Hucknall Rotary Circular - Adventures of a Club President: November 2012

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Wednesday 21 November 2012

The Greatest Sporting Achievement in Portland's History

I was forwarded this which is worthy of publishing here as it is Portland College’s account of the success at the Rotary Disabled Sports Team Championship……

Last weekend, Portland College achieved a major first in the sporting arena and their greatest ever sporting accomplishment by being crowned champions at the 31^st Rotary Disabled Sports Team Championships.

Taking place at the Xcel Leisure Centre in Coventry over the weekend of the 10^th and 11^th November, Portland were representing the Hucknall branch of the Rotary Club and took a team containing current students, ex-students, College volunteers and individuals from the school links programme.

The Championships attract some of the very best sporting talent in the UK to take part in a wide variety of sports including Boccia, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Wheelchair racing, New-age Kurling and an Indoor Triathlon. In each event, teams and/or individuals are awarded points for where they have placed in the overall rankings, with the top scoring team awarded 25 points.

After the first day of competition, the Portland team were in second place but managed some heroic performances on Sunday. This included a fantastic first place in the final event, the Triathlon, meaning that for the first time in their 31 years competing, the Hucknall Rotary Club were crowned champions!

As well as the honour of being Overall National Champions, the team from Portland College won a number of other accolades, including being the Most Improved Team, Triathlon Champions and Men’s Weightlifting Champions. Foundation Learner Mitchell Gosling completed the array of prizes won as he was awarded the Sports Personality of the Event for “his overall contribution, sportsmanship, inspiration and infectious personality.”

Dave Winter, Sports Co-ordinator says, “Finishing as winners of the Rotary Disabled Sports Team Championships is a magnificent achievement for all of the learners and volunteers who competed. The victory ranks as the greatest sporting moment in Portland’s history and I am thrilled to have been part of such a momentous occasion. Each member of our team has displayed great endeavour and sportsmanship and I am very proud of all of them. I would like to extend our thanks to the Rotary Club of Hucknall for once again inviting us to compete on their behalf and giving us this superb opportunity to be involved in the Championships.”

Monday 19 November 2012

90th Birthday Celebrations

Reaching the age of ninety is something to be celebrated and the Rotary Club of Ilkeston certainly did that at their 90^th Charter Dinner this last Saturday at the Morley Hayes Hotel. What made this charter different to the ones I have attended so far?

This was the first charter that had Birthday Cake! That certainly made an impression on me as I’m someone who enjoys his cakes. Upon arrival and during the meal, a group of musicians drawn from several of the area’s brass bands were playing well-known pieces under the collective name of “Top Brass.” Being a brass aficionado myself, I took a keen interest in their repertoire chatting to the members and earning an invitation to a band rehearsal. Included was a “Last Night of the Proms” singalong with the top table guests standing on their chairs waving flags!

The meal was well-presented and the tables were set in accordance with individual ‘s meal choices so the staff didn’t have to ask who was having the soup or prawn cocktail option etc. A little detail perhaps but one that hasn’t been observed elsewhere.

After the formal toasts, a dance band called Park Royal entertained.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

SureStart Children's Centre

In the best attended meeting thus far of the Rotary year, club members learnt of the tremendous successful and the vast range of services provided to Hucknall residents by SureStart since commencing work in the community six years ago.

Michelle Squires and Vikki McCormick, both of SureStart Children’s Centre, enthralled and amazed members as they described the range of services provided. Virtually every service imaginable that could help and improve family life can be accessed through the Children’s Centre. If it’s not an activity run by SureStart, the likelihood is that they could signpost to meet the need. And such services are not confined to the Children Centre building, but community and support workers offer a supportive and informal service suitable to the individual.

When asked, Michelle and Vikki responded that the main challenges facing the Hucknall community were Road Safety, Promoting, encourage and supporting parents to Breastfeed and Smoking Cessation.

President Ian Young is pictured with Michelle and Vikki.

Monday 12 November 2012

We are the Champions

I was there, not for the whole weekend due to other Rotary commitments, but I was able to witness and support over 250 athletes competing in the renowned Rotary Disabled Sports Team Championships in Coventry this last weekend, as Rotary did its bit to find the paralympians of the future.

