2018-19 Highlights

During the year we will be updating this page regularly with what we have been doing in the Club.

Helping out at Northallerton Homegrown Food Festival - 30th June 2019

The Club was pleased to help out at Sunday's Northallerton Homegrown Food Festival.  A great event as always.  It was also Kate's first official Rotary duty following her recent joining of our Club. Well done Kate - and by the weight of her bucket she helped to collect a goodly sum towards next years Food Festival. 

And so they don't feel left out the second picture shows the rest of our team at handover time

Masked Ball - 28th June 2019

A great evening was had by everyone who attended this colourful event. All the work that went into organising this, including the collection of some amazing raffle prizes, was rewarded with the excellent news that we made over £1800 on the event.  Half of this will be going to the Sir Robert Ogden Cancer Centre at the Friarage Hospital. The rest will be used on Rotary projects in the period ahead.

2019 Photographic Competition - 24th June 2019

The eagerly awaited photographic competition did not disappoint - with plenty of entries in all three classes. And with organisers Alan and Anne Miller also setting a fiendish table competition to link pictures of moths taken by Alan with their species name, a great night was had by all.

Winner of the class "Sunrise/Sunset", and overall winner of the competition was Peter Andrew with his very evocative shot - called simply "Sunset".

Winner of the class "Rotary - be the Inspiration" was Sandhya Nadgir with a photo of a painting on the theme of "End Polio Now".  This had been painted live on stage at the Hamburg RI convention by the Artist Julian Believe. The painting had subsequently been auctioned and raised 20,000 euros for the Polio Plus campaign

Winner of the class "Architecture" was Alan Miller with his photo "Thorp Perrow - an English Country House".

Induction of our new member Kate Hindmarsh - 24th June 2019

We were very pleased to induct our latest member into the Club at this meeting, and we are all looking forward to working with Kate on our service projects and welcoming her into the fellowship of the Club and of Rotary.

Our picture shows Kate with President Janet, and Basil Bosomworth who introduced Kate to the Club.

A Day Out 10 Pin Bowling with the Children from Chernobyl - 20th June 2019

It has become a Club tradition that we arrange a day out for the visiting group of Children from Chernobyl at Hollywood Bowl at Teeside Park.  Once again we had a super day out with a great bunch of children.  It was nice to see some returning faces as well as new members of the party. The charity -  Northallerton Group of Friends of Chernobyl's Children organise a month long stay each year hosted by families in the area.  Each child is offered the chance to come over for three years. We are pleased to support this excellent cause.

Marshalling at the Home Front Event in Northallerton - 9th June 2019

Members of the Club helped with marshalling at the Home Front Event. Good weather brought out the crowds, many dressed in 1940's costume. One of our members - Sue, and her husband Chris, made the effort!  Our picture shows part ofthe marshalling team at handover time.

The RI Convention in Hamburg June 2019

Five members of the Club visited Hamburg for the RI Convention.  This proved to be a great experience: inspirational sessions at the Convention itself, great opportunities to meet with Rotarians and Rotoractors from across the world, and plenty of opportunities to sample the delights of the lovely City of Hamburg. Our picture shows the point in the opening ceremony when the flags of all the nations where Rotary is active are paraded into the Convention Hall.  Truly - Rotary the World Over.

A Visit to Ripon Rotary Club and a tour round Ripon Cathedral - 21st May 2019 

Members of the Club had a most enjoyable day when a group of us attended the weekly meeting of the Ripon Club for lunch and fellowship, and heard a talk from Ripon Club member the Reverend Michael Sabell on Deaf Awareness. We were then joined by President David Wells and other Club members as we had a fascinating guided tour of the Cathedral. The afternoon was finished in perfect fashion with tea and cakes with David and his partner Barbara.

Our picture shows the beautiful altar at Ripon Cathedral built in memory of those who had lost their lives in the Great War.

Rotary Way - 14th May 2019

The ambitions of the two Rotary Clubs in Northallerton to have a road named Rotary Way finally came to fruition this month when the Presidents of both our Clubs, together with many members, attended the official unveiling of the Rotary Way sign by the Chairman of Hambeton District Council, Councillor David Blades, and the Leader Councillor Mark Robson.  Councillor Robson said: "It would be very difficult for anyone in the local area to miss the impact of Rotary Club projects, and our newly named Rotary Way is a lasting testament to that Service".

Our Club President Janet Crampton, speaking on behalf of both Clubs said "It's very satisfying to have Rotary's contribution to local, national and international community projects recognised in this way. Hambleton District is fortunate to have several Rotary Clubs working in partnership to support community projects and achieve meaningful change in the work that we do. We are grateful to Hambleton District Council for showcasing Rotary in this way, recognising our work from small and local projects to major international enterprise".

