September
3rd – No meeting
10th – Fair Trade with Arthur Simmons
Arthur Simmonds talked to us about Fair Trade in the Shaftesbury area. He told us of his early professional life as a teacher in Uganda. This gave him an insight into the need for people in less economically advantaged countries to be given the dignity of receiving a fair return for their produce. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
Arthur told us of his work in making Shaftesbury a “Fairtrade Town”. Ours was the first town in North Dorset to achieve Fairtrade Town status in April 2008. A number of local businesses – including some of our members –use Fair Trade products, but he would appreciate more! We can also look for the Fair Trade logo when shopping.
If you would like to learn more Arthur can be contacted by email – arthur@simmondazi.plus.com
Pictured: David Wynn-Mackenzie, Arthur Simmonds and Guy Lowton
14th to 17th – Twinning Visit to Heerlen, Netherlands (By A First Timer!)
With only a vague outline of what to expect from seasoned twinners, we approached our visit with a bit of apprehension, having never been “hosted” before.
Jill and Mike Farrow had organised the travel arrangements meticulously, and the week-end kicked off at Gillingham Station and went smoother than Eurostar, eventually delivering us to Aachen a few hours later where we were met by our hosts. Surprise!! Our hosts, Juriene and Marguerite were just like us (only Dutch), and spoke perfect English (damn them), and by the time we were delivered to our first evening buffet style get together we were already well acquainted.
Throughout the weekend we were treated like close family friends, driven to some fascinating places (the Dutch can even make the history of expresso machines interesting) and extremely well fed and entertained. I know it will stretch you a bit to try and imagine a wine tasting in a monastic vineyard turning into a joke telling contest between Bernard and the head gardener, but this actually happened, the Dutch appreciating our sense of humour (even the joke about the old man’s underpants!!).
To those a bit “iffy” about the merits of twinning, or joining the group, I would say, you will meet new friends, experience a different culture in the comfort of their homes and have a thoroughly enjoyable time. Judy and I look forward to hosting next year and reciprocating the experience with our new Dutch friends.
Rotatie en vrede over de hele wereld!!
17th – Social Evening
Social evening due to many club members visiting our Twin club in Holland.
24th – Dementia Talk
We welcomed Aileen and Mike Farrow from Shaftesbury Trinity Centre Day Care who told us about their project to purchase a new care innovation to help their clients with early and mid-stage dementia.
The equipment consists of an interactive game system designed to provide enjoyment and stimulation for people, who would not normally interact with staff or other clients. It is so much more though, as the interactive games and activities stimulate both physical and cognitive activity and encourage social interaction. These games are all about enjoyment and wonder.
The equipment can be mounted on the ceiling above a table. Inside the box there is a high-quality projector, infrared sensors, speaker, and processor that work together to project the varies programmes onto the table. Because the colourful objects respond to hand and arm movements, clients can interact with the light itself. They recently trialled the system for their clients who played with a beach ball, completed jigsaw puzzles, swept up leaves from the table, played with fish and butterflies and much more. Several hundred applications are available on these systems. This is an important development in helping improve the quality of life for people living with dementia. We saw online demonstrations of the system in action and were very impressed.
The Day Centre, who are currently comparing machines provided by two different manufacturers, believe that the eventual cost will be in the region of £10,000 and have raised circa £5,000 towards it so far.
Pictured: Mike Farrow, Guy Lowton & Eileen Farrow
General
Shaftesbury Rotary are delighted to launch their new Rotary Business Partners Brochure which has been sponsored by local companies Virginia Hayward, Wessex Group and Stalbridge Linen Services.
The club hopes to increase it’s 81 partners to at least 100 which will maintain our position of the most successful club in the UK.