February
1st – Zoom Meeting
We held our first meeting to consider the results of our Visioning survey. This is the process by which we plan to look at any changes we might need to make to improve our club, make ourselves more attractive to potential members and to be more relevant to the needs of our community. There was a really positive feeling in the air, interesting ideas were generated and more will follow as the process continues. Peter Sales our newest member will give us a presentation at our next meeting on attracting new members. We will follow this in the near future with a session looking at how we can do better in our promotion of Rotary youth competitions.
Rotary Recognise Local Covid-19 Heroes
We at Shaftesbury Rotary wanted to recognise those in the local community who have provided support in these difficult times, giving up their time to selflessly help others, so we asked people to nominate their local covid-19 heroes. We have now awarded Certificates of Appreciation to the following people who were nominated:
Keri Jones – Isolation has been and still is an issue during the pandemic. This is Alfred run by Keri Jones has provided podcasts, helping people feel connected with one another and their community, keeping them informed about what is happening. One of Keri’s nominators said “Keri’s upbeat, optimistic determined support for all our community has joined us all together”.
Andy Hargreaves – Providing the technical support behind the scenes of This is Alfred.
Peter Cockburn – He delivered prescriptions and groceries to people who were and are self-isolating, providing a vital service.
Jenny Franks – She kindly baked cakes for the staff at Shaftesbury hospital and left anonymous biscuit deliveries for Shaftesbury ambulance staff, giving them a lift and energy boost.
Shaftesbury Branch of the Royal British Legion – They have continued to provide services to the community during the pandemic, offering a telephone buddy system and helpline to enable people to gain support. They also managed to raise nearly £20,000, in these difficult times for the Poppy Appeal.
Pictured: Robin Miller
Brian Lock and Glenn Hollands – They kindly organised and administrated a team of people to deliver prescriptions to the vulnerable, elderly and those self-isolating. Over 2,000 deliveries have been made and they are continuing to deliver to those in need, providing a vital service. Thank you to them and their team of volunteers as well.
Pictured: Glenn Hollands
Andria Glasgow, Hope2Bake – She has been working hard to prepare cooked meals and deliver them to vulnerable individuals in the community, providing food to those in need.
Russell Smith – He took over the terra- cycle bins for Shaftesbury at his house and frequently goes out litter picking around Shaftesbury, usually up at zig zag.
We at Shaftesbury Rotary hope at some point to meet with the nominees and invite them to join us for a meal, until then we would like to say a huge thank you to all nominees, those who nominated them and everyone else, who is doing their bit to support their community.
15th – Zoom Meeting
Peter Sale our newest member gave a presentation on recruitment and membership, followed by a discussion. Key points included the importance of getting back to a full range of social activities as soon as we are able. We will return to this shortly as part of our on-going review.
We also approved a grant to Vale Pantry which supplies food parcels in our area.
We concluded with a brief discussion regarding the St Mary’s School site which has recently been bought by the County Council for a special school. There will be space on site for facilities for the town and input is sought regarding this. We will see what contribution we can make.
Shoe Boxes
The pandemic has played havoc with so many long-standing Rotary activities not least our highly successful Rotary Shoe box scheme. Whilst many Rotarians contribute with their own boxes the bulk come from our wonderful supporting local schools. This year of course with schools closed the numbers are inevitably down. However, we can report that 14,298 boxes filled with toys and other useful items plus 22 cartons of woollen items were finally dispatched and on their way to Moldova, Romania, Montenegro and Albania. There has been considerable delay due to Brexit and COVID combined, in getting transport organised. We are sure that all of the effort put into to this venture has brought some happiness to the children who have received them.
Picture from Dec 2019
Rotary turns 116!
On 23rd February 1905, Rotary International was founded by Chicago-based lawyer, Paul Harris. This year, Rotary Day will celebrate 116 years of our incredible organisation!
During that time, Rotary has united people in a common purpose – making connections and making a difference. That ethos rings true today, as we continue to support our communities when they need it most.
Rotary GB&I President, Tom Griffin, has recorded a special video message to celebrate Rotary Day and highlight the impact we make!
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
