Business meeting

President Francis chaired today’s business meeting following his early return from holiday owing to his wife breaking a bone in her neck. The members present all signed a “Get Well Soon” card for her.

The draft minutes of the previous business meeting were approved.

As Acting Chair of the Club Administration Committee, President Francis confirmed that lunch bookings had been made at the Chelmsford Rugby Club and the Ivy Hil Hotel for the first six months of 2024. We need to change what we do when we have lunch at Sanctus to make sure that their regular clients do not feel we are ousting them. Francis suggested that in future we get there at the later time of 1 pm.

The Treasurer was authorised to make a donation of £700 to the Rotary Foundation on the Club’s behalf.

Philip Goodman, the Chair of the Community and Vocational Committee, reported that we have booked the Danbury Village Hall for our usual Jumble Sales in November and April, arranged to run a Santa’s Grotto at the Chelmsford Cathedral’s Christmas Fair again and bought the tickets for the senior guests’ annual outing to the panto at the Chelmsford Theatre.

On behalf of the Environment Committee, its Chair Alison Moses said that arrangements had been made to distribute purple crocus corms to children at the participating primary schools in conjunction with World Polio Day, along with an explanatory leaflet designed by the Club (see picture).

Peter Kemp told us that this year’s Chelmsford Competitive Festival of Music, Speech & Drama would be held at St Cedd’s School and Trinity Methodist Church on the 4th and 11th November. He asked for volunteers to attend with a view to approaching the winners of the relevant classes to invited them to take part in the next Rotary Young Musician competition.