Man Enough

Tuesday 31^st July saw Hucknall Rotary Club being addressed about issues surrounding Domestic Abuse by Superintendant Helen Chamberlain, Head of Public Protection, Nottinghamshire Police Force.  In what was an interesting, thought-provoking and challenging presentation, Helen portrayed the realities of Domestic Violence stripping away misconceptions and demonstrating how Domestic Abuse affects all genders, all ages, all sexual orientations. 

Supt. Helen with President Ian

Helen informed members of the Man Enough campaign  which   is being run in partnership with Nottingham Evening Post, Nottinghamshire Police, Women's Aid, the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership, Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham Forest Football Club, Notts Domestic Violence Forum and the Safer Notts Board.

The ‘Man Enough’ campaign urges Notts men to sign the White Ribbon pledge – to not commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

It aims to get at least 10,000 pledges in the county by next year’s Valentine's Day, which would almost triple the number of national pledges.

Men are being encouraged to show their support for the campaign by adding their name to the pledge by visiting www.man-enough.org or by texting 'man' or 'man enough' to 81400.

The campaign also calls for the Government to introduce Clare's law, which would allow a person to ask police if their partner has a violent history.

While the campaign focuses on female victims, it will also address the issue of men who suffer domestic violence.

The East Midlands Best Car & Bike Show

Morris Men

Today I attended a fantastic Car & Bike Show held on the Ashover Show Ground and organised by the Rotary Clubs of Chesterfield, Chesterfield Scarsdale, Clay Cross and Matlock.  As well as the exhibits, there were stalls with lots of local community involvement.  There was also a performance stage which had a varied programme of Morris Men, Brass Bands, Young Vocalists & Musicians.

Derek and Stuart promoting Rotary Roadtrip 2013

As well as enjoying the show, I was there to promote a project that the Rotary Club of Hucknall are planning for August 2013.

Under the banner 'Rotary Road Trip 2013', we are inviting entrants to visit every Premier League Football Stadium choosing their own route and completing extra tasks along the way.

The concept for this project originated after Hucknall Rotary Club supported Derek Howarth in the Scally Rally event 2011 which saw Derek and his team journey to Italy raising funds for charity. 

Funds we raise will be in aid of Alzheimer's Research and entrants can get sponsorship and raise money for their chosen charity.   Visit Rotary Road Trip 2013   or email  Rotaryroadtrip2013@gmail.com for further details

Peace through Service

Tuesday 24^th July marked the occasion of DG Dave Ashley’s visit to the Hucknall Club.  DG Dave gave a very informative talk around the symbolism of this year’s international Rotary theme “Peace through Service” which was fixed by Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka of Japan.

He explained that the Japanese Origami Crane which features on the theme emblem, represents “hope for peace.”  DG Dave then told the club the legend of 1,000 Origami Cranes:



Sadako Sasaki (1943-1955)

An old Japanese legend said that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes so pleases the gods, the folder is granted a wish. One of the well know story is Sadako and her 1,000 paper cranes.

Sadako Sasaki (January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a Japanese girl who lived near Hiroshima, Japan. She was only two years old when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. As she grew up, Sadako was a strong, courageous and athletic girl. In 1954, at age eleven, she became dizzy and fell to the ground. Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease".

Sadako's best friend Chizuko, came to visit her and brought with her some origami (folding paper). She told Sadako the legend of the crane. It is Japanese legend that folding 1000 paper cranes (senzaburu) so pleases the gods that the folder is granted a wish. Sadako wished to get well. So, after hearing the legend, Sadako decided to fold 1,000 cranes.

After she folded 500 cranes she felt better and the doctors said she could go home for a short time, but by the end of the first week back home the dizziness and fatigue returned and she had to return to the hospital.
Sadako continued to fold cranes. Even though she was in great pain, she tried to be cheerful and hopeful. Not long afterwards, with her family standing by her bed, Sadako went to sleep peacefully, never to wake up again. She had folded a total of 644 paper cranes.

Sadako's story had a profound impact on her friends and classmates. They completed her thousand cranes and continued to raise money from school children all over Japan to build a statue to honor Sadako and all the children affected by the bomb.

DG Dave then presented President Ian with a letter from RI President Sakuji Tanaka and a paper crane with the challenge to have the crane on display at every meeting as a reminder of this year’s theme “Peace through Service.”

Click here to read DG Dave’s account of his visit

District Governor Office

My club, the Rotary Club of Hucknall, have had three members serve as District Governor (or District Chairman) and I am led to believe that we hold the record for the most District Governors provided by one club.

