2017-18 Highlights

We had a busy year in 2017-18.  We hope you will find the record of some of the things we did of interest.

A Trip to Hollywood Bowl with the Children of Chernobyl 26th June 2018

Once again we were pleased to host a day out for the Children of Chernobyl during their stay in Northallerton.  We had two very enjoyable games of 10 pin bowling, with a break in the middle for lunch.  This year saw a new group coming to the town and all being the same group will visit for a month in the next three years as well, so it was good to get to know them all.

Annual Club Photographic Competition 12th June 2018

We had an enjoyable evening at which club members voted for their favourite photo across entries in three different classes.

The winner of the class "Rotary the World Over" was Geoff Wall with his photo "Rotary Visit to the Promised Land".  This was also the overall winner having received the most votes for any single photo during the evening.

The winner of the class "Reflections" was Anne Miller with her photo "Harbour Reflection".

The winner of the open class "Animals" was Duncan Davison of the Northallerton Rotary Club with his photo "Leaving Home".

The evening was rounded off with a wildlife picture quiz where club members were challenged to identify photos of 18 species of butterfly found locally to Northallerton.

Trip to Scruton Station 18th June 2018

We had a very interesting visit to Scruton Station.  The team who do the educational visits to this award winning site recreated part of this for our group and we shared lots of information about the history of the station and how it was used in it's heyday, with the team in character and taking the part of a number of those who would have been in and around the station 100 years ago at the time of the Great War.  We finished off a very enjoyable evening with a meal at the Coore Arms in Scruton.  And England won the opening game of their World Cup campaign as well to round off the perfect evening!

Car Boot Sale  28th May 2018

The Club organised a car boot sale in aid of Rotary Charities, raising nearly £400 for Club Funds. After last year's washout it was great to have good weather and good crowds for the 2018 event.

Red White and Blue Fundraising Dinner 21st April 2018

The Club organised a very successful, and very enjoyable, fundraiser for the Sir Robert Ogden Cancer Centre, and other Rotary Charities. Everyone had a great time in a very good cause!

Our picture shows President Ian, with President Elect and Secretary Janet, alongside our speaker at the event, local MP for Thirsk and Malton Kevin Hollinrake.

For more details and a gallery of some of those attending the Dinner click here

Marshalling the Classic Car Event on Easter Sunday - 1st April 2018

The Club was pleased to help out at the first Classic Car Event held on Northallerton High Street and organised by the Northallerton Business Improvement District (BID).  This was the first of a number of forthcoming events which aim to raise the profile of the town, and assist businesses in these increasingly difficult times.  It was a great success with an estimated 5,000 people attending over the course of the day.  There was a great range of cars, but perhaps not surprisingly we decided to have our photo taken during the morning session in front of probably the most valuable of those on show - a magnificent vintage Rolls Royce.

We helped, along with members of the Northallerton Rotary Club and the organisers, to marshall the event and ensure everything went smoothly.

Burns Night Supper - 29th January 2018

The Club held a very succesful Burns Night Supper, with a good turnout of Members, their partners, other guests and fellow rotarians from neighbouring clubs. Having been piped in by Colin Thomson on the bagpipes,the Haggis was addressed by Alex Lynn, and the traditional supper menu was enjoyed by all.  We were then entertained by the traditional toast to the Immortal Memory of the bard given by Janet Crampton, and toasts to the lasses and the laddies given by Tony Wood and Sue Adsett - although (shock horror) all these proposers were sassenachs! We finished the evening with some Scottish Country Dancing led by Sue O'Grady .  An excellent evening with thanks to Anne Miller and her team for the arrangements, and the Allerton Court Hotel for putting on an excellent meal.  The wee dram went down well of course!

Tree Planting - 13th January 2018

Three members of the Club helped with a tree planting project in Thornton Le Beans. Geoff Ayling is developing a wood on the edge of the village and was succesful in being chosen to create one of 100 Centenary Woods as part of an initiative promoted by The Woodland Trust to commemorate the Great War.  So part of Geoff's land has now become Sloe Bank Centenary Wood.  A large number of trees (or at least whips that will develop into trees) were planted as well as hedging material to separate areas of the wood and create a picnic glade.  It will be good to visit in the years ahead to see how this develops and grows.

