March 2017

ROTARY CLUB OF CARLISLE

PRESIDENT David Morton

SECRETARY Mike McNally

THE BORDERER

MARCH 2017

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Since our last edition we have enjoyed some excellent social events, snooker, curling and a cards night. Our thanks go to Malcolm, Nick and Robin for putting in the effort to organise these brilliant events.

Following the talk given by District Foundation Chairman, David Simpson, the Club approved Tom’s proposal that we send a further £500 to Rotary Foundation and a cheque has started its journey to Elvanston, Illionois.

Many Rotarians are concerned about the future of our organisation and see one solution to be the formation of new clubs designed to appeal to younger generations. There is a report of our debate on the subject later in this edition of The Borderer.

They may seem a long way off, but we have two important fund raising events approaching on Friday 19^th May we have the Golf Day and on Saturday 24^th June it’s the Great Ferret Race. Please put the dates in your diaries and get ready to support and enjoy them in every way!

PRESIDENT DAVID

Purple4Polio Jam

Following a request from a Rotarian in District 1240, Tiptree Jam (Wilkin & Sons Ltd) have made and donated 52,000 jars of Purple4Polio jam. These have now been distributed to every single Rotarian across Great Britain and Ireland.

The aim of the scheme is to raise £1,000,000 for Purple4Polio.

By donating a minimum of £2 per jar (worth at least £3 in store) and collecting donations/loose change in the empty jar, that target can be reached.

There is a suggestion that some of it will be used for a Purple4Polio tea party!

Each member of our Club should now have received their pot of jam and there will be a separate box on our Reception Desk for donations. Please fill in the amount of your donation on the sheet in the box so we can claim back the Gift Aid before sending the money to Purple4Polio.

Enjoy!

 SNOOKER COMPETITION

The winner was Peter Yates.

Perhaps in the future the competition should be named The Peter Yates Competition as he has won it so often.

Well done Peter you have seen off all the competition!

CURLING COMPETITION

Team Rotary once again headed towards Lockerbie Ice Rink for our annual Curling excursion, with Tom clutching the trophy his team won in 2016 and which he had proudly cleaned and displayed throughout the previous 12 months.

Those present quickly recalled the curling technique from their previous visit but most seemed unable to grasp the rudiments of sweeping, an essential part of the game !

Nevertheless by the end of the two hour session all were hitting the target (or getting close).

As for the result - well it looked as if Team Dawson would be runaway victors once again but a late flurry by Team McNally, including the shot of the night by Mike himself meant the game ended all square at 5 points each.

The rest of the evening was spent consuming an abundance of chips in the bar and persuading President David to maintain the trophy with pride in his home until we return in 2018!                                                    NICK UTTING

ROTARY SPRING WALK

Sunday 9^th April

The Spring Walk will be from Aira Force to Glenridding along the new Ullswater Way.

Start time 10.15 am from Aira Force car park.

Distance 3 miles with a couple of gradual inclines otherwise along hard standing path. Having trialled the walk last week it takes approximately 45 minutes by car from Carlisle. The car park at Aira Force is free for National Trust members ( if you display your card ) otherwise it will be about £9 for the length of time from departure until you return to the car park.

Lunch has been arranged for 1.00 pm at the Ramblers Bar at Inn on the Lake at Glenridding. This will be a roast beef Sunday lunch followed by a sweet course and tea or coffee at a cost of £17.50 per head.

We would intend taking the Ullswater steamer back from Glenridding to Aira Force landing (a short walk to the car park ) which will be £6 per head on the 3.45 pm sailing.

A sheet is circulating in the Blue folder and we would ask that you sign up indicating your interests. The final cut-off date for numbers must be Wednesday lunch time 5^th APRIL.

It would also help if those having lunch could pay Michael Pearson ( in cash or cheque payable to Michael Pearson ) by 5^th April. He will then pay the hotel in one single payment as with the last Rotary walk. Michael will himself be away on 5^th April but any monies being paid over on that date can be given to Julian.

MICHAEL PEARSON

Twenty Minutes of Whining.  

A talk by Bethany Bareham post graduate PhD student at Newcastle University.

In order to capture our interest the title of her talk Twenty minutes of whining had us all wondering as to which direction we were heading.Then suddenly when the wordWinewas mentionedfollowed by other similar words such asbeer and spirits and alcohol it was noticeable that people’s minds had started to focus, but still not certain as to the final direction. Next our attention was drawn to an age group which for the most of the Rotarians present was an age gone by, the age group 65+.

