Club Speakers 2023/24
Club Speakers 2023/24
Club Speakers 2023/24
Club Speakers
Mon 21st Aug --- John Tilson - The Battle of Waterloo.
Mon 25th Sept --- Ashley Peatfield - The Funzi and Bodo Trust.
Mon 2nd Oct --- Yorks Air Ambulance - Helen Murray Sharpe
Mon 22nd Jan -- Kirkwood Presentation and talk.
Mon 29th Jan --- Heather McInnes Insurance Fraud.
Mon 5th Feb --- Rotarian John Broadhead - Travels of a Civil Servant
Mon 12th Feb --- Chris Tomes The work of Citizens Advice
Mon 26 Feb --- John Wilson Journalist
Mon 11th March --- Creating a Railway Garden in deepest Birstall
Mon 25th March --- David Garfield Holm Valley Mountain Rescue.
Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
On Monday 7th Aug David visited Batley Community Centre and gave a talk about his life with guitars.
David said he has always been obsessed about music. They had a piano at home and his first record was Downtown. His older sister played the Cello and his brother played the Viola.
When David was 13 he talked about his French exchange where he played the guitar for the first time. From this he saved to buy his first guitar.
When he was 15 he joined a school band where he bought a bass guitar for £19.95.
for his hosts.
He plays with two bands the Roosters and the Welsh T band.
David said he has played in bands for the last 50 years and still does.
He has 28 guitars in his collection. David brought 5 with him to show different sounds.
David had cancer 5 years ago.
Jeremy gave a vote of thanks for David explaining his similar path with his life in music.
Above President Mary pictured with David and his guitars.
See Davids talk at the club on his video Part 1.
Part 2
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Club Speaker John Tilson
The Battle of Waterloo.
On Mon 21st Aug John Tilson visited the club at the Batley Community Centre and gave a talk
on the Battle of Waterloo.
The talk was very well attended by Luddites and partners.
John talked of the build up to the battle explaining the background of Napoleon, his previous battles and the politics in Europe in the period before and after the battle.
John went through the battle, explaining the strategy and moves of Wellington and Napoleon through the day.
Also talking of the various Generals on each of the French, Prussian and English armies.
John Broadhead gave a vote of thanks to John and then was thanked by his partner
President Mary for his talk.
Short You Tube video of the Battle of Waterloo.
Professor Andrew Lambert from Kings College London explains the period and Battle of Waterloo
Below John giving his talk.
Below John and President Mary.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Club Speaker Ashley Peatfield
Funzi and Bodo Trust.
On Mon 25th Sept Club Speaker Ashley Peatfield spoke to the club about how his Charity started from his holiday in Africa to the present where the trust run 2 medical clinics, a birthing room, toilets and freshwater, and rebuilding of 2 schools clinics.
Ashley spoke of how he loved his first visit to Bodo Island which is surrounded by mangroves and bird life and his story is an inspiration to all Rotarians how one person can evolve such an incredible Charity.
The Charity is based in Morley
Funzi and Bodo Trust Story
The Funzi and Bodo Trust was started by journalist Ashley Peatfield and his teacher wife, Sara, over a decade ago. Shocked by the poverty and suffering in the villages they began by building a small medical clinic. Working with villagers they restored an old building on Funzi Island. Two weeks later it opened with a nurse, assistant and medicines to treat sick patients. Since then the Funzi and Bodo Trust has become a registered UK charity run entirely by volunteers. Ashley and Sara still lead the charity but are backed by trustees and supporters with expertise in many areas including medicine, education and business. It now provides extensive medical and educational services, sanitation and clean water as well as projects to end poverty. The charity works both on the island of Funzi and on the mainland in the village of Bodo. The Funzi and Bodo Trust’s policy of being entirely volunteer led in the UK means money raised and donated reaches those in need.
Ashley on left addressing the club.
President Mary thanked Ashley for his visit and talk.
LINKS
Funzi and Bodo Trust
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Club Speaker Helen Murray-Sharpe
Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
The Kirkwood Cheque Presentation and talk.
On Monday Judith and Joe from The Kirkwood came to the club to receive a donation cheque for £1600.