The planting session was attended by local MP Kevin  Hollinrake and also the manager of the local Sainsbury Store.  Sainsbury have beeen the lead sponsor nationally of this initiative.

An exhilarating, if rather wet underfoot day was had by all!

Wheelchair Foundation - Further Update - December 2017

All good things come to an end at some point, and it was with some sadness that we heard that Taylors were to end their Barcode collection scheme in aid of the Wheelchair Foundation at the end of 2017.  Since this has been running we have been able to collect barcodes and some cash donations that altogether have provided 17 wheelchairs to developing nations - particularly in Africa.

Our final collection raised the equivalent of £235 which was sufficient to buy three wheelchairs which will be going to Botswana.

Thanks must go in particular to a number of businesses in the town who have collected lots of barcodes from the catering packs used in their cafes, as well as to the many individuals who have enjoyed their Yorkshire Tea cuppas and collected at home.

Santa Collections - December 2017

Once again the Club has made Santa Collections this December. He was on his sleigh around the streets of North Northallerton for 3 nights and visiting stores on three days. Altogether we raised the magnificent sum of £1,594.  This will provide the funding for next year's projects for Youth.

So thanks to all who contributed, and thank you also to Tesco, B&M, and Marks and Spencer for welcoming us to their stores.

Our picture shows one of Santa's helpers at B&M at the beginning of our collection week.

Rotary Young Chef - our local winners are on their way to the next round - 11th December 2017

Junior cooks Katie Starkey and Chedli Turki are celebrating success in the first round of the Rotary Young Chef competition.

The 12-year-olds impressed judges when they were tasked with preparing two-course meals against the clock at Northallerton Scholl and Sixth Form College.

The students developed their own menus to a strict budget in the contest and now go forward to the area cook-off early next year, with the chance to compete in the District Fiunals at Betty's Cookery School in Harrogate.

Ex- warrant officer Nick Wright, formerly of RAF Leeming catering team, praised Katie and Chedli for the quality of their cooking and preparation.

"They really impressed me with how well they developed their menus and took great care to present some very tasty dishes"

Northallerton Mowbray Rotary Club President Ian Parminter, Katie Starkey, Chedli Turki and judge Nick Wright

Helping out at Santa Sunday in Northallerton - 3rd December 2017

We continued our tradition of helping to marshall the arrival of Santa.  This year he arrived in a sleigh pulled by Reindeer, heralded in by the Silver Band and accompanied by the traditional Double Decker Bus full of children excited about meeting Santa in the Grotto. Thanks to friends of the Club as well as members for helping us put together the team that saw Santa safely down the High Street which was, as usual, thronged with families enjoying an afternoon out. 

Unfortunately Santa and the Reindeer were hidden from view on this photo

Collecting for Polio Plus November and December 2017

"Breathe" is a film based on true events about a man who contracted Polio in the 1950's. With his wife and son, and other family and friends, he changed perceptions on how people with disabilities could live as normal a life as possible outside a hospital setting. It was a moving and inspiring film.  It also gave the Club the opportunity to put on a small exhibition at the Forum to help raise the profile of the current campaign to eradicate Polio worldwide, and to raise a bit of money for the Polio Plus campaign.

We also had abucket collection at Sainsburys on 2nd December to raise funds for the same campaign.

A Good Night Out at the Northallerton Club's 70th Charter - 17th November 2017

A large group from the Club, together with partners, joined the Northallerton Club for a convivial evening at their 70th Charter celebration. An excellent time was had by all.  The main speaker was local MP Rishi Sunak, and we also enjoyed an amusing talk from District Governor Robert Morphet. Northallerton Club President David Locke used part of his talk to share some of the researches he had done into the early days of their Club.  Lots of familiar names from some of the longstanding businesses in town had been instrumental in forming the Club back in 1947.