Henry Morley, District 7 Chairman 1939-44

Henry Morley's Past District Chairman's medal

I am also led to believe  that our second President and founding member, Henry Morley also hold the record for the longest serving District Governor holding office from 1939 to 1944. 

Hucknall Rotary Club then also provided District 1220 with two District Governors within three years:  Brian Darlison (2001-2002) and Neil J.F.Sharman (2003-04). To have one member of your club hold office as District Governor is a great honour and priviledge.

A district governor, who is an officer of Rotary International and represents the RI board of directors in the field, leads his/her respective Rotary district. Each governor is nominated by the clubs of his/her district, and elected by all the clubs meeting in the annual RI Convention held in a different country each year. The district governor appoints assistant governors. The Rotary district governor performs a very significant function in the world of Rotary. He or she is the single officer of Rotary International in the geographic area called a Rotary district, which usually includes about 45-60 Rotary clubs. The district governors, who have been extensively trained at the worldwide International Assembly, provide the "quality control" for the more than 29,000 Rotary clubs of the world. They are responsible for maintaining high performance within the clubs of their district.

Brian Darlison, District Governor 2001-2002, District 1220

The district governor, who must make an official visit to each club in the district, is never regarded as an "inspector general" Rather, he or she visits as a helpful and friendly adviser to the club officers, as a useful counsellor to further the Object of Rotary among the clubs of the district, and as a catalyst to help strengthen the programs of Rotary.

The district governor is a very experienced Rotarian who generously devotes a year to the volunteer task of leadership. The governor has a wealth of knowledge about current Rotary programs, purposes, policies and goals, and is a person of recognized high standing in his or her profession, community and Rotary club. The governor must supervise the organization of new clubs and strengthen existing ones. He or she performs a host of specific duties to assure that the quality of Rotary does not falter in the district and is responsible to promote and implement all programs and activities of the Rotary International president and the RI Board of Directors. The governor plans and directs a district conference and other special events.

Each district governor performs a very important role in the worldwide operations of Rotary. The district governor is truly a prime example of Service Above Self performing a labour of love and networking among the Rotarians of the district to assist in the management of Rotary activity and multi-club projects in the district.  

Hope Lea

The Hope Lea Project is a Hucknall organisation that helps people with learning disabilities and their carers providing an excellent service ever since its inception in 1984.  Hucknall Rotary Club has consistently supported Hope Lea, both practically and financially and fully endorsed the fantastic work done by the skilled staff working on the Hope Lea Project. The qualified staff aim to unlock people’s potential and devise tailor-made programmes for service users, while the project also encouraged voluntary workers for its day services.  Activities organised at Hope Lea include laptop, gardening, domestic skills, arts and crafts, bowling and music therapy groups, as well as a gentle-exercise class and a recycling project.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s members of Hucknall Rotary Club funded and built extensions to the projects headquarters in Hucknall

The following  is a newspaper report which appeared in the Hucknall Dispatch, Friday 20^th July 2012:

HUCKNALL’S Hope Lea Project, which caters for adults with learning disabilities and their families, has received a double cash boost.

The charity has been presented with a donation of £250 by Hucknall Rotary Club and one of £115 by Coun John Wilmott (Lab), deputy leader of Ashfield District Council, from an allowance which councillors receive for worthy causes in their wards.

Stalwart Rotarians Richard White and Terry Moult helped out at Hope Lea’s annual garden party, held at its base on Watnall Road. The event raised the bumper total of about £1,500.

Various stalls and games were organised and the star prize in a raffle was a ride in a limousine, donated by the Co-op Funeral Service.

Coun Wilmott (left) and Mr White handing over their cheques to Hope Lea chief Judith Storey 

“The winner decided to donate the prize back to us,” said Hope Lea’s managing director, Judith Storey. “This means that our users will enjoy a trip in the limousine next month,”

End Polio Now

Rotary Clubs initiate and support many local, national and international projects.  The majority of these are generally driven by local Rotarians.    A huge emphasis of Rotarians worldwide has been the End Polio Now campaign.

Since 1988, Rotary International and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — have worked to wipe polio from the face of the earth.

Rotary’s main responsibilities are fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer recruitment. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$900 million to the polio eradication effort.

With over 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas, Rotary is able to reach out to national governments worldwide to generate crucial financial and technical support for polio eradication. Since 1995, the advocacy efforts of Rotary and its partners have helped raise more than $8 billion from donor governments.

