1^st July 2005 - Charity Music Night

It was a fine, pleasant evening when the Club held its first Charity Music Night at Thornton-le-Moor. Six acts performed for an appreciative audience and gave their time free as all proceeds from the event were going to charity. Most attending brought a picnic (and the odd bottle of wine).

Entry was free but a bucket collection was passed around during the evening. With the collection and the raffle proceeds over £1000 was raised on the night.

A big 'thank-you' must go to Rtn Simon Kirkup for organising the event and making his back garden available as the venue.

4^th July 2005 - Rotarians pledge to help Flood Victims

At the first meeting of the new Rotary year, the Club was able to give immediate assistance for local flood victims following the storms and flooding on 19th June 2005 in the shape of a £500 cheque from the proceeds from its inaugural music evening to help relieve hardship in Hambleton and Ryedale.

The money will go into a Rotary fighting fund set up to help farmers and householders in flood-stricken areas around the North York Moors.

Club president Carole Ford said: "This is an extremely worthy cause. We have great sympathy with the families and farmers who have suffered in the floods and are keen to give them every assistance."

Appropriate guests of honour for a meeting on the 4th July, American Independence Day, were Rotary ambassadorial scholars Stephanie Insley, from Virginia, and David Hershinow, from Hawaii. Both have been studying at York University.

26^th July 2005 - Plants to help gardens of flood victims

When the flash floods devastated the Western areas of the North Yorks Moors on Sunday 19th June many gardens were totally washed away by the deluge. Hollin Barn Nursery near Thirsk responded by setting up a "plant bank". This is a plant repository to which people can donate superfluous plants from their own gardens to help replenish the stocks of those who lost their plants. It is particularly aimed at helping those villagers who may not be in a position to replace the damaged plants themselves.

The Club has been pleased to be involved in collecting plants to deposit at the nursery. Club President, Carole Ford, said: "This is a wonderful way in which we can show our support for those householders who suffered greatly in the floods. Many people have seedlings or extra plants in their gardens which would be extremely welcome to those whose gardens have been ruined. We have been delighted by people's generosity. Someone even offered a greenhouse!"

The picture shows Carole Ford (left), President of the Rotary Club of Northallerton Mowbray, handing over some of the plants to Susan Turner, proprietor of Hollin Barn Nursery, Sutton Road, Thirsk

19^th August 2005 - Coffee morning for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf

The event was held at Topcliffe Village Hall. Pictured left to right are Liz Fieldhouse with William, Club President Carole Ford, Ann Darnborough with Milly and Joyce Patterson with Toby.

All 3 dogs are 'hearing dogs' who are specially trained to alert their hearing-impaired owners to a range of everyday sounds from the specially adapted telephone ringing to someone at the front door; a strange noise outside or the smoke alarm going off. Most hearing dogs come from rescue shelters or are donated as unwanted pets. Liz Fieldhouse, owner of Hearing Dog William, said that 'having a hearing dog restored my confidence when I became profoundly deaf and transformed my life. Many people could benefit from having a Hearing Dog who can also be a wonderful companion'.

The charity receives no government funding so relies on the generosity of individuals and organisations. The Club has been pleased to support the charity as the demand for hearing dogs is increasing. They organised the coffee morning which raised £150. President, Carole Ford, thanked everyone who had supported the event.

29^th August 2005 - Rotary at the Northallerton Carnival

The Rotary Clubs of Northallerton and Northallerton Mowbray joined together to bring some fun and games to the annual Northallerton Carnival. The day was hot and sunny and drew large crowds for the range of activities on offer. Northallerton Mowbray's 'Wheel of Fortune' was in action which raised monies to go to charities supported by the Club. Pictured above with the 'Wheel of Fortune' are President Carole Ford, Anne Wall and Geoff Wall.

11^th October 2005 - Romanian Group Study Exchange Team visit

A team of five Romanians spent a month in Rotary District 1040 as part of a Group Study Exchange scheme (GSE) funded through Rotary Foundation. They attended a number of work-interest related and social activities, staying with various Clubs in the District. Between 8th and 11th October the Team stayed with Northallerton Mowbray Club and activities included visits to a dairy, a veterinary practice, the Herriot Museum and the National Railway Museum. The Team also attended the Clubs Charter Dinner held at Bedale Hall. Pictured with the team leader, Calin Tomoiag, a member of SAMUS Rotary Club in Cluj-Napoca, Romania are Dragos Constantinescu, Bogdan Nita, Onoriu Dan and Emil Ciumbrudean.

26th September 2005 - Students tested to limits on Rotary course

One of the highlights of the Rotary year took place at Solberge Hall with the presentations of three Northallerton College students who took part in this year's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

Amina Chasai, Laura Kirk and Raveen Jayasuriya reported back on their hugely-challenging week at an outdoor pursuits centre near Hebden Bridge where they faced a series of daunting tests. Members of the Northallerton and Northallerton Mowbray clubs were told how they were pushed to their limits learning navigation skills and how to handle challenges such as raft-building.