A Fellowship Visit to Durham Bede Rotary Club - 14th November 2017

A group of 7 Members and one partner had an early start for an excellent trip up to Durham.  We met Members of the Durham Bede Club there and started with a guided tour round the Cathedral before joining the rest of the Club at their weekly meeting at Bowburn Hall Hotel, where we had a good meal and good fellowship, and learnt of the work of The Children's Society in the Durham area from the speaker at the meeting.

Northallerton Bonfire and Fireworks - 5th November

For many years Club members have formed part of the team at the Annual Fireworks event who have made the bucket collection to raise money for the following year's event.  This year we worked with members of Northallerton Street Angels, and youngsters from the Northallerton Young Firefighters. The good , if rather cold (Brr!), weather lead to a very large turnout to the event this year, and as ever there was a spectacular display of fireworks to round off the evening.

Waving the Flag for Rotary - October 2017

Our Club has had it's weekly meetings on a Monday evening at the Allerton Court Hotel since 2011, with the Northallerton Club meeting there on a Friday lunchtime since 2010. The two Clubs, together with the Hotel, are now "flying the flag for Rotary" at one of the flag poles on Darlington Road.  Hopefully this will help to raise awareness of the two clubs in the town and attract new members and possibly encourage visiting rotarians to join us at our meetings if they are in the area.

President Ian is pictured with John Teasdale, Manager at the Allerton Court, and President David Locke of the Northallerton Club.

An excellent Night Out at Thorpe Underwood at a Charity Gala run by the Knaresborough Rotary Club - 21st October 2017

A group from the Club took a table at a Charity Gala run by the Knaresborough Club in aid of Mary's Meals and the End Polio Now Campaign. We had an excellent meal and were well entertained by senior students at the School, who performed a variety of musical pieces and Songs from the Shows

Our Entry in the Romanby WI Scarecow Festival - October 2017

The Scarecrow Festival organised by Romanby WI goes from strength to strength, and a sunny if blowy Saturday morning saw lots of people, including many families, following the trail round the streets of Romanby. The festival ran from Saturday 21st to Wednesday 25th October.

A number of members of our Community and Vocational group had great fun creating our scarecrow which was on the theme of one of our fundraising projects to provide wheelchairs  through the Wheelchair Foundation UK to those in need overseas.

New Member Malcolm Warne Inducted - 16th October 2017

And then there were 33!  This year is proving a succesful one for new members joining the Club and we were pleased to welcome Malcolm Warne.  He is pictured here with President Ian and his sponsor Janet Crampton.

District Conference - 14th October 2017

An early start for 5 Club members, saw them arrive bright and early at Scarborogh for the Saturday of District Conference.  There were lots of interesting speakers and the Rotary Showcase event also led to lots of interesting discussions with people involved in a range of Rotary projects.  We took away some new ideas from the day for future activities. As ever the event was also a great opportunity to meet old and new friends from other Rotary Clubs across the District.

Charter Dinner - 6th October 2017

We had a very succesful Charter Dinner.  Our main speaker was Julia Mulligan, the North Yorkshire Police and Crime commissioner.  We were joined by District Governor Robert Morphet and many guests from other Rotary Clubs, as well as partners, family and friends of the Club.  Unfortunately Julia had to rush away to deal with an unforseen commitment and was not around when the photos were taken, so the one here shows President Ian with DG Robert.

New Members Joan and John Foster Inducted - 25th September 2017

We were very pleased to welcome new members Joan and John Foster to the Club. They are pictured with Sue Adsett who is their sponsor, and President Ian.  Our year is certainly getting off to a great start in terms of our membership levels.

Learning more about the history of the Northallerton Prison site - 20th September 2017

A number of members of the Club joined fellow rotarians from the Northallerton Club for a fascinating visit round the prison site.  Following the main demolition works the District Council have brought in a team of archeologists to look at the hidden history of the site by digging below the previous ground level of the site.  Interesting remains of footings for a range of long demolished buildings have been uncovered, and in particular the site of the human treadmill that was the basis of the sententences of hard labour imposed on many inmates in the earlier days of the prison.  We were also able to visit the former women's prison block, which remains on site as one of the retained listed buildings.  We all felt glad we had not erred in the past - this was a forbidding place indeed, and was a good indication of why the Government decided this prison was no longer "fit for purpose" in modern times. The photo shows the remains of the treadmill building.