Rotary clubs also provide “sweat equity” on the ground in polio-affected communities, which helps ensure that leaders at all levels remain focused on the eradication goal. Rotary club members have volunteered their time and personal resources to reach more than two billion children in 122 countries with the oral polio vaccine.

Thanks to Rotary and its partners, the world has seen polio cases plummet by more than 99 percent, preventing five million instances of child paralysis and 250,000 deaths. When Rotary began its eradication work, polio infected more than 350,000 children annually. In 2009, fewer than 1,700 cases were reported worldwide.

But the polio cases represented by that final 1 percent are the most difficult and expensive to prevent. Challenges include geographic isolation, worker fatigue, armed conflict, and cultural barriers.

That’s why it’s so important to generate the funding needed to End Polio Now. To fail is to invite a polio resurgence that would condemn millions of children to lifelong paralysis in the years ahead.

The bottom line is this: As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children — wherever they live — remain at risk.

Overview

Polio eradication is within our grasp. But if we don’t eradicate the disease now, the risk of crippling and deadly polio outbreaks will continue to threaten the world’s children. You can help Rotary get the job done by contributing to Rotary’s PolioPlus program or creating awareness of polio.

Challenges to polio eradication

Health experts agree that these primary challenges must be overcome in order to reach the goal of polio eradication:

• Halting the spread of the poliovirus in the three remaining endemic countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan), which continue to export it to polio-free areas
• Curbing the intense spread of the poliovirus in northern Nigeria and Pakistan
• Rapidly stopping polio outbreaks in previously polio-free countries
• Addressing low routine-immunization rates and surveillance gaps in polio-free areas
• Maintaining funding and political commitment to implement the eradication strategies

Four key strategies for stopping poliovirus transmission

1. Routine immunization
High infant-immunization coverage with four doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the first year of life is critical. Routine immunization is essential because it's the primary way that polio-free countries protect their children from the threat of imported polio. Read more about the bivalent oral polio vaccine.

2. National Immunization Days
For decades, Rotary’s PolioPlus program has been one of the driving forces during National Immunization Days, or NIDs. Rotarians are involved in myriad ways before, during, and after an NID, by providing funds for millions of drops of vaccine, promoting upcoming campaigns in the community, distributing vaccine to local health centers, serving as monitors, working with local officials to reach every child, and participating in surveillance efforts.

3. Surveillance
Rotarians play an important role in working with health workers, pediatricians, and others to find, report, and investigate cases of acute flaccid paralysis in timely manner (ideally within 48 hours of onset). PolioPlus sometimes helps fund containers that preserve the integrity of stool samples during transport to laboratories. The program has also played a leading role in providing equipment for the global poliovirus laboratory.

4. Targeted mop-up campaigns
Rotary’s support of mop-up campaigns is similar to NID volunteering, but on a smaller, often "house-to-house," scale.

Contribute to stopping polio

The biggest obstacles to eradicating polio are the underfunding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment from the remaining polio-affected countries. Rotary International believes the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries. Your contribution through Rotary will help ensure that we keep doing our part to get the job done.

Help End Polio Now by giving online now

By the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary’s contributions to the global polio eradication effort will exceed US$1.2 billion. This constitutes nearly 14 percent of all contributions to the global budget through 2010 and represents approximately 66 percent of private sector contributions to the initiative. More recently, Rotary is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help raise much needed funds to eradicate polio.

How funds are spent

In the early stages of the PolioPlus program, Rotary paid for oral vaccines and start-up costs for Rotarian-led social mobilization efforts in polio-endemic countries. Since the 1990s, Rotary has continuously worked with the spearheading partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to determine how funds can best be utilized to meet the needs of the program.

What your contributions do

• $60 -- 100 children immunized against polio
• $100 -- 200 posters promoting immunization
• $250 -- 500 aprons to identify health workers, volunteers, and vaccinators
• $500 -- 4,000 finger markers to identify children immunized
• $1,000 -- 700 vaccine carriers

Give through Rotary

Friends of Rotary are welcome to add their support to Rotary’s number-one goal. Contribute today.

 Click here to watch Rotary’s Final Push against Polio

Click here to watch BBC Breakfast report on Rotary’s End Polio Now 21^st Feb 2012

Linby & Papplewick

Hucknall Rotary Club meets in the adjacent picturesque village of Linby.  Traditionally, Linby Village was considered the start of Sherwood Forest the home of Robin Hood.  Neighbouring village Papplewick was also considered as a gateway to the medieval Sherwood Forest.   The rural communities of Linby and Papplewick are served by the small town of Hucknall.  The current infrastructures of these communities are such that all resources are stretched to capacity.

