2016-17 Highlights

This page will be updated over the course of the year to provide a record of what we have been doing in the Club.

A Fellowship Night Out at the Theatre - 2nd June 2017

A party from the Club had a very enjoyable night out at York Theatre Royal to watch a super adaptation of the Graham Greene novel "Our Man in Havana". The cast of four took on many guises in an inventive and amusing play which was enjoyed by all who went on this trip.

A Rather Wet Day for our Car Boot Sale - 29th May 2017

A new venture was sadly affected by very stormy weather, which impacted on both the number of stallholders who braved the elements, and the number of customers who turned up to buy.  So our initiative to start rebuilding our contingency fund, to allow the Club to be able in the future to react when natural disasters strike, has got off to a rather slow start.  Our own stall was left with plenty to sell, and the plan is to take a stall at the forthcoming Northallerton Town Carnival in July to try and turn our remaining bric a brac and tombola prizes into cash.  It will also give us a further opportunity to showcase Rotary and raise our profile.

Club Members raising funds on The Nidderdale Walk - 7th May 2017

Five members of the Club took part in the Nidderdale Walk - a Charity Event run by the Rotary Club of Harrogate.  As well as helping that Club raise funds for their own Club through the entry fee, the team collected their own sponsorship to get together the monies required to allow our Club to send the Children of Chernobyl group to the "Kids Out" event at Lightwater Valley in June 2017, and to have some left over for other future projects. In all £220 was raised and we will be able to top that up through gift aid for many of those donations

An International Fundraiser - 8th April 2017

The Club held a very succesful fundraiser when we held an Indian Cultural Evening at the Forum. The evening showcased the talents of an Indian Dance Group specialising in Classical Indian Dance, alongside some demonstrations of Bollywood style dancing from members and friends of the Club.  We had a superb Indian banquet. Over £2,100 was raised from the event and this will help us to continue our support for the SWAYAMSIDDH school in Aurangabad.  The pictures below are of the excellent young dancers during their demonstration, as well as Club members in their contribution to the evening's entertainment!

Crocuses in Bloom at last! - March 2017

In the late Autumn the Club planted crocus corms at the Friarage Hospital and on one of the roundabouts in town. After a period of anticipation the purple blooms appeared, and we hope these plantings will flourish and spread over the years to come as a reminder about the importance of eradicating polio worldwide. Our planting was part of a national initiative to plant 5 million corms

Technology Tournament - 28th February 2017

Once again the Club was involved in running the Technology Tournament held at Catterick Leisure Centre, in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Northallerton, Thirsk, Richmond and Wensleydale. 20 teams took part this year, and tackled a task of launching a "rocket" with a landing pod to return to earth.  As ever there were a wide range of innovative solutions to the task, worked up by students in three age bands.

Our picture shows one of the teams testing their design.

A Trip to India - February 2017

A party of 14, including 11 Club members had a very enjoyable and fulfilling trip to India.  The main reason for planning the trip had been the thought that it would be great to be able to visit the special school in Aurangad, for which we had raised funds some months ago, to see for ourselves the good works being done there, and to see how our money would help the school to develop further.  From this start there was enthusiastic support and a wonderful 2 weeks ensued.  For many it was a first visit to India to see something of the vibrant culture and rich history of this country. 

The first part of the trip was a tour of "The Golden Triangle" - including many world famous sites, not least of course the Taj Mahal in Agra. 

Whilst in Jaipur we were able to visit the Jaipur Limb Centre - an organisation that has received a good deal of support from Rotarians, including our own Club, over the years. This proved an excellent example of what can be achieved by excellent designs with low cost and sustainable methods of production. The impact of this organisation on the independence and dignity of those they are able to assist cannot be underestimated.

The second part of our trip took us to Aurangabad where we spent a lovely morning at the School meeting students, staff and parents. 

This did not stop us visiting some of the historic sites around the city , and in particular the cave temples carved out of solid rock by religious orders, and in particular followers of Buddah many centuries ago.  The quality and state of preservation of the carvings and cave paintings was awe inspiring.

One evening we were able to join the Rotary Club of Aurangabad at their Charter Celebration.  We were made most welcome. After the formalities of the meeting we spent an evening of fellowship where we were able to share thoughts on the differences of living and being a Rotarian in India as against the UK.

Our trip finished in Mumbai where we stopped at the world famous Taj Mahal palace Hotel. We were able to sample their famous High Tea. A memorable end to an excellent trip.

Christmas Santa Collections - December 2016

Thanks to everyone who supported our collections this year.  As well as our Santa Sleigh over three nights we also collected at the local B&M, Marks and Spencer Food Hall , and Tescos.  Altogether we raised over £1550.  This will be used as our funding for our Youth Projects in 2017.

Rotary Young Chef - Club Round November 2016

Five junior cooks from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College showed a fine range of kitchen skills in the latest Rotary Young Chef competition.

Jai Poole, Tia Bramley, Joseph Mableson, Julia Czechowska and Niamh Wheldon were tasked with cooking a two-course meal against the clock in the contest organised by the Club.

The students, who developed their own menus, prepared a sumptuous selection of main courses and deserts for judging by past and present members of the RAF Leeming catering team.  The standard of cooking and presentation was so high that it was hard to pick winners, but Joseph and Niamh came out on top in a close-run contest and go through to the area cook-off at Knaresborough in December. The District Finals will be held at Betty's Cookery School in Harrogate early next year.

Nick Wright, who led the judging panel said: "We were hugely impressed by the standard of cooking from all five students and it was clear they had put a lot of thought and preparation into their dishes".

