Cheltenham North News

Cheltenham North News

             This is a selection of our activities over the past twelve months

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Links to Rotary and other relevant sites can be found at the bottom of the Home Page or at the Top of the Home Page under "More" and then "Links and News"

December 2025 47th Annual Christmas Concert

A very successful Concert was held at the Ladies College Princess Hall Cheltenham with funds raised  in support of  Rotary Charities 

Some of the funds raised will enable us to continue to support the local communities with Grants for specific projects.

The Featured Page on the Home Page of this Website will shortly have a selection of Pictures taken at the event.  

The event featured, Compere Mark Cummings, the Choirs from Leckhampton Primary School and Imogen Bowquett, and Harriet Perfect and the Flukes Band.

December 2025 Cheltenham North support the CCP Hamper Scamper Appeal 

Cheltenham North Rotarians have made food donations to CCP in aid of their Christmas Hamper Scamper Appeal

This year the CCP charity will be handing out 2,000 Christmas Hampers to needy people. and our contribution will go a little way towards this very large target.

December 2025 Christmas Luncheon at Cotswold Hills Golf Club

Seventeen club members and seventeen guests, including some previous members, attended the Christmas Lunch at Cotswold Hills Golf Club on Monday 1st December. Salmon or turkey was on the menu followed by poached pears or Christmas pudding. Two very talented young ladies, Jasmine West (piano) and Rosa Gray (oboe and poems) provided wonderful entertainment – the whole event was a joyous occasion enjoyed by all those present.

November 2025 Dingley's Promise.

A Community Grant has been made to Dingley' Promise to provide Christmas entertainment for the Children. 

November 2025 Cheltenham Racecourse Fireworks

Cheltenham North Rotarians acted as Marshalls at the Racecourse Fireworks display. Monies raised was in aid of Charitable organisations.

November 2025 Rowanfield School Dictionaries Community Grant.

Cheltenham North Rotary Club have purchased Dictionaries for a full School year at Rowanfield School

October 2025 Cheltenham Swimming and Water Polo Club. Grant

A Community Grant has been made to the Cheltenham water Polo Club for the purchase of Equipment 

September 2025 Bettridge School "Sharing Shed" Grant

A  Community Grant has been made to the "Sharing Shed" of Bettridge School for the purchase of specialist equipment.

August 2025 Update on District 1100 Boules

We have played two boules matches, drawing with 3 games each, in both cases.

However in such circumstances the result hinges on points scored, meaning we lost against Winchcombe and won against North Cotswolds (Rams).

Between writing this and publication, we have our last match of the season hosting North Cotswolds (Tups) in Sandford Park on Thursday evening. We can reveal that result at the next meeting.

The matches have been enjoyed by the teams, being precursors to a friendly meal in a local pub.

The Club needs to thank: David, Richard, Tony, John and Beth for being our ambassadors on these evenings.

Having started late this year our pool of volunteers was able to cover these arranged games, however for next year please let me know if you want to play, as we need four members to make up a team and a larger squad would give us some flexibility

August 2025 Visit to Stanway House

A Group of Rotarians, Partners and Friends paid a visit to Stanway House. 

President David commented "Great day at Stanway House followed by an excellent lunch at The Plough. A lovely start to the Bank Holiday weekend." 

August 2025 Garden Party 

A Garden Party was held at the home of Sue and Chris Jenkins with entertainment being provided by Duncan and his group of players. The event raised £1500 for the Club's Charity fund.

July 2025 Presentation by the Cheltenham Scout Group.

At the Club Meeting on the 21st July a presentation was made to Club members on Scouting and the activities of the Cheltenham Scout Group. (See Pictures)

July 2025 Community Grant to School House Cafe

A further grant has been made to the School House Cafe for the purchase of a Commercial Dishwasher.  This will enable the provision of facilities for the local Community to be extended. A cheque for £750 has been presented to them by our President David

June 2025 Community Grants Further Donations

A number of Community Awards have been made during 2025 as follows

Cass and friends

Cheltenham Art Society

Friends of Sandford Park

Friends of Belmont School

Holst 150

Rowanfield School

Cheltenham Playhouse 

Cheltenham Enigma Scout Group

Since the project was started last year 15 Grants have been made totalling over £4000

See the Community Grants Featured Page on the Home Page for more information.

June 2025 Handover to New President

At the Club AGM/Assembly and Handover meeting on the 16th June President Nigel passed the "Reins" to the new Club President for 2025/6 David Hearle 

May 2025 Star Centre New Equipment from Cheltenham North

This is certainly fantastic piece of equipment that will change students that use it - freedom of independent movement.

