Digital Bulletin No 97

August 2026.

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June August 2026

From the editor’s desk

I’m trying to decide. Are scammers hopelessly repetitive or do they simply keep repeating scam messages they know work? These past few weeks I’ve been inundated with warning messages that what I am storing in the Cloud is going to be deleted unless I renew my subscription. I might be concerned if I actually used Cloud storage. I’ve also noted that we get a lot of suspect phone calls around the time we sit down to lunch. I ignore them, assuming that if it’s a serous phone call the caller will leave a message on our answering machine.

How about you? Have you noticed a pattern in suspect calls and emails?

Words from the President

July 4

Our annual summer party for Chelmsford’s senior citizens was once again in the Cathedral Chapter House. It was another hot day but with windows open and fans going we managed to keep the temperature down in the main hall. I should like to thank Angela for all the work she did to organise the event, Francis for organising the transport rota, Janice and Anne Scott who did sterling work with the catering, together with everyone else who came and helped on the day.

Not forgetting Stephen who kept everyone entertained with a varied programme of songs and also called the bingo numbers. If you visit the Club’s Facebook page there is a video of one of his songs! All our guests said how much the enjoyed the afternoon and look forward to an invitation next year. No pressure!

July 9

I welcomed everyone to Ivy Hill and it was great to see Indu Tiwari back with us after a long absence.

A bearded man wearing a Masonic collar and holding a Masonic apron Peter Kemp was our speaker with a talk entitled “The secret society that is not secret”. Peter told us about the history of Freemasonry from its beginnings as a way for medieval stonemasons to form guilds and preserve their skills to the present day when there are over 6 million members worldwide and 250,000 members in the UK.

Membership is not restricted to stonemasons but to become a mason you must be just, upright and a free man of mature age, sound judgement and strict morals. You must also subscribe to belief in a higher power in whatever form you think this might take.

Masons are expected to make regular donations to good causes and interestingly, unlike Rotary, there is no external fundraising; all money is raised internally.

Peter gave us a roll call of famous masons including Edward VII, George VI, Prince Philip, George Washington, Amadeus Mozart, John Wayne, Winston Churchill, Buzz Aldrin, Oscar Wilde, Sir Roger Moore, Rick Wakeman, Rudyard Kipling, Theodore Rooseveldt and Sir Alf Ramsey.

Coincidentally I’m currently reading The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith which is centred on the United Grand Lodge of England in Great Queen Street. Peter said the building is open to the public and offers tours of the building as well as a café and museum.

Peter concluded his talk by showing us his regalia ranging from the plain apron given on initiation to the more ornate ones signifying progression through the grades.

July 16

Unfortunately my 10 am appointment with a chiropractor caused me to miss our social meeting at the Fox and Raven as I was unable to move when I got home. There are early signs that the treatment is working and more visits are planned but not on Thursdays.

I am reminded that I missed the third meeting in July when I was President eight years ago. That was also an unplanned absence. It was the day my twin grandsons were born and I was in Broomfield Hospital holding my daughter’s hand.

July 23

A dark-haired lasdy wearing a brown check dress and holding glasses Today’s speaker was Liane Iles, co-founder and CEO of the Motor Neurone Disease Foundation. The charity was set up in May 2025 by Liane and her friend Steve Redgwill. Steve has lived with MND since 2018 and found inconsistency and serious failings in the care he was offered, specifically a serious lack of help, support and guidance for people when they are first diagnosed. Average life expectancy is 27 months from diagnosis so any delay in accessing services just adds to the stress on the sufferer and their family.

Steve and Liane have been fortunate in securing substantial corporate donations and are already progressing plans to set up an MND centre in Essex along the lines of the MND Centre of Excellence in Addenbrookes Hospital. They also want to promote research to find a cure and are funding a MND Foundation clinician within the Queen Square Neurology team in London.

July 30

We were at Little Channels hosting the Five Clubs’ dinner. After a slow start the number attending crept up to 41 with Rotarians from Chelmer Bridge, Chelmsford Mildmay, Chelmsford Phoenix, Shenfield and District and ourselves.

A long-haired lady wearing glasses and holdina a microphone Special guests were our speaker Clair Dade from Mid and South Essex hospitals Charity and District Governor Gloria Nichols.

Clair gave us an informative presentation on the recently launched St Andrew’s Burns & Plastics Appeal which is seeking to raise £250,000 to transform recovery for children and adults affected by life-changing burn injuries, trauma, cancer and reconstructive surgery. The money raised will provide private, calming and comfortable spaces in the waiting and treatment areas, improve overnight stays for loved ones, clearer signage, support for children and families with sensory facilities and artwork, care packs for patients and families and advanced care and facilities.

St Andrews is a centre of excellence not just for Mid and South Essex but for the whole region and we were delighted to be able to present Clair with £240 towards the total. The sum was raised from raffling three bottles of wine, which were all mysteriously won by members of Chelmer Bridge.

Thoughts for the Day

July 9, President Anne
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference. You have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Dr Jane Goodall

July 9, Geoff Dickman
Storm cloud Not all storms come to disrupt your life.
Some come to clear your path!

July 23, Geoff Dickman
The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.
Tibetan proverb

Lockdown chuckles

In early 2020 shortly after lockdown the then Editor, Philip Smith, introduced the first email edition of the Bulletin. They’ve been going ever since. Members contributed jokes to the first few issues to lighten our spirits. Here is a selection, courtesy of Jenny Black, Janice Goodman, Philip Goodman, Stan Keller and Philip Smith.

You can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish.

I don’t want to brag but I just completed a jigsaw in only one week. The box said 2-4 years.

How do you stop a dog digging up the garden? You take away its spade.

You can always tell when he’s lying. His lips move.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

My family said I should stay fit during lockdown. This morning I ran round the block five times. Then I got tired and put the block back in the children’s play box.

When she saw her first grey hair she thought she would dye.

Cartoon of a man stuck inside a sofa, just his head showing The guy who fell into an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.

Chap in Tesco’s had a whole trolley full of cockles and mussels. What a shellfish man.

It’s been a blessing being home with the wife. We’ve caught up with everything I’ve done wrong over the last fifteen years.

Handover meeting

Two photogrphs of people relaxing around tables in a garden

Bury St Edmunds again

Geoff and Angela Dickman have been to Bury St Edmunds again to visit our Honorary Member and Past President Jenny Black, and her husband, Richard. Jenny is the current President of the Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds.
Here are some of the photos they took while they were there.

A montage of four photogrphs