The young cooks with judges, L-R: Jai Poole, Tia Bramley, former RAF warrant officer Nick Wright, Sergeant Wayne Barron, Corporal Peter Monaghan, Julia Czechowska, Joseph Mableson, Niamh Wheldon

Update on our Barcode Collection for the Wheelchair Foundation - November 2016

Through barcode collections and cash donations so far our club has donated 11 wheelchairs through the Wheelchair Foundation UK.

The beneficiaries are..

2 to Namibia, 2 to Cape of Good Hope and 7 to Tanzania.

The certificate and photo below are in thanks for one of these donations.

Supporting the Friarage Hospital MRI Scanner Appeal - November 2016

At our Charter Dinner the raffle was held in support of the Scanner Appeal, and President Anand was pleased to present a cheque for £225 to the Appeal Team.

Planting Crocuses for Polio - November 2016

The Club has completed a project to plant purple crocuses to raise awareness of the international Rotary effort to eradicate Polio - and to bring a bit of colour to the town! Across the country Rotary Clubs have set a target of planting 5 million crocus bulbs for spring 2017 and this target looks set to be exceeded.  In Northallerton our Club is planting at the entrance to the Friarage Hospital, including beds in the Zetland House garden, and on the Oak Tree Roundabout at the top of Lees Lane.  In all we have planted around 10,000 corms towards the target. The first group of hardy planters at the Friarage site is pictured below. We look forward to updating our page next spring when the flowers emerge.

A Diwali Celebration - 30th October 2016

President Anand and Sandyha invited members of the club to join them, their family and friends at a Diwali celebration. A great time was had by all, with excellent company and some wonderful Indian dishes to eat.  For those of us who had a limited knowledge of the beginings and meaning of the celebration of Diwali, it was also an opportunity to learn more.  And with excellent early autumn weather, we were able to spend some time in the garden including a photo opportunity.

Kids Aloud - 19th October 2016

The Club held it's second "Kids Aloud" concert at The Forum in Northallerton. This brought together 6 Primary Schools from Northallerton and Brompton, together with musicians from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College to delight their sell out audience with selections from the Sound of Music. Together with raffle and programme sales, generous sponsorship from a number of organisations in the area, and other monies raised by the schools as part of the event, we raised the magnificent sum of £4,100 for the projects chosen.  These are both in Nepal and are aimed at assisting to rebuild after the devastating earthquakes in the area last year.  The funding will go towards reinstating a water supply in one of the affected villages, and assisting with a goat farming scheme to help rebuild the economy of the area.

Unfortunately we do not have the necessary permissions to show you a picture of the real stars of the evening - the children, so you will have to make do with this picture of one of our members selling the programme for the evening!

The Club's 22nd Charter Dinner - 15th October 2016

The Club welcomed friends and guests, including District Governor Phil Poole to the Club's annual Charter Night which was held this year at Romanby Golf Club.

Our guest speaker was former diplomat turned thriller writer Jean Harrod MBE, who gave us a fascinating insight into her life in the diplomatic service and how she has drawn on that as inspiration for her first two crime thrillers Deadly Diplomacy and Deadly Deceit, set in Australia and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

We were able to raise £225 from the raffle for the Friarage Hospital MRI Scanner Appeal.

Pictured are President Anand Nadgir with his wife Rotarian Sandhya Nadgir, and their guest for the evening Amar Rangam

Sandhya Nadgir with our guest speaker Jean Harrod

New Members Inducted - 10th October 2016

The Club was pleased to induct two new members at our meeting on the 10th October.

Dianne Mousley has been a rotarian for some time, but following a move to our area has transferred her membership to our Club.  Anthony Wood is new to rotary.

We all look forward to their fellowship and involvement with club projects.

Fellowship Evening to see Kynren - 27th August 2016

A number of members, partners and Friends made a trip to Bishop Auckland to see Kynren.  A fantastic sound and light show tells the story of Britain through the eyes of the North East. We were all whowed by the technical accomplishment of the piece, and by the obvious enthusiasm of the vounteers in the cast, and of those stewarding. A great event and a real feather in the cap for the town.  It has a few more nights this year, but will be returning next year as we understand it. Highly recommended and enjoyed by all our party.

A night of "Posh Puddings" to raise money for the Wheelchair Foundation UK - 13th August 2016

Our first fundraiser of the year was a successful social evening where members and guests had a light first course before moving quickly on to a range of "posh puddings", one of which is pictured here.  Nearly £500 was raised for The Wheelchair Foundation UK.

A trip to Castle Bolton 8th August 2016

The month of August is traditionally the time when we get out and about to make the most of the summer weather - and for once it is being kind. 24 members and guests had a trip to Castle Bolton and the evening sun was shining across the fells of Wensleydale.  We all felt "on top of the world" - probably because part of the tour was to go up onto the walkway on the castle keep! We had an opportunity to look around this fascinating building and learn something of it's history and inhabitants over the years, including of course Mary Queen of Scots who had an enforced stay there with a huge retinue of staff. A good supper rounded off a lovely evening. 

Helping at The Northallerton Carnival 10th July 2016

Members of the Club assisted in marshalling the parade that took place as part of this year's carnival. Whilst activities were held on the Applegarth, the parade took to the High Street, and helped to create a buzz that saw a good number of people attending an event that was enjoyed by all. And although the clouds look a bit threatening in this photo, the weather stayed fine as well!

Presidential Handover - 4th July 2016

The start of our new rotary year sees President Anand Nadgir taking over the reigns from Alan Miller.  Ian Parminter is our new President Elect and Janet Crampton is our new Secretary.  Sue O'Grady continues as Treasurer.

As well as the exchange of chains and badges of office, the traditional handing over of the Rotary Teapot formed, as usual, an important part of proceedings.  We are sure Anand will be able to give this pride of place at home for his year, and we wish him and everyone on the new team all the best for the next 12 months.