and was one of my priorities in the years preceding me taking office as Club President.

Over two years ago, I read a fantastic book entitled,”Can we have our balls back please?” by Renowned Broadcaster and Journalist, Julian Norridge.  Just after I had finished reading the said book, an advert appeared in the national Rotary magazine offering Julian’s services as an after-dinner  speaker.  I immediately made contact and booked Julian as the principal speaker for my Charter.

Two years later, and the special night was finally here.  It was also a great privilege to have my children, parents and partner attend the evening, for along with members of my Rotary Club, they have supported and stood by me through some dark days and I was grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge all such backing during the evening.

Our venue was the Hostess Restaurant, Sookholme (near Shirebrook).  This is always a popular choice among Rotarians for the  menu option and service can’t be bettered elsewhere.  The Hostess have great experience in hosting Rotary events and nothing is too much trouble for them.

I was thrilled that Julian Norridge was my main speaker.  Julian didn’t disappoint as he shared snippets from his book, illustrating how the British were responsible for the introduction of many sports and some of the driving factors in how sports became popular.  It was certainly a great night and one that I will never forgot.

 

 

All at Sea

Quite a few of our members enjoy cruise holidays.  Recently, a couple were on Princess Cruises and talking to the Cruise Director, Mr Dan Styne.  It transpired that Dan had just brought property in Nottingham, so not wishing to miss an opportunity, Dan was given an invitation to come and speak to the Rotary Club of Huckall.

 

Dan Styne is an Australian and spends most of his life on water. He spends two thirds of the year aboard ship.  He has visited over 110 countries and gave a fascinating talk on the way in which Cruise companies operate and his working life within the industry.  The stories that Dan shared were highly entertaining and members asked many questions about the industry and learnt about different cultural working practises.

Stroke Awareness

Every year, the Rotary Club of Hucknall , along with our friends from St John’s Ambulance Brigade, organise a Stroke Awareness day encouraging people to have a Blood Pressure test.  Any high readings are advised to seek an immediate consultation with their GP.

The 'silent killer', hypertension, is responsible for strokes and heart attacks and the best way to avoid these unfortunate life-changing experiences is to have regular checks.

But many people fail to do so and the annual Rotary stroke awareness day, held at the Central Methodist Church on Baker Street, gives them a reminder.

Members of the Hucknall and Linby St John Ambulance Brigade were kept busy throughout the two-hour session doing the blood-pressure checks.

Colleagues served tea and coffee and sold cakes and savouries for the visitors to enjoy. Other attractions included white elephant and book stalls, which helped to make the event an enjoyable as well as an essential experience.

Also useful to know about is the Stroke: Act F.A.S.T awareness campaign which aims to educate healthcare professionals and the public on the signs of stroke and that prompt emergency treatment can reduce the risk of death and disability. It encourages people to recognise the signs of stroke and feel confident to phone 999 for an ambulance on detecting any single one of them. Emergency action is as important for TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack) or ‘mini-strokes’.

When a stroke strikes act F.A.S.T.:
Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 999 for an ambulance if you spot any one of these signs.

District Conference - Sunday

And so to the final day!  The first session of the day was probably the least attended.  Many Rotarians were either still sleeping off the previous night’s excesses or visiting the famous Lord Street shopping area.  The early part of the session saw the presentations of various trophies for the golf competition and the Rotary club with the highest level of attendance at conference.   RI representative Lynne Deavin and RIBI President John Minhinick then summed up their conference observations.

Before we broke for coffee, the incoming GSE team from Nepal were introduced (see previous Blog entries), Rtn. Carolynn Stone of Ilkeston spoke about the district’s New Generation (Youth) programme and two causes regularly supported by Rotary, Rainbow and Blue Bell Wood Hospices, gave presentations.

The final session of conference commenced with the following year’s conference at Scarborough being publicized.

Rotary Peace Fellow, Sandra Fong from Fiji, then took the stage.  Sandra has a BA in Politics and an interest in conflict resolution, gender issues, dialogue process and facilitation, disarmament and human rights.  She spoke about her vision of working in the international peace sector and wanting to make a difference through the opportunities Rotary afforded her.

 

The Keynote speaker was Anne Wafula Strike, an inspirational paralympian.  Anne was an example of courage, commitment and determination and had overcome many obstacles in her life.  Anne was a fit and healthy child before polio struck at the age of two.  In 2004 Anne became the first wheelchair racer from East Africa to compete at the Paralympics in Athens.  The whole audience was moved by Anne’s account of triumph over adversity.

 

 

The musical group Cantata brought the Conference to a close with a musical “Celebration of Rotary” which began by a specially commissioned “Rotary Anthem” composed for the occasion by Cantata’s Musical Director, Lisa Mills.  A great weekend of Rotary Fun and Fellowship had drawn to a close.

District Conference - Saturday

Although the conference was already underway, the first session contained the Rotary formalities.  The District Governor formally opened the conference and welcomed everyone to Southport.  The Mayor of the Borough of Sefton then spoke, us a good visit to Southport and it’s attractions.  Every conference commences with a message from Rotary International’s President, usually delivered by a designated officer of Rotary International.  Representing Rotary International was Lynne Deavin and we were honoured to have RIBI President John Minhinick attending, who then addressed the conference.

Ian Leech then took the stage telling his story of turning the despair of losing his daughter Mel into raising awareness and fundraising for the Lymphoma Association.  Ian had carried the Olympic torrch with him and I managed to have my pictured taken holding the torch.

The Next speaker was Neil Fritszche who spoke about his work with the UK International Search and Rescue Team.

