Community Services 2021 - 22

July - at our first planning meeting to agree how we would allocate our charity funds, the community services committee recommended that the majority of our funds would be donated to local organisations. We hoped to support those organisations that were focussing on people who were struggling with the after effects of Covid restrictions or supporting those who were housebound through age or disability.

August - the first of a series of meetings was held with The Friary, an organisation that in the past has successfully operated a drop-in centre for homeless people in Rushcliffe. the organisation is developing an advice and support centre for those who may become homeless and we have identified a strategy to provide some help in updating the ways they can help this vulnerable group. We made our first payment from the Community Fund to support an initiative by a pupil at Bottesford school to develop a sensory garden.

September - we held a "just giving stall" on Bingham Market in support of The Friary & Tara's Angels. What an incredible response and both organisations were lost for words as the donations kept rolling in. We were assisted by representatives from both organisations alongside helpers from the Rosie May Foundation who had offers from a number of people who wanted to volunteer. 

October - we set up an account within our trust fund to give support to Tara's Angels. They'll be able to contact the community services committee to ask for specific purchases to help women who are moving on after domestic violence.

This month we were able to reopen our Memory Cafe again.  You can find additional information about this by selecting the "memory cafe" from the "What we do" menu.

November - We started a trial scheme to support Prostate Cancer Uk, by placing collection tins and information leaflets in Pubs and Barber’s. As important as raising money for a worthwhile charity we were keen to raise awareness about Prostate Cancer.

December  - We finally were able to launch our scheme to support  homeless people in the area. The fund, established in our trust account, can be called upon by The Friary to help homeless people move on to set up their own homes.

January 2022 - We made our first contribution to helping two homeless men get off the street and into their very own accommodation. They will continue to be supported by homeless organisation as they settle into their own personal space.

February 2022 - this month I was able to confirm that we would support a "Day Out" for young carers in Rushcliffe. There are around 60 young carers registered with Nottinghamshire Young Carers Service (NYCS), but this may well be only a fraction of the numbers that exist. Currently NYCS is planning the day which will take place when the brighter weather comes...

March 2022 - we collected, on behalf of Marie Curie, at East Bridgford Garden Centre and have  the fantastic sum of £925.49 to hand over to them. We also agreed to donate funds from our Community Fund to support a family with two autistic children with severe problems.
Our project with The Friary has now helped 7 homeless people move into their own accommodation.
This month we held an exploratory meeting with Rebecca Bradley and Patrick Betts (deputy head) about the proposed Candleby Lane Community Farm. It's an interesting project and we'll be meeting again.

April 2022 - we had a number of working groups out and about in our area "picking litter". It's a shame that not everyone takes their rubbish home, but we were happy to get out there and  remove this eyesore from view. We set aside money to help Ukrainian refugees who are being hosted in our area and applied for Phone Sim Cards from Vodafone's Charities.connected. 

May 2022 - we made a small donation to Prostate Cancer UK with the help of local businesses which held the collection tins on display. We held our first community forum with 10 local groups - this was a great way of meeting each other, making new connections and offering each other support. There's a strong will to repeat this and we hope to get together in September of this year.  We made donations to Air Ambulance, the two 1st responder groups, Tara's Angels, The Friary, and Rosie May Foundation.  Finally we helped a couple of individuals through our community fund.

Towards the end of the month we had a zoom meeting with the two Ukrainian groups that have been set up by hosts and interested supporters and have established that it would make sense to use our "Ukrainian support budget" to respond to requests from the groups as needed. We also received the phone sims from Vodafone Charites.Connected.

A busy month and June could be as busy.

June 2022 At the start of June we issued SIM cards to guests from Ukraine and to date 12 adults now have connectivity, thanks to Vodafone. We've heard some heart felt stories about families split up by the war and having to flee their country, but the overriding feeling is that these families, now they have a base in Rushcliffe, want to be independent and contribute to their new community.

We have made donations to Bingham Penguins for new equipment prior to their return to Bingham and the new leisure centre; sponsored a day out for Young Carers in Rushcliffe; contributed, alongside other Rotary Clubs in Nottinghamshire, to the purchase of a specialist wheelchair for a world class tennis player; supported a Bingham swimmer with entry fees and other expenses, as he makes a challenge to succeed in his sport.

We continue to manage our joint project with The Friary to help resettle homeless adults in Rushcliffe and offer support to Tara's Angels who respond to the needs of victims of domestic abuse. Once again we have supported Bingham Helping Hands as they help refugees currently staying at a local hotel at Whatton. They needed shoes and BHH managed to buy 21 pairs with our donation of £120 !

We've had a great year working with new-found partners in our local communities and we our looking forward, as we plan the way in which our community services committee responds to needs in our new Rotary Year starting in July.