You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive a telephone call from PP Peter Pickering on Sunday evening to let me know that Hucknall’s entrants had created history.

The elated team from Hucknall were crowned overall winners after taking gold in the men's weights and triathalon and podium finishes in other events as well as receiving the most improved team award. They defeated the outgoing champions South Yorks & Lincs who were aiming for a hat-trick of victories after winning in 2010 & 2011. The Rotary Club of Hucknall has entered a team for the last 23years, and this year’s team comprising of young athletes from Portland College was the first Hucknall team to take top honours.

It was a closely fought contest but Team Hucknall were declared the overall winners with 245 points, with Team Leicester in second place, taking home 241 points and Team Rugby in third with a healthy score of 223 points.

The annual sports competition, organised and sponsored by the five Rotary clubs in Coventry and supported by clubs across England, saw hundreds of spectators packing out the Xcel Leisure Centre in Canley on Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November.

The 10 teams of competitors, who have physical and learning disabilities, came from Avon, Coventry, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hucknall, Leicestershire, Rugby, South Yorkshire/ Lincolnshire, Wakefield, and Warwickshire,

Now in its 31st year, the Championships featured 13 disciplines: new age kurling, table tennis, table tennis for those with learning disabilities, rifle shooting, boccia team, boccia individual, darts, male weight lifting, female weight lifting, team pitstop, swimming, triathlon and the slalom.

The Xcel Leisure Centre in Canley, which opened in June 2008, is part of the South West Coventry regeneration scheme and largely administered by local Rotarians. The £9m centre has been hailed as the 'flagship' for the regeneration scheme that has been designed with the needs of the local community in mind. It is one of 3 that make up the Coventry Sports Foundation, a charity where direction provided by Coventry Rotarian Directors has created superb facilities, not just sport, in under-privileged areas of the City.

For more photographs click here: The 31st English Disabled Sports Team Championship

Sunday 11 November 2012

Remembrance Parade & Service

All week I have been collecting for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal under the banner , “Rotary International District 1220 shoulder to shoulder with the Royal British Legion” so it was a real privilege to march shoulder to shoulder with the Legion and other members of Hucknall’s community bodies.

There was a great turn-out once again for the open-air service of Remembrance held in Titchfield Park and, on behalf of Hucknall Rotarians, I laid the wreath from Rotary.

District 1220 Foundation Seminar

It was back to the Novotel Hotel on Thursday evening for a seminar. Rotary’s own charity is the Rotary Foundation and this sponsors programmes and projects that meet Rotary’s organisational objectives. This is the last year of existing schemes as Rotary International have revamped long-standing Foundation activities and have tried to ease the administration of such programmes.

Rotarians Mick White, Terry Leivers and others talked through the changes to over 100 attending Rotarians representing clubs from all over District 1220.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Wollaton Park Charter Night

The Rotary Club of Wollaton Park were formed (chartered) in 1981 and held their 31^st Charter Celebration last evening at the Village Hotel, Chilwell.

It was a new charter venue for Wollaton Park and a venue previously unknown to Past District Governor Neil Sharman, a member of Hucknall, who has kindly driven me to the charter’s I’ve attended. I, however, had frequented ‘The Village’ before and was able to direct Neil which is something of a rarity among Rotary circles!

The Charter followed the standard Rotary format: Dinner followed by speeches and toasts to Rotary International, The Rotary Club of Wollaton Park and Visitors & Guests.

Following formal proceedings, we were entertained by “Victory Belle,” a duo promising to take their audience back to the wartime years with an atmospheric performance of song and dance from the 1940s.

www.victorybelle.com

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

A couple of years ago, the then Mayor of Nottingham was speaking to the then District Governor of District 1220, Val Leivers, and wondered whether Rotary could assist the Royal British Legion who were struggling to find enough collectors to cover the busy city centre. Val was pleased to enlist District 1220’s help and Rotarians based in Nottingham have since been involved in collecting for the annual Poppy Appeal. By the time Remembrance Sunday takes place, I will have collected at Asda and Sainsbury stores in Arnold, and the Victoria and Broadmarsh centres in Nottingham city centre.

The generosity of people is amazing and I’m grateful to all those who regularly support a tremendous cause.

“…We will remember them.”