Malcolm Warne becomes our President Elect for 2019-20 - May 13th 2019

When seeking candidates for the various posts for 2019-20 earlier in the Rotary Year we had not been able to appoint someone to be our President Elect for next year.  We were very pleased when Malcolm Warne agreed to put himself forward for the role, and Club were very happy to vote him into the post at our May meeting.

After a gap of some years the Vice President's Jewel has recently been found and we were very happy to bring this back into use - albeit for only a few weeks until July when Malcolm will receive the President Elect Jewel from Anne at the Club Handover.

An Inter-Club Quiz Night - 1st May 2019

We held a very successful Quiz Night and Pie and Pea Supper at the Forum. As well as teams from our own Club we were joined by 7 other Clubs. An excellent quiz was set by member Tony Wood, with great graphics masterminded by Stephen Elmer. The event was meant as both a fellowship evening and also a way of raising money for Foundation and Polio Plus, and it certainly succeeded on both fronts. We split the £470 raised between the two causes.  

Helping to Marshal the Classic Car Show - 28th April 2019

Once again Northallerton BID arranged a Classic Car Show in the High Street, and with lots of vehicles on show and lots of people visting the event, it proved a busy but fun day of marshalling.

Our picture shows some of the marshalls standing around the car that ultimately won the award in the competition for best car of the day. The owners were delighted - it was the first time they had brought the car to an event of this sort!

A Trip Round York - 10th April 2019

A group of Members and Guests had a marvellous guided tour of York, learning all sorts of new facts from our knowledgeable guide Maureen. We finished with a meal at the Principal Hotel.

"Monkey Boy" at Harrogate Royal Hall - 30th March 2019

A group of us from the Club went to support the Harrogate Kids Aloud event which featured the specially written piece "Monkey Boy".  The evening was a mix of songs from well known shows, sung by the massed choirs of a number of Harrogate Schools and by the party from Nepal.  It also featured some songs and pieces of dance from the Nepalese children.  Then in the second half we were entranced by the specially composed piece "Monkey Boy" based on a Nepalese folk legend. The children all came alive during this excellent song cycle and story telling piece.  A great night out.

Our photo shows some of the children from Nepal at the rehearsal for the concert.

Young Chef Update - March 2019

Lucy Atkinson had a great day at the Regional Final of this competition but was not succesful in going forward to the National Final.  Well done Lucy for getting to the penultimate stage of this very competitive event.

A Day Out with our Nepalese Visitors - 19th March 2019

The Harrogate Brigantes Club has sponsored a visit by a group from Nepal to take part in the 2019 Kids Aloud Concert "Monkey Boy", and also get to know something of our country. The Northallerton Club and our Club have both been involved in supporting the valley community in recent times, and we joined together to host the party for a fun day out.  We started with a visit to the Royal Armouries in Leeds, and then went to Roundhay Park where there was an opportunity to visit Tropical World, and also to get some exercise with games in the park.  The weather was kind, and a great time was had by all.

Our picture shows part of the group at the Armouries.

A visit to Nissan - 13th March 2019

A group from the Club joined the Northallerton Club on an enjoyable trip up to the Nissan Factory in Sunderland.  Let's just say we were all amazed at the technology!  Good to see a British manufacturing success story.  We saw the Qashqai  and the all electric Leaf being assembled and on the same production line.

We followed this with a very convivial pub lunch.

Thanks to Phil Roser of the Northallerton Club for organising this one.

No photography allowed in the production line area so a model of the Qashqai will have to do!

Schools Technology Tournament at Catterick Garrison - 5th March 2019

Once again the Club, with other Rotary Clubs in the area, joined together to put on a Schools Technology Tournament. We were hosted by the REME Regiment at Catterick Garrison.  The day was a great success and all the teams enjoyed building their model.  This year it was a lighthouse. As ever lots of different ideas emerged on the way to design and build a working model to meet the task outline. 

Our picture shows the two teams and staff from Bedale High School, with their finished models.

Young Chef Update - 5th February 2019

Following our Club rounds at Northallerton School and 6th Form College and at Bedale High School, it was quickly a case of those selected going forward to the North Group Cook Off.  Lucy Atkinson from Bedale High School was the winner of the Cook Off and has now gone on to represent the North Group at the District Final which was held at Betty's Cookery School on 5th February.  This proved to be an excellent event with a very high standard of both cooking and presentation. We are very pleased that Lucy was one of the runners up and in the final 4 who will now go on from the District level to compete at the next round which will be a Regional Round to be held in Leicester in March.  Well done Lucy - and fingers crossed for the next event.

The photo below shows the group at the District Final.

More photos - including pictures of Lucy's meal - are on the Youth Services page on this website.

