CHARTER NIGHT 2017

During its 30 years of existance, the Rotary Club of Lutterworth Wycliffe has made a real contribution to our local community and has raised many tens of thousands of pounds for local charities and international good causes.

President Peter Sweatman opened the proceedings before handing over to Rtn. Graham Oatridge who acted as MC for the evening.  In addition to our distinguished guests, District Governor John Dehnel and Rotary GB&I (Rotary International in Britain and Ireland) President Eve Conway, there were also representatives from eleven district Rotary Clubs to welcome to our celebration.

Rotary GB&I President Eve Conway spoke of the work of Rotary GB&I in the eradication of polio world-wide.  In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children, and has now contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunise more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.  More than one million Rotary members have donated their time and personal resources to end polio, and every year, hundreds of Rotary members work side-by-side with health workers to vaccinate children in polio-affected countries (one of these volunteers being a member of our own club, Rtn. Judy Fitz-Hugh, who worked in India last year on the immunisation program).

The evening was finished off with our guest speaker, Ms. Lydia Slack, who gave us an absolutely hilarious account of growing up on a Derbyshire hill farm.  The anecdotes and humour, delivered with perfect comic timing, had many of us just about falling off our seats with laughter.