Latest News & Updates

The latest news from Bideford Rotary

March 2024

Click here to read our March Roundup

News and updates for March:

February 2024

Click here to read our February Roundup

News and updates for February:

January 2024

Click here to read our January Roundup

News and updates for January:

November-December 2023

Click here to read our End of Year Roundup

News and updates for November:

October 2023

Click here to read our October Roundup

News and updates for October:

September 2023

Click here to read our September Roundup

News and updates for September:

August 2023

Click here to read our August Roundup

News and updates for August:

July 2023

Click here to read our July Roundup

News and updates for July:

Latest News & Updates sub-pages:

Life talk from Dale Hurrell

more The Music Man and Microphone Magician held us enthralled with his autobiographical presentation - and he finished under the allotted 20 minutes!

President's March Update

more As we reflect on the past month, it's clear that our efforts have yielded significant progress and achievements.

Water festival website launch

more with Boat Building Workshop Scheduled for April 21

Business meeting 7th March at the Pannier Pantry

more A quick recap on the 7th of March business meeting

Wine tasting evening for end polio now at Moreton house

more A small group from our Club joined others Rotary Group at Moreton House

Crocus report

more Crocus update

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)

more District 1175 is offering a residential youth development course on Dartmoor at the end of June.

Our roundup has wider repercussions

more Jo shares a lovely email from Adam Crispin of South Molton Rotary in response to our Roundup pieces on blister packs and the Memory Cafe

Social and talk at the Thatch

more Inspiring Presentation from the North Devon Surf School on the work they do for the community

70’s Disco night

more Friday Night Fever at the Pier House in aid of Alzheimer’s!

Festival of Youth at Tavistock

more Cooking and talking up a storm in Tavistock!

Shelterbox Morrison’s Gaza Appeal

more The goodly sum of £393.05 was raised!

What Happens to All Our Blister Packs?

more This is the reply from Terracycle following a request as to what they do with the blister packs; a nice snippet of information.

Have I won the Tina Scooter from the 1963 Grand Bideford Rotary Draw?!

more A Rotary raffle ticket from 1963!

Meeting 15th February 2024 at The Thatch Abbotsham

more Highly informative talk on Men’s Health in relation to Prostate Cancer

Rotary Youth Speaks Competition Area Final at Barnstaple

more Terrific result for our local teams who will go on to the District Final in Tavistock on March 2. Come along and support them!

Barnstaple Rotary Centennial Lunch

more The Rotary Club of Barnstaple was chartered on 16 th February 1924, and 100 years later, to the day, they had a birthday party.

Bideford’s Musical Memory Café’s Christmas Party

more Update and information on this club-supported project and an invitation to come along and be part of this wonderful and much-appreciated local resource!

End Polio Talk at The Thatch - 29th February

more An End Polio talk by Jill Eddie and a presentation on Rotary’s 2018 trip to India to assist with national immunisation day by Mike Clarke.

Purple For Polio Crocus Planting Update

more Not quite the result we hoped for!

Support Our Young People and Our Local Environment!

more The British Naturalists Association has a junior section called the Young Naturalists and is run by a member of our local branch, Endymion Beer

President’s Message

more This past month has been truly eye-opening, especially in the realm of men's health and international humanitarian efforts.

Burns’ Night Supper

more For the uninitiated, “Gie it laldy” roughly (and politely) translates as “make a night of it”. And we did!

President's Update

more "The highlight [for me] was the Youth Speaks competition, where four teams participated and did an amazing job."

Fill Your Plate Week for Polio

more In 1985, Rotary pledged to rid the world of polio. Rotary spearheaded the campaign at a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries. Today, the number of cases is down by 99.99%.

Our Newest members life talk

more It was a brave Sam Halfyard who, as the newest – and youngest - member of Rotary, stepped in at the last minute and gave his new member Life/Job Talk.

Becky’s Christmas Toy Bank Update

more We have had a fantastic year of support, generosity, and kindness for the Christmas Toy Bank this year and just wanted to write to say a massive thank you.

Meeting at Pannier Pantry

more The first meeting of the year was held on 11th January at The Pannier Pantry amongst voluble greetings and much chortling from those who attended.

Isley Marsh Visit

more On a beautiful winter’s morning, just a handful of people plus a well behaved dog, attended the Rotarian walk to see the birds on the RSPB reserve at Isley Marsh.

Youth Speaks Update - Initial Heats

more An exciting time was had by all who attended the local heats of Youth Speaks.

Readers still needed!

more If you’d be willing to give up an hour each week during term time to go into one of our local junior schools to listen to children read, then we could use you!

Update on bra recycling

more This has been a bumper month with Moirag taking 121 bras to the bank!!

The Finalists are decided!

more Multiple great dishes were made and we have two amazing young chefs going to Tavistock

A Christmas to remember

more The donation of £500 for children's toys has been spent which will benefit 500 to 600 children

Notes about nature

more Some thoughts on natural Christmas decorations and gifts

Tis the season

more Mulled Wine, Mince Pies & Friendship

President's Update November 2023

more As the Christmas period approaches, it is a time for us to reflect on the importance of hope and its ability to bring light into the darkest of times.