All said they found the week richly rewarding, bolstering their confidence to lead and take charge in difficult sutuations. Two of last year's students, Gordon Nixon and Rachel Roberts, enjoyed their experiences so much they volunteered to help with this summer's RYLA group and were also at the dinner.

The two Northallerton clubs pay for the students through a variety of fund-raising events. A fourth student, Kathy Longstaff, also from Northallerton College, was unable to attend the presentation but also enjoyed the event.

Pictured - Back (left to right) RYLA 2005 students Amina Chasai, Laura Kirk and Raveen Jayasuriya and RYLA 2004 students Gordon Nixon and Rachel Roberts. Front: Carole Ford (President RC of Northallerton Mowbray) and Ian Mitchelson (President RC of Northallerton).

14^th November 2005 - Golf Day monies distributed to worthy causes

For the last eight years, Northallerton Mowbray Rotary Club has run a successful charity golf tournament thanks to the generosity of Bedale Golf Club and the many sponsors involved.

Monies from the 2005 event were distributed at the Clubs' meeting on Monday 14th November. Representatives from the charities involved were in attendance and each gave a short talk about their charity. The main recipient was the Great North Air Ambulance Service which received half the monies raised. The remainder was split equally between Childline, S.A.N.E., Healing Arts at Northallerton Friarage Hospital, The Tsunami Yorkshire School project and Yorkshire Cancer Relief.

Cheques were presented by Club President Carole Ford and recipients gave their thanks.

Bedale Golf Club was represented by Dave and Glenys Brown who were thanked by Kevin Hardisty, N.M.Rotary Club Golf Liaison Officer, for their continued involvement with the event.

Pictured - Back row L to R Em.Lloyd Davis, The Yorkshire School project; Dave Brown, Bedale Golf Club; Kevin Hardisty, N.M.Rotary Club Golf liaison officer; Tom Henry, G.N.A.A.S.; Chris Brown, S.A.N.E.
Front row L to R - Sandra Harding, Childline; Pat Martin, Healing Arts; Sally Crerar, Yorkshire Cancer Research; Carole Ford, N.M.Rotary Club President

27^th February 2006 - Meeting other Clubs

At the meeting on 27th February the Club was delighted to welcome representatives from other organisations from the Mowbray area. Information was shared about the aims and objects of each Club in what was seen to be a very worthwhile exercise.

Pictured above are:
Back Row l to r: Ian Mitchelson (President of Northallerton Rotary Club), Jenny Bell (President of Northallerton Lionesses), Dennis Reeve (Secretary of Thirsk and District Lions),
Front Row l to r: Bernadette Jones (President of Thirsk and District Soroptimists International), Carole Ford (President of the Rotary Club of Northallerton Mowbray), Beryl Newnham (member Lionesses), Ann Twiggs (President of Northallerton Inner Wheel), Tony Twiggs (The Worshipful Master of Anchor Lodge Northallerton).
John Fowler (Chairman of Northallerton 41 Club) joined us later.

10^th April 2006 - Mercy Ships, Sierra Leone

Club President Carole Ford, a clinical psychologist, has just returned from a spell of voluntary work in Sierra Leone. At the Club meeting on 10 April she told members about her visit. She described how she spent most of her time helping in therapy groups at a clinic specialising in the surgical treatment of women who have sustained injuries during childbirth. The project is part of the partnership between Mercy Ships and Rotary International, aimed at improving health care facilities and treatment in developing countries. Carole spoke about the poverty in Sierra Leone, the fourth poorest country in the world, which is only just beginning to recover from the 12year civil war there. In spite of this she said that she had enjoyed the experience of living and working in a different culture and that it was an experience she would not have wanted to miss and one she will always remember.

The picture above shows Carole with two patients at the Aberdeen Clinic and Fistula Centre who have been given new dresses to boost their self-confidence prior to returning home to their villages. The giving of new dresses symbolises their new start in life.

14^th June 2006 - Rotary 'Kids Out' at Lightwater Valley

Members of the Club took along some special guests to the annual Kids Out event, this year being held at Lightwater Valley.

Twelve children from Belarus, which was the area most affected by the Chernobyl disaster, were invited to enjoy the day. The children were on a month long visit staying with families in the Northallerton area.

Carole Ford, President of Northallerton Mowbray Club said: "Kids Out is one of our most popular community projects. This year Rotarians across the district took over 500 children for a day out. We're particularly delighted that the Chernobyl children were able to join us. They certainly had a good time, making a bee-line for the white knuckle rides. However, I suspect that the Rotarians who accompanied them on the rides may take some time to recover!"

The picture shows some of the children after a 'face-painting' session.