£1000 of this was collected in Past President Steves year of office and £600 collect to date from President Marys year
Joe from the Clinical services gave a talk about what The Kirkwood do.
Explaining Judith then gave figures about running The Kirkwood.
The staggering sum of £27500 per day to run The Kirkwood.The latter has 18 shops plus an Ebay outlet and, Lottery gaining £1 million .
Past President Steve gave a vote of thanks to Judith and Joe for their visit and talk.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Club Speaker
Heather McInnes Insurance Fraud.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Club Speaker
Rotarian John Broadhead "Travels of a Civil Servant".
On Mon 5th Feb Rotarian John gave a history talk about his work as a Civil Servant.
John decided to skip University and enter the Civil Service in Sept 1963. He entered the MOD and did a year training in Northern Island before being posted to Hong Kong. This journey John said was enjoyable on the P&O SS Cathay and took 6 to 7 weeks.
From there he visited South Korea and visited the North Korean Border.
In 1971 he was back to UK in MOD Whitehall for 3 years.
He had Senior roles for Armed Forces pay and then the 7 nation cruise missile negotiations in USA.
He was promoted to Director and dealt with armaments for the Gulf war.
John negotiated contracts for UK Tank contract leading to the UK Challenger winning the contract.
He became South America Regional Director visiting many countries, on one visit he accompanied the UK Minister Michael Portillo.
John visited Israel in armament contracts.
John finally closed the doors to the MOD and in 2011 he took retirement.
President Mary thanked John for his enjoyabe and intesting talk
John in South America with Micheal Portillo.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Speaker Chris Tomes
The work of Citizens Advice.
Chris came to the club and gave a talk about the work of the Citizens Advice.
Chris was born in Gomersal and worked as a Project Manager.
He has worked for Bradford and Harrogate Citizens Advice as a Generalist Adviser.
Chris said there were 1.87 million calls for advice by phone, 729 thousand by email and 46 thousand face to face.
In Kirklees people can get advice in Dewsbury on Monday and Tuesday and in Huddersfield on Thursday and Friday.
Chris explained all the different services given by Citizens Advice .
He highlighted two good tools to help .
entitledto.co.uk and turn2us are benefit calculators.
Thanks to Keith for his projection and computer work.
Rotarian John Broadhead thanked Chris for his talk.
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Speaker John Wilson - Journalist and Laypreacher.
On Mon 26th Feb John came to the club and talked about his career for 51 years as a Journalist in newspapers and the media.
In June 1973 John started work at the Dewsbury Reporter as a trainee and spoke of the early workings where there was 1 typewriter for 10 reporters and copy was written by hand with a carbon copy for backup. John was Editor in Chief for 7 years and worked for Johnson Press as head of learning. He has worked at Hudds Univ Media dept. He now assists at Leeds Trinity Univ lecturing new journalists.
Today new journalists have to know how to do short videos and do search optimisation.
John gave figures on circulation of the Yorkshire Post which today only sells 10K copies per day but has one million hits per month on line. The YEPost sells only 5K per night.
John spoke of his life as Editor of Dewsbury Reporter dealing with politicians and councillors.
Rotarian David thanked John for his visit and talk.
Read more about John in the link below
LINK Journalist who inspired a generation of new recruits bows out
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Rotary Club of Birstall Luddites
Club Speakers Martin and Donna. - Creating a Railway Garden in deepest Birstall
On Monday 11 March Martin and Donna visited the club to talk about their garden railway in deepest Birstall.
Martin was a School teacher in Richmond where Donna was a local nurse.
Martin became a gardener and a University lecturer.Martin started their talk explaining about the community
pub they set up in Swaledale where they had a shop a library in the pub. 
Martin and Donna then moved to West Yorks and settled in Birstall.
Martin and Donna then talked about their back garden and how they built a garden railway starting with one line and building now to 8 lines. Martin explained how Donna did the construction of the tracks through the garden shrubbery and paths.
Martin showed his locomotives and the gauge of the tracks.
Martin didn't show pictures of the railways as they want visitors to come during the Birstall in Bloom garden
open day on 7th July.
Robert Jackson thanked Martin and Donna for their visit.
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