DG's Newsletter - November 2018

November is Foundation Month


DG Dave writes

November is Rotary Foundation Month, so I would particularly like to thank all those Clubs amounting to almost two thirds in our District who have pledged to support our in-District Global Grant for the Fibroscanner for the detection of liver disease. It is also vitally important for Clubs to keep on contributing to our very own charity so that projects like this together with those both locally and overseas can be undertaken.

During October I have visited the Clubs of Potters Bar, Berkhampsted Bulbourne, MK Watling, Amwell, Barton-le-Clay, Milton Keynes Grand Union, Hitchin Priory and Watford as well as attending the charter celebrations of Letchworth Garden City ( 94) Buckingham ( 50) and Milton Keynes (40). I attended the Inner Wheel District 26 Rally on the 18th October, while we were hosting former RI Director Brad Howard and his wife Marcia, who gave a tremendous presentation to us at Tilsworth that evening. Last weekend we attended the Bill Huntley Peace Seminar in Bradford along with several other District Rotarians. The quality of these young people is quite exceptional and I would recommend this seminar to everyone.

World Polio Day on the 24th October saw us at Stoke Mandeville Stadium helping to Plant 20,000 crocus corms along with about 40 other Rotarians, members of Horatio’s Garden, Wheelpower and the Boys Brigade and a few members of the public. The afternoon finished with tea and cakes provided by Wheelpower. If any more Clubs would like to contribute £10 toward the cost of the bulbs, please send it to District Treasurer Cedric Kennedy. I know a number of Clubs planted many thousands of Crocus corms all over our District and you are all to be commended for that. Let us hope the squirrels don’t get to many of them this year and that we can all enjoy their blooming in the Spring. 

I have a good number of Club visits lined up for November, together with our first Technology Tournament, heats of Youth Speaks, St Albans 90th Charter celebrations, a couple of quiz nights and several committee meetings.

Keep on supporting the Rotary Foundation and keep on Being the Inspiration.


Dave Ford


Conference 2019 Update

First Speaker at the 2019 Conference announced

Geoff Miller OBE

Geoff Miller, affectionately known as “Dusty” spent twenty years as a professional cricket player, representing Derbyshire, Essex, Natal and England, traveling to all the major test playing countries and playing with or against all the present-day greats. To which he freely admits “I wasn't one of them.”  In his own words “I was a comparatively boring bread and butter cricketer who was only selected in the team to allow all the brilliant flair players to perform with freedom.”

Apart from cricket, Geoff's greatest attribute was the ability to keep his team mates amused with his hilarious dry northern humour which he now brings to the after dinner speaking stage from his roots in Chesterfield.  By virtue of the sport he was in, and the life he has led, Geoff now possesses a whole host of brilliant anecdotes and stories about himself and his colleagues.

Following his success as an England Test Selector for almost eight years, Geoff was appointed Head of the England Selectors in 2008 and retired after the England’s victorious Ashes tour in the UK in 2013. He was appointed OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to cricket.

What others have said -
          Outstanding entertaining speaker                    Better speaker than cricketer!!!


Develop your skills with Rotary

G.D.P.R.

Thursday 8th November 2018 - Stevenage
Thursday 22nd November 2018 - Hemel Hempstead

Photography, P.I. Tool

Thursday 21st February 2019 - Stevenage
Thursday 7th March 2019 - Hemel Hempstead



For recent news around the Distirict visit the Club News Section
For upcoming Events, check out the District Calendar

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'What We Do' Main Pages:

MKGU Rotary Club 30 year anniversary banner

Our MKGU Rotary President for 2023/24 is Mike Rhodes. Mike's chosen charity for 2023/24 is MK Snap. https://mksnap.org/ MKGU Rotary Club celebrates its' 30 year anniversary in 2024.

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Recent visit to The Gambia

Work has almost completed on a significant project to reduce Malaria in The Gambia thanks to the Rotary Club of Milton Keynes Grand Union (MKGU).

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Volunteers at MK Marathon

MKGU Grand Union Rotary Club turned out in force to support the MK Marathon and half-Marathon on Monday 01 May.

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The winning team of Breege Traynor, Eric Hamilton and John Kelly with Vice President Chris Duff at the MKGU Rotary'End Polio Now' Golf Day

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The photographic archive for our club is kept on a Flickr account. You can access it using the link below.

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The Crocuses planted at the Open University, our meeting venue, to mark our commitment to Rotary International's fight to eradicate polio

A brief description of what the Rotary organisation world wide stands for.

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One of our annual quiz nights

Some information about our club

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Tabitha Cobb, Ethel Morris and Maureen McColl were inducted as members of the club in January 2018

Information on how you can get involved with MKGU Rotary

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An intrepid cyclist on the challenge

Our biggest charity effort comes through supporting the organisation of the Extra Mile Challenge annual relay cycling event.

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We have fun together in a variety of social events organised by the club

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MKGU Bursary Awards to Catherine Agunede, Shinta Francis & Rochelle Archer

The Bursary Awards are made each year to students studying for careers in the public sector. This year's award of £300 each was made to students at MK University Hospital NHS Trust, Catherine Agunede, Shinta Francis & Rochelle Archer.

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Local workers starting to survey the drainage route

We are putting our funds, together with a grant from the Rotary Foundation to support a drainage improvement project in the Gambia

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