Monday 5 November 2012

International Projects Fair

District International Project Coordinator Gail Ashley organized a International Projects Fair which gave Rotary Clubs of District 1220 to showcase their projects and also to draw inspiration for future projects.

The following were some of the projects featured:

Sand Dams by Excellent Development

http://www.excellentdevelopment.com

Helping communities help themselves:
At Excellent Development, we don’t give hand-outs; we give the opportunity for people to transform their own lives. The people who seek our support want nothing for free. We provide the necessary kick start, but it is the communities we work with who invest their valuable time and skills to truly help themselves.

Improving lands for improving lives:
We believe that sustainable environmental development and human well-being go hand in hand: that improved livelihoods don’t have to come at the expense of our environment. In fact, conservation of the environment is the only way people in drylands can overcome poverty.

Passionate about sand dams:
In drylands, rainfall occurs in just one or two short, intense seasons. Because the land is so dry, when rain does fall, up to 85% is simply lost to the oceans as run-off. Capturing this water where it falls is essential for improving environments and livelihoods. Sand dams are by far the cheapest way of doing this.

A sand dam is a reinforced concrete wall built across a seasonal riverbed. During the rainy seasons, they capture water and sand behind the dam wall. A sand dam can store up to 20 million litres of water, protecting it from evaporation and contamination by storing it safely within sand. This is enough to support over 1,000 people with a local water source for life. No wonder we’re passionate about sand dams!

No one knows sand dams like we do:
Excellent Development are passionate about sand dams because we know just how effective they can be. That’s why we are determined to start a revolution in soil and water conservation in drylands across the globe. We believe that sand dams will transform millions of lives. And, the revolution has only just begun.

Working in partnership:
In the region of Kenya where Excellent Development was born, people call it ‘mwethya’. It means ‘coming together to help each other’. This spirit still guides everything we do. We work in partnership with local organisations, who in turn work closely with local communities. Through this spirit of working together we can share knowledge, skills and experience. And, when it comes to sand dams, a little bit of local knowledge makes all the difference!

TRADE AID

http://www.trade-aid.org

The Rotary Club of Grantham Kesteven is helping indivuals, families and business to become self-sufficient with the aid of custom-made Trade Aid Boxes.

Each Box contains specially selected supplies needed to provide people with a head start in recovering from a disaster, or other adversity, or to start working for themselves for the first time.

AQUA BOX

http://www.aquabox.org

Disasters come in many forms - earthquake; cyclone; flood; refugee displacement - but all share a common factor. The most urgent single problem facing the relief agencies is the provision of a supply of safe drinking-water.

In some cases, it may be possible for the relief agencies to supply water from outside the affected area. In others, there is clearly a need for those suffering in the aftermath of a disaster to achieve an early, if temporary, self-sufficiency in the supply of safe drinking-water.

The Solution is AQUABOX, a robust plastic tank with a family-sized filter unit known as the AQUAFILTER and packed with essential welfare items for a disaster situation. Once the welfare contents have been removed, each AQUABOX can be used to purify up to 18000 litres of polluted water, making it safe and pleasant to drink. Thats enough for 22.5 litres/day of general use potable water for use by the family for a period two years.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Journey around the World

Our speaker this week was Laina Richardson who had worked alongside PP Peter Pickering at the Youth Offending Service and had recently returned to the UK from travelling around the world.

Laina had kept a blog of her travels and showed us her photographs sharing with members the experiences she had. As she journeyed, Laina volunteered and worked with schools and orphanages which she said was the highlight of her trip

http://www.offexploring.com/lainarichardson

Beeston Charter

Monday 29^th October saw the Rotary Club of Beeston hold their 73th Charter. As I’ve already commented on beforehand, a lot of clubs have certain charter traditions, and Beeston’s unusual feature is that a piper (who happens to be a Beeston Rotarian) pipes the top table in.

The meal was held at the Novotel Hotel, Long Eaton and President Trevor Martin of Beeston welcome everyone. This was the first charter I have attended without an after-dinner speaker, the club opting to have musical entertainment instead in the form of the group Formosa whose strapline say that they are ‘Nottingham’s finest function band.’

http://www.formosamusic.co.uk/

Hucknall Rotary Circular - Adventures of a Club President