Sherwood Sunrisers Club Visioning

The RC of Sherwood Sunrisers usually meets at 7am but decided on an evening session for their Club visioning event.  There was a bit of good natured banter flying around about meeting at night past their bedtime etc.

On my short journey to the venue, torrential rain descended.  So much fell within minutes that some roads became impassable.  One road was the bottom point of a suburban valley  and water was flowing down it more akin to a river.  Dustbins and Roadwork signs were floating downstream.  With caution, cars were passing across it and so I also risked it.  Not far from the junction, one car was stranded and it's passengers were climbing out onto its roof.

I arrived at the venue and opposite, in a pub car park, the water was up to window level.  I understand that people were trapped in the pub by the water.

Despite this, everyone expected at the Club Visioning session made it - all with a story to tell after battling through those conditions.

District Governor Nominee Rodger Summers led the Facilitation and the feedback from the Sunrisers said that it was a valuable and worthwhile exercise.

Hope Lea's Garden Party

Hope Lea House in Hucknall is an amazing project that offers practical support to vulnerable people and people with learning difficulties.  Our Rotary Club have supported them for many years, we even helped construct part of the building some years ago.

Saturday was their annual Garden Party fund-raiser and what a great event it was.  PP Terry Moult organised the putting-up of gazebo's just in case it rained.  However, the shelter was most welcome from the heat of the sun.

Citizens of the Year

It was my privilege to present the club's 'Citizen of the Year' award at our latest meeting.  We'd invited the recipients along to the meeting as our guests but hadn't divulged the accolade we where to bestow upon them.

I felt a  little like the late Eamonn Andrews with his famous big red book when I declared to our guests, Eric and Doreen Allcock that we'd invited them along under false pretenses and that the real purpose of their invitation was to present to them our 'Citizen of the Year' award in recognition of their tremendous and self-less devotion to service in our local community through the Hucknall & Linby branch of the St John’s Ambulance organisation.

Eric’s involvement began in 1964 when he was assigned to St. Johns for training whilst commencing work at Linby Pit.  The following year, he travelled to London, and was on duty for St John’s at the State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill.  It was also through the St John’s organisation that Eric and Doreen met.  Together, they spearheaded a successful appeal to raise £ 50,000 to fund an ambulance for the Hucknall & Linby branch and have been on duty whenever a local event or activity has needed the first aid services of St. Johns.

Visit to RC of Derby

The Rotary Club of Derby is one of England's 'oldest' clubs being chartered in 1918 and its a club who, although may be older in years, are always keen to explore and embrace new methods for the greater good of Rotary.

I was invited along by Immediate Past President Tim Wherly to speak to the club about social media and how it can be used for Rotary.

I was very warmly received and encouraged by the interest shown in the subject.  The club meet in the County Cricket Club grounds and a match was in progress as we held our meeting.

Byron Festival's Heritage Day

My interest in history has extended to researching and trying to collate the clubs history and archives.  I have been surprised to discover all manner of things at the bottom of cupboards and hidden away forgotten in garages.

As a result of some of my research, I had been invited to have a Display at the Heritage Day which is linked to an annual festival which celebrates Hucknall's most famous son, the poet Lord Byron.

Cheekily, I advertised that I would be displaying some of the clubs artifacts - no truth in the rumour that I was referring to some of our older members of course.

Every Can Helps

As part of Tesco's partnership with Trussell Trust and FareShare,   the second National Food Collection to help feed people in need was held over the weekend of the 5 and 6 July.

In 2012, FareShare redistributed enough food for 10 million meals. This food was delivered to more than 900 charities, helping to feed 43,700 people each day. That’s 7,200 more people per day than in 2011. And last year almost 350,000 people turned to Trussell Trust foodbanks for help. That was almost three times the number who received food aid in the previous year and 100,000 more than anticipated.

Tesco are making donations go even further by topping it up by 30%.* #EveryCanHelps

In Hucknall, Tesco manager Joanne Shanks approached the Rotary Club because she wanted to support local projects as well and saw Rotary as the people to facilitate.  We were not only able to help in collecting, but were able to link Tesco's with Hucknall's Engage project.  The Engage project is run by the local churches and delivers 125-150 food parcels to needy families a month.