Thanks to Brian Souter for permission to use this image

T'ai Chi Social - 28th January 2019

We had an enjoyable evening learning about the history and practice of T'ai Chi Qigong from a local teacher Annie Anwar, with demonstrations by her and two of her students. Then members of the club tried some introductory moves. A fascinating and enjoyable introduction to this activity and the health and wellbeing benefits that can flow from this.

Santa Collections 2018

We had a succesful series of collections raising funds for our youth projects in the year ahead.  For three evenings we took our santa sleigh around the streets of Northallerton.  And thanks go to Marks and Spencer, B&M and Tesco for allowing us to have collections at their stores.  Altogether we raised nearly £1500.

School Awards 2018

The Club was pleased once again to sponsor awards to students at Northallerton School and 6th Form College.

We sponsor an annual Youth Award in the Club's name and we also sponsored 9 prizes for the students with an "Outstanding Achievement at A2 Level". 

Our awards were presented by President Janet Crampton and President Elect Anne Wall. 

The Awards Ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the succeses of many of our students in the year - well done to you all.

Santa Street party in Northallerton - 2nd December 2018

Replacing the traditional "Santa Sunday" with a new look event proved a great success for the town, and the Club was there as usual to support the event.  We provided marshalls for the arrival and departure of Santa at the begining and end of the event, and also had a stall in the Town Hall to raise some money towards the cost of hosting a day out for the Nepalese group that will be visiting the area next March, as well as sharing information about the Club and hopefully attracting new members.  It is perhaps a little early for Toby, grandson of members Anne and Geoff Wall, to be considering being a Rotarian - but he had great fun assisting with the marshalling and only afterwards wondered why he had not been given a hi-vis vest as one of the team!

RYLA Feedback Evening - 30th November 2018

One of our most enjoyable sessions each year is when, together with the Northallerton Club, we hear from the RYLA students we have sponsored to go to the RYLA week at Hebden Hey.  This year proved no exception, and we were regaled with tales of early mornings, new friendships and the trials and tribulations of the tasks they had worked through during their week. Well done Hattie and Dylan. It was also good to speak with their families who had come to join us to hear the presentation. Needless to say we will be supporting the RYLA scheme again in 2019, and preparations are already underway to start the selection process.  We are hoping to build on our developing relationship with Bedale High School by selecting a student from that school to go on the week next July.

Young Chef Competition - Club Round - November 2018

Five promising young cooks will compete for the chance to show their skills in the Yorkshire final of the prestigious Rotary Young Chef contest.

Four students from Bedale High School and another from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College qualified from local heats after impressing judges with their culinary talents.

Catherine Bush, Molly Hanson, Jodie Wilkinson and Lucy Atkinson won through from Bedale High School.  This was the first time the school has entered the competition. It was second time lucky for Katie Starkey from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College, who was unfortunate to miss out last year.

The local heats were judged by ex-RAF Warrant Officer Nick Wright, formerly of the RAF Leeming catering team. The students were tasked with preparing two-course meals against the clock.

 President Janet Crampton, who presented students with certificates and Jamie Oliver recipe books, praised them for the quality of their cooking.

“All the students have shown tremendous talent and dedication,” she says. “This is a really tough challenge and the meals they produced were absolutely outstanding.” 

The North District cook-off will take place in Bedale next month, with the winner going through to the Yorkshire final at Bettys Cookery School in February. Beyond that, regional winners from all over the UK will go head-to-head in a national final for the chance to win a trip to Tuscany plus a cash prize.

Previous national finalists in Rotary Young Chef, sponsored by Filippo Berio, have gone on to enjoy hugely successful culinary careers working with Michelin Star chefs and taking part in competitions such as The Great British Bake Off.

More Purple Crocuses for Polio - 13th November 2018

We have planted some more crocuses to raise awareness of the Rotary Polio Plus Campaign to eradicate polio across the world.  Our latest planting took place in the Memorial Gardens in Romanby.  We look forward to a colourful purple display next spring.

A Fellowship Evening at the Theatre to see "Kinky Boots" - 9th November 2018

Our latest fellowship outing was to see the musical Kinky Boots in Newcastle. This proved to be a really enjoyable evening watching an excellent "feel good" show. Following the ladies opportunity at our earlier outing to Leeds, it was a chance for the men to strut their stuff in this times "photobooth" opportunity!

Helping out at Northallerton Bonfire and Fireworks - 5th November 2018

 Once again the Club was happy to help out at the fireworks event in Northallerton by collecting money for next year's event.

A new fundraising idea - October 2018

This year we have started a new fundraiser.  By buying stamps at a discount and then selling them to members and Friends of the Club at face value, we are able to make a little on every book sold, but we are hoping this will build up to a useful sum over the course of the year.  Of course if you are selling stamps you need a Post Mistress, a role filled with great enthusiasm by Sue - seen here in her very appropriate uniform.