Ah, now we are getting there, Alcohol and Older people, what Beth then proceeded to do was to put the letter H into Wining to give us the word in her title Whining. I would like to think that the letter H stood for Health as Beth suggested we should all have a greater awareness of the health risk of increased alcohol consumption.

The guidelines keep changing and now men and women’s  recommended levels of alcohol consumption is 14units per week spread over at least three or four days. What is your approach to alcohol, do you drink more or less than the recommended level, and do you consume more than the recommended 14units all at once or spread over a few days?

Are you a generous pourer?

Beth’s research programme is over three years and as she said during that time she will be reading a lot , talking a lot, and listening a lot, and in order to listen she has to hear, and that is where you could help.

Beth would like to meet and speak with a group of five or six members of the club and hear their thoughts about drinking alcohol. Would you be interested? The meeting would take place locally and would be conducted by Beth herself. There is only one stipulation the people taking part must not be known to Beth socially.

Would you like to help, I am sure you would, names to me Donald Edgar please, and we will arrange the detail.

DONALD EDGAR

CARDS NIGHT 2017

Friday 10^th February saw the annual Military Cards Night at Robin and Jenny’s home in Brampton.There were 26 present including four guests – regulars Lynne & Phil Robinson, Hugh Nicholson-Walker and George Gray who was invited by Brian as a late addition to make up the required number.It was a ‘first’ for 2^nd Vice Ian & Barbara and for Pauline and Norman, who we hope all enjoyed the experience!

Teams, or should we say ‘Armies’, of 4 were recruited to play under a national flag with the intention of winning flags from opposing countries.  In deference to any Brexit voters present European countries were excluded this year.Taking part were GB, Scotland and Wales (both considered independent this evening), USA, Japan and Brazil (?).

After the usual early confusion of ‘who goes where’ and ‘I can’t find my partner’, memories kicked in and the event progressed satisfactorily. After five hands of whist a break was called to replenish glasses under the watchful supervision of Norman – a non-cardplayer left to guard the quartermaster’s store from potential enemy attack. Ceasefire was called after five further hands and tables were set for supper.

Generous portions (thanks Barbara) of Wilsons’ delightful steak pie were adorned with mushy peas and pickled cabbage, washed down with more wine or soft drinks.  Goodness knows how, but some seconds were taken before coffee/tea and mini shortbreads.

So who won?  The major powers topped the leader board with GB second (as usual) with 17 flags. The winners however with 23 flags were USA led by General Peter Yates and supported by his wife Jill, Brian and Robin & Jenny who shared a place while warming pies and stirring peas. To them the ‘good’ wine and chocolates.We don’t have losers but a booby prize of miniature wine and sweets went to Japan i.e. Marian E with Phil, Lynne and George.It did not go unnoticedthat the Edmundsons went home with a first prize and a booby – not a bad return!!

After declaring the result Brian thanked everyone for supporting the event.  2^nd Vice Ian then wound up the evening by thanking Brian and of course a huge vote of thanks to Robin and Jenny for being such wonderful hosts for an evening enjoyed by all.

BRIAN EDMUNDSON

INHERITANCE TAX PLANNING

PAULINE JACKSON

It was announced in the in the Budget in 2015 that a married couple will be eligible to a new residence nil band rate which when added to the existing nil band rate of £325K will give them £500k each, ie £1m between them.

However the intricacies of the new legislation mean that in certain circumstances the full £1m may not be available.

Firstly the new relief is only being introduced from April 2017 starting at £100k, increasing to £125k from2018, £150k from 2019 and £175k from 2020.

 Now for things to watch out for;                     

1. The relief only applies where a property is left to one or more lineal descendants-therefore includes children, stepchildren, adopted children, grandchildren. If left to a sibling there will not be any relief and those with no children will not be able to benefit from the relief. 

2. If the value of the residence is less than the rnrb then the relief is restricted to the value of the property.

3. Where more than one property is owned executors can nominate which property to allocate the relief against- but only where it has been used as a main residence. Therefore buy to let properties and furnished holiday lets will not qualify. Also anybody who has made a capital gains election for principle private residence relief tis will not apply for IHT purposes.

4. If the value of your estate exceeds £2m before any reliefs then the relief will be tapered until after £22.2m in 2017/8 no relief will be available. The figure in2020 will be £2.35m. This is likely to affect many business people who are likely to qualify for BPR on the value of their interests in their business- whether that be a company, sole trader or partnership, but when their estate is totalled before the relief they could end up losing it altogether.

5. Where an individual has downsized there are provisions to enable relief to continue but again the small print needs to be checked if you are going to do this to make sure you don’t jeopardise the relief.