Portland College Awards Day

It was a huge honour to be invited along with Past President Peter Pickering to Portland College's Awards Day.  Our club have had links with the College for many years and the College represented Hucknall Rotary Club with great distinction at the English National Disability Sport Team Championships http://www.rotarydisabledsports.org.uk/   being crowned 2012 Championship.

For this which has been described as "the greatest sporting achievement in Portland's history", the team won the College's 'Harrison Trophy for Outstanding Achievement' .  For the first time, we sponsored a trophy for 'Sports Person of the Year' and this was won by Mitchell Gosling who was a key member of the team that represented Hucknall Rotary Club.   Another member of our successful team, Jack Soyer, won the Walter Laughton Memorial Trophy for Student of the Year.

The awards were presented by polar explorer Fiona Thornewill MBE who also gave a brief talk on how she when from being an average school student to becoming the first British woman to walk to the South Pole (2000), and in 2001 the first British lady to walk to the North Pole.  In 2004, she became the first British woman to ski solo and unsupported 700 miles to South Pole, breaking the world record for being the fastest man or woman to ever make the journey in only 41 days.

New Rotarian inducted - Historic moment for Hucknall Rotary Club

On Tuesday 2^nd July, Jo-Anne Maddock became the first women to be inducted as a member of Hucknall Rotary Club in its 87 year history.

On her election to becoming a Rotarian, Mrs Maddock said, “I'm very honoured to be accepted as a Rotarian and excited about the opportunity I have through Rotary in making a difference."  I was thrilled to welcome Jo-Anne as a Rotarian and see

in her all the attributes needed to fulfil the Rotary motto of “Service above Self.”

Mrs Maddock has worked for the RSPCA since 1994 and has been the Branch manager with a staff of 10 and 50 volunteers for the last 3 years.  Over the last year, 1,100 different animals have been in need of the welfare services provided by Jo-Anne and her staff. 

It is also rather fitting because the first female national president of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland, Nan McCreadie, has also just taken office.

Rotary International was formed initially as a networking club for Business men in 1905 developing to provide the many community programmes it’s known for today.  The movement first accepted women members in 1980’s.   Gender is no longer a barrier to membership as Rotarians are men and women of all ages and backgrounds using their time, talents, professional skills and energy to improve the lives of people in their local communities and others all around the world.

It's just not Cricket

A great social night was held on July 1st at Papplewick Cricket Club when the club held a 'fun' cricket match.   I'd never particularly had found cricket fun and was relieved when I drew the first number which met that I was first at the crease.  Being first in, mieant for a brief while I was the leading scorer, although I managed to finish my 2 overs batting with a score of minus 5!

The camera never lies but the photographs were kind to me and showed me looking as if I knew what I was doing.   Although I was absolutely useless, it was a most memorable night.

District 1220 Handover Lunch

Sunday 30th June marked the end of one Rotary year and the beginning of another as Rotarians from the East Midlands gathered at the Novotel Hotel, Long Eaton to celebrate a successful Rotary year.

It must have been a bad hair day for the chef, because the Sargent at Arms announced there had been a change to the publicised menu.  The advertised Chicken Breast Chasseur (baked chicken breast in white wine, tomato and tarragon sauce) with seasonal vegetables/ chateau potatoes  was replaced with Chicken Caesar Salad with seasonal vegetables/chateau potatoes.    Then to add insult to injury, we joked that the Vegetarian Option would be the salad without the chicken.  Never in a million years did we imagine that that was exactly what the Vegi option was.  

A prominent rotarian (who shall remain nameless) remonstrated with the kitchen and another dish was quickly offered as the Vegetarian Option!

The outgoing District Governor  Dave Ashley handed out various awards and I was delighted to be asked to  step forward to collect the District Public Relations award recognising the effects of Hucknall club's PR strategy.  I would have received the trophy only no-one knew its whereabouts!!

Then came a personal highlight.  DG Dave announced that he was making a special award to one of the most committed Rotarians he'd met, he then began to reel off some of the accomplishments for the Rotary district this person had made  and it  dawned on me that he was referring to myself.  I was extremely honoured to receive from DG Dave, a Park Harris Fellowship.  A great surprise and a very emotional moment for me.

DG Elect Peter Moralee was then inducted as District Governor for 2013-14.  As I'd agreed to serve the District as Assistant Secretary, I also received the badge of office for that role.  A memorable day despite the problems with the menu.