Misbourne Matins 21st Anniversary

MISBOURNE MATINS ROTARY CLUB was formed twenty one years ago and to celebrate our success we held a 21^st luncheon birthday party at our home venue, The Bull Hotel, Gerrards Cross, last Sunday, 14^th October.

Club President Rob Waters welcomed guests and the club’s first ever President, Helen Phillips, gave guests a whistle stop tour of some of the club’s achievements. She paid tribute with a toast to absent friends, all past Presidents of the club and all Paul Harris Fellows

Many former members of the club who have since moved from the area were present including Fanny Balcombe who now belongs, with another ex Misbourne Matins member Chris Jones, to the Rotary Club of Exeter-Southernhay. Helen remarked on the fact that of the 83 men and women who had joined the club, membership today stood at 40, and remains almost equally split as it always has been between men and women.

Misbourne Matins is well known for many of its activities not least having assumed leadership of the Heathrow Collection for Children in Need. This is a single day collection and the club, with Marlow Thames Rotary Club are supported by a large number of other Rotary and Rotaract clubs, and many friends of Misbourne Matins. On the 17^th November last year the Heathrow collection raised over £37,000

Founder member Peter Kenyon recalled past activities of the club including participation in an annual overnight orienteering project called Moonraker in which the club often fielded two teams or more. He gave tribute to the ever more successful Christmas collection which in 2017 raised just under £9,000 and he recalled the many deserving causes, local, national and international which the club support or fund with the money collected. Michel Syson, also a founder member, gave a vote of thanks.

Guests were entertained with a 200 slides show taken from the club’s archive, which ran in the background throughout the event, and during lunch were entertained by Swing42  Jazz Band.