March 2013

March has been a very social month with three charter night celebrations and two social evenings to enjoy, but we started the month on a chilly Saturday at Sainsbury's of Trowbridge armed with boxes of sunny daffodil pins in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Thanks to the caring & generous people of Trowbridge, we were able to raise £295.56 for the appeal.

It is traditional for a Rotary club to hold an annual President or Charter Night to celebrate all that the club has achieved and will achieve this Rotary year, as well as a chance to thank everyone for their support. Our President chooses the theme of the evening and which charity will be the recipient of the raffle takings and we have enjoyed various styles of evening over the years. This year, I wanted a Masked Ball and Cleeve House at Seend set the scene beautifully.  Devizes Catering fed us very well then the Deadly Blues, a five piece band, provided excellent live music to which we enjoyed listening and dancing. The fine array of masks added mystery, elegance and a talking point for the evening (as did my sugar crafted flower table decorations, a feat which took up more hours of my life than I wish to calculate!)

I am therefore highly delighted to announce that the Rotary Club of Trowbridge Wessex Mead 11th President's Night raised the sum of £650.21 for Swift Medics, a group of very hard working, generous doctors who give up their free time to save lives. They are a registered charity providing Pre-Hospital Emergency Care in Wiltshire, at the scene of ‘accidents’ or sudden severe serious medical conditions such as heart attacks, severe asthma or meningitis to name but a few. They receive no government funding and rely on donations so need public  recognition & support. More details for Swift Medics can be found on their website: www.swiftmedics.net

In addition to our own President's Night in March,  we were invited to join the Trowbridge Lions at the Leigh Park Hotel to celebrate their 38th Charter Night, The Rotary Club of Chippenham at Chippenham Golf Club to celebrate their 64th Charter Dinner and the Mayoral Civic Dinner and Dance at the Civic Centre. Sadly the Mayoral Civic Dinner & Dance was held on the same night as our own President's night so we were unable to attend, but we did enjoy dancing to 'Us Two' with the Lions and listened to a very entertaining after dinner speech given by Nigel Redman, an ex-England Rugby Cap, with Chippenham Rotary; two different but very enjoyable evenings.

In addition to the Charter celebrations we have enjoyed a number of club activities:  a beer tasting game at a members home; an Irish themed quiz the day after St Patrick's Day; a District Council meeting at Strode College Street; our monthly Business Meeting which was attended by two visitors from Melksham Rotary Club; and our monthly committee meeting which started with an interesting & informative talk given by Dr Dan Bawden from SWIFT Medics.

Our next event is on Monday 15th April so please come along to our popular quiz night at the Polish Club, Waterworks Road. The price of only £7.50 per person  includes Fish and Chip supper and the event is in aid of Water Works - Water Survival Boxes providing water for life. Booking is essential so please contact Andrew Mullens on 01225 768666 to secure your place. Details can also be found on our website: www.wessexmeadrotary.org.uk