District Conference - 12th to 14th October 2018

We had a good turnout of 7 members to this years enjoyable and inspiring District Conference. We met old friends and made new ones, and had a great opportunity to learn about Rotary projects and listen to inspiring talks from a range of keynote speakers.

A Polio Plus Meeting - 8th October 2018

Whilst a little early for World Polio Day we decided to use the opportunity of a visit to the Club from Brian Souter of the Knaresborough Club, who gave us a Polio Update, to dress in purple and have a special raffle for Polio Plus funds.  We raised £90, and with the match funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that means another £270 towards the eradication of polio in the last remaining countries where it is endemic.

Our New Paul Harris Fellows

Our new Paul Harris Fellows - Sue Bush, Diane Pownall, Geoff Wall and Peter Tweddle with President Janet Crampton

Our 24th Charter Dinner - 29th Sepember 2018

A very good turnout for our enjoyable 24th birthday party, with many friends of the Club and guests from other Rotary Clubs.  Our speaker was David Kerfoot on his role as a Deputy Lieutenant for Norh Yorkshire.  We heard a lot about the role and it's history and some of David's experiences over the years. The raffle at the event raised a magnificent £460 for the Macmillan Appeal for the Sir Robert Ogden Cancer Centre at the Friarage Hospital.

The evening was also an opportunity for District Governor Nigel Arthurs to present Paul Harris Fellowships to four Club members: Sue Bush, Diane Pownall, Peter Tweddle and Geoff Wall for their service to Rotary and the Club

Our picture shows our Speaker Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire David Kerfooot with President Janet Crampton and Elizabeth Kerfoot.

A great night at York Ainsty Club Charter - 15th September 2018

The night was billed as a "charter night with a difference" and it certainly was. Intrigued by the billing a party of 6 members dressed up in colourful costume to join in a great evening with a drumming band "Voice of the Drum", and a local world music choir "Chechelele". The room was decorated to remind us that the night was a celebration of the York Ainsty Club's African and Asian projects.  It certainly met the Rotary Motto for the year and "being the inspiration". A great night out.

Pictured here are Anand and Sandhya in their colourful costumes with York Ainsty President Issy Sanderson. Sandhya deservedly won the "best dressed lady" prize for her outfit.

Car Boot Sale in Aid of Foundation - 27 August 2018

We held a succesful Car Boot Sale on Bank Holiday Monday to raise funds for Foundation. Over £350 was raised on the day from a mix of admission charges to vendors, our own "car boot", and donations made on the day.  It was also a good opportunity to showcase our work in the town.

Helping out at the Northallerton 880 Events - August 2018

The Club provided assistance with marshalling the Northallerton 880 weekend, commemorating the Battle of the Standard which took place just north of the town all those years ago. Re-enactments gave us a good impression of what it was like to be part of the armies fighting at that battle, but also something about daily life at the time.  We were most impressed by the demonstration of some of the tools and techniques used in medicine at that time.

Members also supported the Medieval Banquet, and the fascinating talk on the battle, given as part of the week long event.

Calendar Girls - 17 August 2018

A party from the Club had an enjoyable social night out at the Leeds Grand Theatre to see the musical production of Calendar Girls.  A great night out, and a moving but joyous show, made all the better by being in part a celebration of Yorkshire and Yorkshire grit.

And the ladies of the party could not resist the "photo opportunity" to show off their cupcakes...!

President's Garden Party - 14th July 2018

President Janet invited members and friends of the Club to a garden party at her home in Scruton.  The sun shone, and a great time was had by all.  The event was also a way of raising funds for the Club for the year ahead. 

District Handover Event at Elland Road, Leeds - 7th July 2018

A party of 4 of us from the Club joined rotarians and guests from across the Rotary District to say "farewell" to our 2017-18 District Governor Robert Morphet, and to welcome in the new District Governor Nigel Arthurs and the new team.  All this took place in the Executive Suite at Elland Road Football Ground in Leeds.  A pleasant evening was had by all.

Club Handover - 2nd July 2018

As our new Rotary year started, it was time to welcome new and continuing officers of the club into their roles.

Our 2017-18 President Ian handed over the presidential chain of office to incoming president Janet Crampton. Anne Wall is our President Elect for the year.  Geoff Wall is our incoming Secretary and Tony Wood continues as Treasurer.

The evening was also an opportunity to award a Paul Harris Fellowship to Peter Gibson to acknowledge his personal giving to Rotary Foundation.  Kevin Hardisty has previously been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for Services to the Club, and he was awarded a new badge with Sapphire, effectively a "double fellowship" to acknowledge his personal giving to the Foundation.

Congratulations go to all of them.