Horse & Groom, Linby (Home of Hucknall Rotary Club)

Hucknall falls with the boundaries of Ashfield District Council.  Linby and Papplewick are the furthest borders of Gedling Borough Council.  Gedling Borough Council have identified agricultural land  in Linby and Papplewick (land that locals thought was green belt, but apparently redefined by the stroke of a politicians pen) as suitable site for building development.

In interest for the local community, I attended a public meeting this evening to address the proposals.  Although Gedling Borough Council, felt that they had met consultation requirements, it was clear from the comments made that the consultation process was not adequate enough and little consultation had actually taken place in the villages affected by the proposals.  The ‘evidence’ put forward by the Housing Officer did not add up.  It also seemed that important reports that would highlight the lack of resources such as adequate health care were not available yet.  Council documents were produced that contradicted current plans and deemed to carry a ‘typo’.

The document in question referred to green land being transferred into white land, and white land being protected from development.  The typing mistake was the word ‘from’  which should have been ‘for’.  A small word which changes the whole context!

Papplewick

The roads through the villages cannot handle current traffic levels, let alone any increase from new housing.  There are minor incidents most days and tragically, every year sees a couple of serious accidents.  There is no scope for by-passing the villages.  This is not a political blog.  As a Rotarian, I’m non-political and non-sectarian.  Any impartial observer can see that the proposals by Gedling Borough Council are unsustainable and impractical, despite whatever language they dress-up the plans in.  If you are familiar with the landscape, common sense will tell you that 1.600 new house builds are unviable in this area. 

The Council’s consultationdocuments can be found here.   

If you are local, and have not voiced your opinion, personally I would encourage you to do so a.s.a.p.

This is not an exercise in nimbyism (Not In My Back Yard) in Linby, but genuine concern that the local vicinity has not got the infrastructure to cope with the building proposals.   

Rotary's Five Avenues of Service

The fellowship and friendship between Rotarians is a vital part of Rotary.  However, fellowship on its own would make Rotary solely a dining club, not a service organization.  Rotary is structured so that clubs can provide “service above self” and every rotarian has the opportunity to make a difference.

The Object of Rotary is to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise.” Rotary is a service organization. Since 1910, the Rotary Motto has been “Service Above Self.”

Rotary strives to achieve its objective of “Service Above Self” through activities in five primary areas. These are often referred to as the Five Avenues of Service.

Club Service

This “Avenue” promotes the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service. It involves the activities necessary to make the Club function successfully and achieve its goals.

Vocational Service

This area represents the opportunity that each Rotarian has to represent the dignity and utility of one’s vocation as an opportunity to serve society. Rotarians promote and foster high ethical standards in business and professions and promote the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations.

Community Service

This “Avenue” relates to the activities that Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Particular emphasis is given to helping children, needy families, the aged, the handicapped, and those most in need of assistance. Rotarians strive to promote the ideal of service in their personal, business, and community lives.

International Service

In this area, Rotarians strive for the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. International Service Projects are designed to meet the humanitarian needs of people in many lands, with particular emphasis on the most underprivileged children and families in developing countries.

New Generations

By nurturing youth, Rotarians can provide the skills young people need to succeed as future community leaders. Youth Programs provide Rotarians the opportunity to develop their own leadership and communication skills and also provides for many incredible moments!

The committees within a club reflect these five avenues of service.  Different clubs will implement these in different ways. 

Hucknall Rotary Club’s Council (known as Board of Directors in some Rotary circles) meets usually on the first Monday of the month.  The recommendations of the council, along with the monthly committee reports, are then presented to the Club Business meeting which usually takes place on the third Tuesday of the month.

The committee reports usually focus on ongoing projects and future plans.  For example, at our club Business meeting last night, the Vocational Committee reported that a recent fund-raising appeal to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED ) for the local leisure centre had been successful.  Our Vocational Committee chairman, who is a First Aid Instructor, is providing training on using the AED to 24 members of staff at the Leisure Centre.

Rotary Showcase

As well as being the wedding day of my niece, Saturday 14^th July marked the occasion of the Rotary Showcase taking place in the centre of Nottingham.  The clubs within District 1220 are sub-divided into area groups under an Assistant Governor.  Hucknall, being located seven miles north of Nottingham, falls into the Central Area Grouping.  The Central group have for the last three years organised a Showcase event promoting and highlighting all the positives and elements of Rotary.