After coffee break, came the highlight for many, Malcolm Wells MBE spoke and demonstrated the incredible work of Canine Partners.  We saw how dogs were trained to help severely disabled people maintain independence by lifting, fetching small items, by opening and closing door, by helping to remove clothing and by helping to shop.

 

This was ably followed by a presentation from Life Education – a project Rotary has been involved with for some time.   Various aspects of the work of the Rotary Foundation were then promoted through a Past Ambassadorial Scholar and GSE Team Member.  Outgoing Ambassadorial Scholar  Rob Avery-Phipps was already in China and sent a video presentation.

The District Governor’s Luncheon featured musical entertainment from Lily Taylor-Ward, an entrant in Ilkeston’s Got Talent and the speaker was the inspirational Dr Alison Mowbray.  Describing herself as a schooling sporting disaster, Alison vividly told how she began rowing at the age of 18, before achieving an Olympic silver medal in 2004.

While most Rotarians now faced a break before the evening’s entertainment, I had to make a quick dash back to the hotel, change into formal dress wear, return to the Conference Centre for the District Governor’s Reception for Club Presidents.  We were greeted by DG David Ashley and his wife Gail, had photographs taken, shared a glass of wine and then asked to leave the conference suite by staff.

Another quick dash was needed back to the hotel for our evening meal.  There were no taxi’s in the Taxi Rack, but my partner spotted a bus so we jumped on it, asking if it passed our hotel.  The driver said he did, so I reached into my pocket to pay the fare.  At this point, the driver informed us that he was a Park & Ride service.  As I made a move to disembark, the driver kindly offered to drop us off as he drove passed the hotel!

There was greater choice for this evening’s entertainment with the vocal group Cantata appearing on stage and  60’s combo Revival making their third consecutive appearance at the Conference.   In a smaller setting, the excellent JD & the Impressions and Lily Taylor-Ward created a nightclub party atmosphere.  All acts contributing to a successful day.

 

 

District Conference - Friday

Each Rotary District organises a weekend conference that offers the opportunity to listen to inspiring speakers, mix and share fellowship with other Rotarians and to discover what is happening elsewhere in the organisation.   This year’s District 1220 Conference was held in Southport and was the third year that I have attended.

As Club President, it was my task to find a hotel for the members of my club who were attending.  I don’t mind admitted that this was the one thing I worried about trying to balance people’s expectations/budget etc. 

I’d ended up booking Hucknall Rotary Club into the Prince of Wales Hotel, Southport.  One wag commented that we should that the hotel’s initials serve as a warning;  P.O.W!

 

 

 Upon arrival, we checked in and received the allocated room keys.  The receptionist gave me instructions as to where to find my room, and as rooms were numbered in the usual convention of identifying floor numbers, because my room was 1XX, I was told to go the first floor.

Despite walking around the floor twice, the room we were looking for didn’t exist.  At this point I thought that one of our members had pulled a prank on me.  So I returned to the reception area, half expecting to be greeted by a laughing crowd.

However the receptionist was extremely confused, and her manager over-heard and then directed us to own room which was not a room but a suite, and was neither on the first, but the ground floor.  I just hoped now that everyone was happy with their rooms!

 

Although the conference starts on Friday, the format is designed to be more low key allowing for those who are still travelling to the venue not to feel that they have missed out.  Some may describe Friday as a washout in more ways than one!

A District Golf Competition is always held on the Friday morning/afternoon.  Not being a golfer myself, I’m reliably informed that a new sport was created: Aqua Golf.  Although the contest went ahead, the course was severely waterlogged in places.

The evening’s entertainment offered much, but delivered little.  First of stage was Johnnie Casson, an experienced comedian. 

http://www.johnniecasson.co.uk/

 

 

 

Mr Casson’s stagecraft shone through and, although some of his material was recycled, he was still able to make the audience laugh and received well-deserved applause for his routine.   If it was intended that he was supposed to ‘warm’ the audience up for the next act, then he succeeded. 

 

 

 

 

 

There was an air of anticipation in the auditorium as we awaited the act described as ‘one of the few Queen tribute acts to be advocated by the remaining members of Queen,’ Tony Grant.

http://www.freddiemercurytribute.com/

Mr Grant failed to live up to the hype.  He clearly had what read as an impressive CV, but this was one show too far or five years too late.  The real Freddie sang “The Show Must Go On” and “Don’t Stop Me Now,” but with alarming numbers leaving the building, the embarrassed entertainments officer stopped him and ended the show. At least, it gave Rotarians something to talk about as they returned to the hotel bars!

Oh Danny Boy

On Tuesday 2^nd October I attended Sutton-in-Ashfield’s charter. 
I was able to chat to members of the GSE team  that I introduced in my last blog. 
 It’s not often I will get the opportunity to share Rotary fellowship with a member of the Rotary Club of Mount Everest!.



GSE Team Leader PP Nugal Vaidya of the Rotary Club of Mt Everest



 

Kirby sing for their supper!

 

 

 

As I’m learning, this charter also featured some long standing traditions.  Their sister club, Kirby-in-Ashfield sang their greetings which is something they do every year.  This year, their choice was a parody of “Oh Danny Boy” honouring President Danny of Sutton.  Then the concluding act of the evening was a rendition of the old song, “Love’s Sweet Old Song” which was sung at the first Sutton Charter and every one since.

The main speaker was former Notts & England Opening Batsman& Current 1^st Class Cricket Umpire, Tim Robinson who entertained us with amusing stories from his career featuring himself and some of the greats of the modern game.