Introducing a new member and some history that's close to home!

more Unveiling Sam Halfyard's Arrival and a Heartfelt Introduction and Nostalgic Journey into some of Bideford's history

4000 Purple crocus corms planted!

more On Friday 17th November, 8 members braved the weather and came armed with an assortment of kneelers, stools, trowels and spades to plant 4000 Purple crocus corms

Reading invitation from the Youth Team

more Do you enjoy being with children? Would you feel able to give up an hour each week to go into one of our local junior schools to listen to them read? If so, you’re one of the people we’re looking for!

Wishing Well cleaning

more Arriving at 9:15 on Sunday morning with a 7-person team, we efficiently cleaned the well, revealing a much-improved scene, and completed the job by 10 am GMT, now tasked with sorting, cleaning, counting, and banking the coins with Martin.

Bug Boxes at Northam Burrows

more Bideford Rotary and the Northam Burrows Visitor Centre teamed up for a Halloween project, having children fill 30 bug boxes with materials collected by the club, creating critter shelters for winter, and earning positive feedback from parents.

Taste of Rotary International

more Musanze's renovated nursery in Rwanda brings joy, while Malawi-born Rebecca's dance troupe from Hartland raises £400 to aid flood-affected Ndoka villagers, ensuring funds reach their destination through Rotary connections.

In Focus: Euan Eddie

more An opportunity to get to know our fellow club members. This month’s “In Focus” interview is with Euan Eddie.

Exmoor Deer Rut Excusion

more A delightful and privileged day on Exmoor with British Naturalist Association lead Brian Sims, capturing stunning images of Red Deer during the rutting season, despite unpredictable weather and challenges in locating the deer.

Lyn Winter: A letter from her visit

more After her visit to Bideford Rotary, Lyn wrote a letter to Morgan, Jo, Jill, Brian, Sharon, and the rest of us here at Rotary.

President's Update October 2023

more This month, Bideford Rotary excelled with the bug boxes initiative, Mitesh Badiani's impactful SmileStar speech, and Sharon's 70s night, showcasing unwavering community support and commitment.

Smile Star: Mitesh and his journey on dentistry

more Mitesh shared a compelling journey, tracing his family's roots from India to Africa, his career as a dentist in Newcastle and Torquay, and his remarkable efforts with Smile Star, a dental charity operating globally.

Rotary on tour: Skatter week

more Various members visited other Rotary Clubs across the country. Some even 400 miles away!

Business Meeting Thursday 5th October

more A business meeting took an unexpected turn with technical difficulties and a last-minute laptop replacement, featured the induction of a new member with diverse talents, and welcomed back a former member for a special address.

TerraCycle Initiative led by Brian Sims

more Brian Sims has had a particularly busy September collecting used medication blister packs.

Dementia Talk by Philippa Ratcliff and Emma Bradley

more Evening Speaker Meeting 28th September

Disaster Response – A weekend at Morrisons

more Shelter Box Collection Morrisons, Bideford 16th & 17th September

A trip to the zoo and a thank you

more A report on the day out for Barnstaple, South Molton & Bideford Musical Memory Cafes

An Overview of The Rotary Foundation

more The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.

Youth Competitions

more Bideford Rotary Club are keen to encourage wider participation in this year’s Youth competitions.

Edukid: Evie Wood on Cambodia Visit

more Evie, supported by her leader Sophie Gilbert, gave the Club a presentation

In Focus: Brian Cooke

more Brian joined the club in 1986 and is our oldest, most active member.

Business Meeting Thursday 7th September

more 21 attendees couldn’t decide if they were in Bideford or the Bahamas!

President's Update September 2023

more "We celebrated a month of noteworthy achievements, impactful community service, and reinforced dedication to humanitarian causes."

Exploring Virtual Reality at COTIE, Petroc

more Discover how a firsthand experience with COTIE's cutting-edge technologies like VR and AR is changing perspectives on the future of work and life.

The North Devon Show: Young Tom

more Enjoy a unique and fun twist on the coverage from the North Devon Show 2023.

The Bear Auction

more Friday 15th September 2023, The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe

Bug Boxes & Recycling Initiatives

more The Community Project Team are planning a “bug box” making event on Thursday 26th October, 2-4pm (October Half Term)

ShelterBox: We're Proudly Recognised as a Gold Partner Club

more Fuad speaks about his new role as the Club coordinator for ShelterBox, and its past, present and future activities.

Ukraine and Beyond talk by Jill Eddie

more A talk by Jill Eddie, highlighting the assistance given by Rotary locally and nationally.

New Rotarian at Work T-Shirts

more You may spot a Bideford Rotarian in the wild, sporting their loud and proud “Rotarian at Work T-Shirt”

Club Secretary, Jo, with President Morgan

Business Meeting Thursday 3rd August

more A great meeting of members with a special “President's Appreciation” award handed out.

In Focus: Jack Balchin

more This month's In Focus interview is with returning member Jack Balchin

A Little Library for our Ukrainian Children

more Discover how our £500 grant transformed into a cherished library for refugee children, bringing comfort and inclusivity to young lives during turbulent times.