Hucknall Rotary Club members managed the health and safety aspects of the day, organised the first aid requirements through our contacts with the St. John’s ambulance organisation and manned the tent promoting Rotary Foundation. 

The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.

Click here to discover more about The Rotary Foundation and the projects it supports.

Family and Rotary

The Rotary Motto “Service above Self” is not just applicable to our Rotary activities, but to all aspects of our lives.  Being a Rotarian helps define who I am and the standards I hold.  Being a Rotarian also means that I don’t neglect other areas of my life in order to serve in Rotary.  In fact, if anything, Rotary should enhance all that I am and all I do. 

Rotary is no longer a male only environment and some spouses themselves are now  also Rotarians.  Some clubs, including mine, are closely affiliated with an Inner Wheel club.  The Rotary Club of Hucknall greatly value the support that Hucknall Inner Wheel Club give us.  Without their input , assistance, support and hard work, our “service about self” would be the poorer.

 The work we do for Rotary is all voluntary and it is important to find the right work/ volunteer –community/ home  balance. 

I’m grateful that, as President, I have the full support of my partner, family, friends and club. I have come to view my fellow Rotarians, not as social acquaintances   working together for community betterment, rather as friends who I can share the joys and disappointments of normal life. 

In the dark times you discover who your true friends are as they stand by you.  In the good moments, your friends rejoice with you.

So I finish this post sharing a happy moment.  The first Rotary function that I missed this year (Rotary Showcase) was one of those moments.  My eldest niece and her fiancée celebrated their wedding.  It was a joyful day for all the families joining together.  My heartiest congratulations to the happy couple:  Adam & Charlotte Robinson.

Networking

There are so many worthy local community groups all serving their localities on limited resources, often struggling to motivate volunteers and sometimes unaware of other groups who may be able to assist or signpost.  I set out in my presidential address to the club  at our Club Assembly, my intention to network with as many local organizations as possible and help facilitate many projects for the betterment of our town.  These are the causes I’ve managed to become involved with in the first couple weeks of July:

Pride of Hucknall

The Pride of Hucknall awards were inaugurated in 2008 in memory of long-serving Hucknall County Councillor Nellie Smedley.   The prestigious accolades recognizes the accomplishments of Hucknall young people aged between 11 and 17, over the last year.  The Pride of Hucknall presentation ceremony will take place on Saturday 22^nd September 2012, at the Central Methodist Church, Baker Street.  The ceremony will include a performance by the Hucknall and Linby Mining Community Brass Band and the presentation of medals to all nominees.

The Big Draw

The Big Draw is the world’s biggest celebration of drawing. It has grown into a month-long festival running throughout October in all parts of the UK. Every year more organisers across the world join the Big Draw family and run drawing events to engage their communities in creative activities. Sure Start, Hucknall are driving the event under the title 'Flying the Flag for Hucknall' and are encouraging the involvement of as many community groups as possible. Vinyl banners are being sought which will be used to make bunting. Local schools are involved and will be making bunting that features self-portraits of all pupils to hang outside their schools. During October school half-term, there will be craft activities at different locations around Hucknall and exhibitions being held at the Library, on the Market Place and in the Gallery in Baker Street.

“Facebook and Funding”

A project, ‘Focus on Funding’ launched by Nottinghamshire CVS ran a seminar entitled “Facebook and Funding.”  The event took place at the Summit Center, Kirby-in-Ashfield, which also happens to be the home of the Rotary Club of Kirby.

I went along expecting to learn how best to utilize facebook anticipating that I would learn about ways in which social media sites could be used to raise funds for projects.  From conversations that took place, most attendees expected the same.

However, the content focused on using social media effectively to promote fund-raising projects and events and therefore receive extra funding from increased attendance and donations.

Thursday Club Diamond Jubilee Party

The group, which has been running for over 15 years, meets at Hucknall Leisure Centre, on Linby Road, every week and offers help and guidance to adults and children with special needs and mental and physical disabilities.

The Thursday Club originally began under the guidance of PP Terry Moult.  Twin brothers Andrew and Steven Haywood became child members but now serve as Secretary and Chairman of the Thursday Club respectively.  Steven also joined Hucknall Rotary Club in 2011. His twin brother, Andrew, proudly carryied the Olympic Flame during the Mansfield leg of the Olympic Torch Relay.

Can you spot the difference?

Andrew Haywood with the Olympic Torch

On Friday 13^th July, the Thursday Club held a Diamond Jubilee Party at the Empire Club where all members enjoyed an evening of superb entertainment from Jaynie & Greg who presented their 1940’s show with great encouragement and participation from the audience.