New Member Robert Williamson Inducted  - 4th September 2017

We were pleased to formally welcome Robert into the Club. The picture shows Robert with President Ian and Dianne Mousley who is his sponsor. Normally this role is there to help new members understand more about Rotary and what we do - but Robert is unlikey to make this task too much of a burden for Dianne, as he is a long standing member of Rotary who is joining the Club following his move to our area.

The Official Opening of the new Goosecroft Centre - 2nd September 2017

When Mencap started fundraising to refurbish and extend the former Mencap Centre in town, the Club were pleased to make a donation to the appeal.  The building was finished earlier in the year, and the Official Opening was held on 2nd September, when Lord (William) Hague, who was of course our former MP, and is the President of the local Mencap Society, unveiled the new plaque, which will sit proudly alongside the plaque for the original opening of the first building in 1982. The centre has been renamed as part of the initiative and will now be known as the Goosecroft Centre.

We were pleased to be invited to attend the event as part of the fundraising group, and the day was a great opportunity to meet service users, staff and volunteers from the Centre, and to enjoy musical contributions from the Northallerton Woodwind Ensemble and also the singers from the Goosecroft Centre.

An Afternoon Tea for Polio Plus - 20th August 2017

The Club held a very successful Afternoon Tea Garden Party event raising money for Rotary's Polio Eradication Programme.  The magnificent sum of £426 was raised.

Our First Project at SWAYAMSIDDH is Now Complete

Following our visit to the SWAYAMSIDDH School in Aurangabad, as part of the Club trip to India in February 2017, it was agreed that an appropriate project for our fundraising should be the installation of some solar panels at the School, which takes care of physically differently abled children and their formal education .  The project was chosen because of frequent electricity supply failures on the campus. The project has provided a solar photovoltaic panel based system for their essential equipment, alongside the necessary infrastucture, battery backed inverters etc.  We were pleased to hear the project was completed successfuly in June 2017, following the transfer of funding, and we have now completed all the necessary paperwork for the District Grant of £1,000 we received as part of the funding for this project.

Bring on the Bollywood - July 2017

With our various Indian Themed activities of recent months it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.  So a group from the Club went on a Fellowship Evening to York Theatre Royal to see this new musical.  Lots of colour and energy and a great cast were a recipe for a really enjoyable night out.

Northallerton Carnival - 9th July 2017

Our first fundraiser of the year, and also a chance to showcase Rotary, was at the Northallerton Town Carnival - held in lovely hot and sunny weather.  We were able to raise over £100 from our books and bric a brac stall, and this will be going into the contingency pot within our Trust Fund to allow us to react in case of an emergency or natural disaster - things that seem all too common these days.

Club Handover - Monday 3rd July 2017

Our new Club year began officially tonight when our 2016-17 President Anand handed over the Presidential Chain of Office ( and the Rotary teapot of course!) to new President Ian Parminter.  Ian then welcomed Janet Crampton into her role as President Elect for the year. Anthony Wood takes over as Treasurer from Sue O'Grady for the new year

Thanks were given to Anand for an excellent year in which much had been achieved, and during which the Club had enjoyed many excellent fellowship opportunities, for which particular thanks must go to Anand and Sandhya for arranging a number of these including the memorable trip to India.

The Club gave best wishes to Ian and the new team and we all look forward to a great year ahead.

District Governor Handover Event - Sunday 2nd July 2017

Our new President Ian Parminter and President Elect Janet Crampton, together with Anne and Geoff Wall attended an enjoyable event in Bradford where Past District Governor Phil Poole handed over his role and his Chain of Office to the new District Governor Robert Morphet.  The event was a good opportunity for fellowship with fellow rotarians across the District. The added bonus was a good lunch and some top class entertainment from singer Laura Rhian.