We propose to include further extracts next month. It is worthwhile checking any established discretionary trusts. Finally a few words from our own Malcolm Metcalfe “Don’t do it alone, seek Professional help from a reputable Professional firm”. 

CHARLES DICKENS

Peter Yates gave us part two of his fascinating insight into the life of Charles Dickens.

Born Portsmouth in 1812, he wrote some thousands of letters and 15 novels.

Dickens’ father spent some time in a debtors’ prison and this and Dickens’ subsequent visits to prisons affected his literary work and his campaigning for children’s rights, education and other social reforms.

He had ten children by his wife Catherine, but he spent a great deal of time with Nellie, his mistress. In fact he was travelling with Nellie when part of his train fell off a bridge at Staplehurst. After helping some of the passengers he continued on his journey with Nellie and poor Catherine was none the wiser!

He had many financial troubles and did not make much money from publishing, but it was his second American tour in 1868 that turned round his fortunes. While there he gave some 76 readings to audiences of 2,000 to 3,000 on some occasions,  earned him about two million pounds in today’s money.

He returned from America a very sick man and he died in 1870 aged 58.

As always, our own speakers are very interesting and Peter was no exception. He has a vast knowledge of his subject and he has given us a most interesting insight into Dickens’ life.

DAVID MORTON

ROTARY GOLF DAY

Friday 19^th May 2017

Our Annual Golf Day date has again been altered to allow for Eden Golf Club’s Ladies’ Day which was also scheduled for 12^th May. Accordingly, please note that our Annual Golf Day will now be held on Friday 19^th May 2017.

Letters and Entry/Sponsorship forms have been distributed and please, please do try to seek team entries and sponsorship wherever possible as this is our main annual fund raising event. It is always popular and enjoyed by those who take part and we are regularly complimented on the atmosphere of the day.

So remember, a change of date to Friday 19^th May 2017 and a need for sponsors, teams and jolly volunteers to give a couple of hours on the day

Robin MacLeod

Collection for Prostate Cancer UK.  Volunteers are again sought to act as collectors for Prostate Cancer UK prior to the match Carlisle United v Notts County at Brunton Park on Saturday 8 April 2017 (as part of the MenUnited link between Prostate Cancer UK and the Football League).

Volunteers will be offered complimentary tickets to the match

Further details will be available from Ellis.

Please sign up in the Blue Folder

 THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IN CARLISLE

Many Rotarians are concerned about the future of our organisation and see one solution to be the formation of new clubs designed to appeal to younger generations.

We had a debate about the proposal to form such a club in the Carlisle area at our well-attended Business Meeting this month. We had a pretty full discussion including the age profile of our club and Rotary as a whole, Rotary GB&I’s finances and the time commitments of the proposed club’s target membership. There was never any suggestion that it would be a threat to our own membership.

The conclusion was that our Club could not see the need for the proposed new club and does not support the idea. Watch this space.

The aim was to have 2 ‘open days’ during April 2017 at Asda, the Stobart Training Centre in Kingstown and The Old Fire Station on 24^th April – with an aim of starting the club on 1^st July 2017. They were to circulate all businesses at Kingstown. The suggested projects were The Health Mela, Young Carers day, or a Run.

Carlisle South would probably be the mother club.

The Silloth and Wigton clubs are trying a similar exercise and received good publicity for the venture in The Cumberland News on 3^rd March. If you want to read the article and haven’t got a copy of the paper – why not buy one and assist the Presidential pension?

DAVID MORTON

FERRET RACING

JUNE 24^th 2017

Plans for our other big fund raising event are well in hand and Marian is looking for serious prizes to be raffled and also tombola prizes

Membership Challenge

Are you still up for the Challenge?

It is now weeks rather than months before the time expires. 

This is not a hard challenge and only requires you to bring one guest to one meeting during the current Rotary Year 2016/2017.

David Hoggard completed the challenge last week when his guest was Guy Newing.

Who will be next?

OLD WIVES TALES EXPLAINED?

1. Cod liver oil reduces joint pain.

Cod liver oil can actually help reduce pain in joints. According to a study done at Cardiff University, 86% of patients who took 2,000 mg of cod liver oil capsules every day suffered from less pain compared with those who took dummy capsules.

Cod liver oil has high levels of omega-3 fatty acids along with anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain as well as swelling. This is one reason cod liver oil is highly recommended for treating arthritis at home.

2. Eating carrots will improve your eyesight.

There is some truth in this statement. Carrots are very good for the eyes because of the antioxidants they contain. Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A that helps slow the progression of macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness among older people.