Further details of the equipment in December item below. 

April 2025 Wine Festival

Cheltenham North organised another successful Wine Festival that was again held at the Fitness Centre of Cheltenham Ladies College.

Pictures taken at the event are now available within the Featured Page on the Home page of this website.

Proceeds, approximately £5000 from the event will go to Rotary Charities.

April 2025 Leatherhead Gala Dinner

On the same day as the Wine Festival two of our Lady Members were able to support the Gala Dinner organised by Leatherhead Rotary Club. The Leatherhead Club were on an "away" weekend in Cheltenham and held the event at the Hilton Hotel.

April 2025 Support for Shelterbox

A luncheon was organised by the Lady Members and the Lady partners in support of Shelterbox. The proceeds from the event, approximately £270 will go to Shelterbox to support Myanmar 

March 2025 Support for Cobalt Unit

A number of members supported the Cobalt unit charity walk who marshalled and encouraged the participants taking part in the run/jog/walk. During the event the CEO thanked the members for their help and support. 

January 2025 Award to Cass and Friends 

At the Cheltenham North Club Meeting on 6th January a Community Award was made to Fiona Carter of Cass and Friends.

December 2024 Cheltenham North Supports the Star Centre.

At their Club Meeting on the 16th December Members gave their approval to the purchase of specialist equipment for the Star Centre

Past President Kevin provided details, as per below of the “Ability to Drive” project. £6750 was approved by those present. 

"The Ability Drive consists of piece of hardware that attaches to an individual’s wheelchair and the Ability Drive app. The app shows directional drive ‘buttons’ on the student’s screen which is attached to their wheelchair. It will sense the individual’s gaze on the virtual buttons which in turn send movement commands to the Ability Drive interface. The wheelchair will then move in the desired direction. If the student wants to stop, they just move their gaze from the screen.

The Star College’s Occupational Therapists and Assistive Technology team will work with students to develop the skills they need to use the Ability Drive. They will support them to build up concentration and tolerance to the eye-driven communication device, empowering them to make choices about where they want to go and what they want to do, and support them to experience a new level of independence and freedom.

Beneficiaries will be students like Michele, who has cerebral palsy, and communicates through technology that tracks her eye movements. Michele is desperate to drive around college on her own so that she can socialise freely with her friends and ‘do what teenagers do’, but currently has to rely on a support worker to go anywhere. Ability Drive will enable her to move around National Star independently.

The students at National Star who will benefit from this equipment will be those who have limited functional movements or difficulty controlling their movements, and who are therefore unable to make use of typical driving controls such as joysticks and head switches to drive their wheelchairs independently, but are cognitively able to do so. For those individuals, watching their peers travel independently around college, where they want and when they want, can be extremely frustrating, demoralising and can have a negative impact on their self-esteem, confidence and mental health.

National Star was the first charity in the UK to trial Ability Drive, with one of the students, Hannah, who learned to use the equipment, telling us that it made her feel ‘confident’ and that it was simply ‘amazing’ to drive her wheelchair independently for the first time in her

life. Seeing the real difference Ability Drive made in such a short time to students’ quality of life, National Star has made the decision to purchase this equipment which will ensure that all the students at National Star who have no movement or limited control of their movements, can experience the freedom and autonomy that many of us take for granted.

The College anticipate that 11 students per year will benefit immensely from learning to use Ability Drive and as is often the case with most technology’s that National Star invests in, over time more students will benefit as the general needs and complexities of our students increases.

Sadly, The Star College was unsuccessful in securing the grant to cover the vast majority of the purchase price but we have received £700 in smaller restricted grants towards this particular item. The overall cost will be £7450. The Star College will add a plaque for visitors to be able to see your Rotary incredible impact (and to encourage others to do the same as well)"

December 46th Annual Carol Concert

A very successful Concert was held at the Ladies College Princess Hall Cheltenham with over £5700 raised in support of  Rotary Charities

The Featured Page on the Home Page of this Website have a selection of Pictures taken at the event.  

The event featured, Compere Mark Cummings, the Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Choirs from Leckhampton Primary School and Imogen Bowquett, and Harriet Perfect.

December 2024 Christmas Dinner at the Queens Hotel.

Cheltenham North Rotarians and their Guests enjoyed their Christmas Dinner at the Queens Hotel. This was a "Black Tie" event and they were entertained by a group of Ukulele Players. All pictures taken at this event can be found within the section Photo Gallery of Events under "What we Do" on the Home Page of this website.