Brit Valley Evening Promoting Rotary

Brit Valley Rotary was thrilled to host an evening dedicated to promoting Rotary and expressing our gratitude to all the Santa helpers. We were honoured to welcome special guests Habib Saba from the Rotary Club of Beirut and Louise McCance-Price from the Rotary Club of Putney. John Riley, our President, introduced all the attendees, and we had a lively gathering with 28 guests, including Brit Valley members.

The evening commenced with a shared meal, fostering conversations about the valuable contributions Rotary makes both locally and internationally.

Following the meal, Adrian Scadding, our President Elect, presented a PowerPoint on the various aspects of Rotary and highlighted several projects Brit Valley has undertaken, such as cataract surgeries in Ukraine and the significant hospital reconstruction in Beirut. John Clegg provided a more detailed account of these impactful initiatives.

Next, Lindsey Luxton spoke to the attendees about the different ways to get involved in Rotary, emphasizing the positive impact members can have on the club and the community.

John Clegg then took the opportunity to discuss the recent Santa run, revealing the total amount raised £4200 and sharing heartwarming stories from children who met Santa during his visits. He concluded by expressing gratitude to everyone involved in the collection efforts and to Burton Bradstock Cars for their continued support with the tow vehicle.

We were also delighted to welcome our newest member, Frank Lake, to the club, and there was a unanimous agreement that he would be a fantastic addition.

Louise then shared her journey with Rotary, starting from her school days and detailing her club's involvement in various projects, including significant contributions to the Beirut Hospital. She stressed the importance of collaboration among Rotary clubs for undertaking major international initiatives.

Habib followed with his experiences of moving around the world and his journey as a Rotarian. He played a pivotal role in the hospital's reconstruction in Beirut, where he has lived for the past 30 years.

After the speeches, Habib and Louise exchanged their respective club pennants with our President, John Riley, who reciprocated by presenting Brit Valley pennants to each of them.

The meeting proved to be extremely positive, with club members reporting that five new individuals expressed interest in joining us in one capacity or another.