Vitamin A also helps maintain a healthy, clear cornea and protects the cells in your eyes and your body. Also, the high amount of lutein in carrots protects the retina and lowers the risk of macular degeneration.

3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

This is one of the most well-known health sayings. Apples are a powerful source of antioxidants and eating them daily can help prevent diseases. Apples also contain vitamin C, which is highly beneficial for the development of collagen in your bones, muscles, cartilage and blood vessels.

The apple’s skin has pectin that can lower cholesterol, too. Apples are healthy but they will not keep you from visiting your doctor if you do not also exercise regularly, follow a healthy diet, and abstain from smoking and excessive drinking.

4. Reading in dim light can damage your eyes.

There is little truth behind this popular tale. Human eyes have two types of photoreceptors in the retina known as rods and cones. Cones help you read and see colors, while rods help detect motion in your peripheral vision and enable you to see in low light.

Reading in poor light may cause strain on your eyes and give you a mild headache, but it will never cause long-lasting damage to your eyes or affect the quality of your vision. However, whenever possible, read in an environment with enough lighting.

5. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

Cracking your knuckles may make very annoying sounds, but it does not cause arthritis. In a study done at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital in Detroit, a comparison was made between people who had been chronic knuckle-crackers for decades and those who always left their hands alone.

Researchers found no difference in the incidence of osteoarthritis between the two groups. However, this same study found that the knuckle-crackers had weaker grip strength and greater hand swelling, which can limit dexterity. So, it is better to break this habit as soon as possible.

6. Don’t go swimming after eating.

It is good to follow this useful advice as it has been found that people who go swimming with a full stomach really do have a higher risk of drowning.

This has been proven by scientists from Tokyo Women’s Medical University who did thorough research on 536 autopsies. They found that almost 80% of swimmers who died from accidental drowning still had food in their stomachs.

This can be due to the fact that blood is diverted to the intestine during digestion, causing circulation problems in the arms and legs. To be on the safe side, wait for about half an hour after eating to go for a swim.

Potato Competition 5^th July 2017

Good Friday the traditional day for planting your sprouting specially selected first early potatoes falls this year on the 14^th of April are you ready?

May be you are considering planting them a week or two beforehand and nurturing them in a warm greenhouse , do you have a secret special growing mix, how often do you water them?

90 days is as long as it takes so best of luck and we will look forward to seeing the results of your labours in July.

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER

Plans for the next competition are well in hand – the closing date for entries was 10^th March 2017

Details to follow.

WISHING WELL

The Wishing Well has now been moved back to its prominent position opposite Primark.

£228.53 was collected in the Wishing Well in January and February for the Carlisle Food Bank that the Club made up to £250.

The Well was emptied earlier this month and we collected £411 for Eden Valley Hospice. A cheque for £450 has been sent to them.

Future collections are for:

• 23 February to 5 April: Great North Air Ambulance; Robin & Michael.

• 6 April to 31 May: Life Education; Michael & Peter Yates. 

• 1 June to 28 June: The Lanes charity ‘One Great Day’: Peter Yates & Ken Dewar.

• 29 June to 9 August 2017: Carlisle Key: Ken D & Joe. 

   

  Club Members are invited to submit names of future beneficiaries to cover the period from August 2017. There is an emphasis on the local element.

   

   

   

PICTURE QUIZ

THE ANSWER TO LAST MONTH’S QUIZ

This photograph is of last year’s Spring Walk at Byreburn Bridge near Canonbie.

It was an excellent walk on a lovely day.

The winner drawn from our virtual box was Ken Dewar whose memory at an advanced age is much better than those who failed to recognise a location on a Rotary Walk in which they had all taken part. He has received a bottle of vintage wine.

Pressure on space does not allow us to repeat the competition this month.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

CLUB AGM

Wednesday 3^rd May 2017

Rotary South Charter Night

Friday 23^rd June 2017

Fifty years ago our Club founded the Rotary Club of Carlisle South, who are planning a special Charter Night and it would be fitting for our Club to have at least one table on 23^rd.

CLUB ASSEMBLY

Wednesday 28^th June 2017

PRESIDENT’S DAY

Wednesday 12^th July 2017

YOUTH SPEAKS

CHARTER NIGHT

Wednesday 29^th November 2017

RECEPTION DESK FOR CLUB MEETINGS

March        8              Ian Watson

                15             Peter Yates               

                22             John Harris

                29             Elizabeth Mallinson

April          5              Brian Edmundson               

                12             Derek Heyes

                19             Ellis Amos

                26            

May           3              Nicki Quayle

                10            

                17            

                24            

                31            

Rotary Club of Carlisle Events

Club Council Meetings

Club Meetings Programme