Business meeting

We had a number of things to celebrate today.

Firstly, the Chelmsford Rugby Club now has a new cook, so we were able to enjoy a cooked meal there for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid epidemic. Apparently we were the first people for whom the cook had prepared a meal at the Rugby Club.

Secondly, it was President Mo’s birthday; he paid for all the drinks, (Many thanks, Mo.)

We were able to welcome to Philip Smith to his first Club meeting since the pandemic. He said how much he had missed attending.

And we also held the first 100 Club draw for three years. Earlier this year members were invited to buy tickets for this, half the price going into prizes and the rest to charitable causes. Prizes are drawn monthly at business meetings. Perhaps appropriately, this month’s prize was won by birthday boy President Mo.

The various Club committees presented their reports. We have a number of projects running, including providing English classes for Ukrainian refugees in the Chelmsford area and the sunflower competition at Beaulieu Park School. Planning has begun with the Rotary Club of Chelmer Bridge on a project to set up collection points for coats which will then be sorted and sent to various charities for distribution. Work on the local heat of Rotary Young Musician will begin when the schools go back.

The Club agreed to the Public Image & Membership Committee’s proposal that an updated Club leaflet be printed; it was suggested that smaller versions might also be printed that would be easier for members to carry in their pockets for handing out. The Committee is also considering organising another Rotary Showcase with the aim of recruiting more corporate members,