2017-18

2017-18

38th CHARTER CELEBRATION DINNER, 8th MARCH 2018

On the evening of Thursday 8th March, we celebrated the 38th Aniversary of our Charter with a dinner at Moortown Golf Club, Leeds LS17. The after dinner speaker was Dr Edward Impey, Director and Master of the Royal Armouries at Leeds. Dr Impey gave an excellent and very interesting, entertaining and occassionally light hearted talk about the history of the Armouries and his role as Master thereof. President-elect Alastair Henderson gave a excellent vote of thanks. 

The dinner was attended by a total of 45 people. As well as our members and guests, the following were also in attandance: the District Governor (District 1040), Rotarian Robert Morphet, Assistant Governor (Leeds), Keith Harbage, The Presidents of the Leeds, Harrogate, Roundhay and Wetherby Rotary Clubs along with some of their members and partners. 

An excellent meal was enjoyed by all, the service was excellent, and the programme went very smoothly, with proceedings being completed before 10.00 p.m. when everyone then made their way home.

OUR BULBS ARE COMING UP!

The bulbs we planted with the help of Bardsey Parish Council are begining to grow alongside those we planted last year (see lower down on this page) in the verge at the end of Woodacre Lane and outside the village School.Unfortunately Mr and Mrs Mole have been having a field day where we planted (well it is their field!), but hopefully there will be a nice show of purple flowers over the next few weeks.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR MARTIN HOUSE CHILDREN"S HOSPICE, BOSTON SPA.

President Peter, President Elect Alastair and Past President Ken went to Martin House Children's Hospice on Friday 15th December 2017, and, as is usual at this time of the year, presented members of the Staff with £250 worth of assorted Gift Vouchers, on the Club's behalf, for the Children's Christmas presents. We send our Love and Best wishes to the Children, their Siblings and Parents wishing them all a very Happy Christmas. We also thank the Staff for the dedicated and wonderful work they do, and hope that they have an enjoyable Christmastime too. 

CLICK on the LOGO below to learn more about Martin House and the tremedous work they do:

Club Christmas Party 14th December 2017

Twenty-seven members, their partners and guests enjoyed a very pleasant evening on 14th December, taking dinner at the Bingley Arms to celebrate the start of the festive season. Mr President was 'in the Chair', and after an excellent 3 course meal, cheese and biscuits, coffee and mince pies, the final draw of this year's 100 Club was performed. Drawing the numbers was Ann Baker, wife of our recently deceased Treasurer, Bill. It was lovely to see both Ann and Bill's sister, Hillary, at the dinner, and to know that they both really enjoyed the evening (although being a keen 'quizzer', Hillary was a bit miffed that her table did not do better in the quiz later!). The winner of the top prize (£100) was not present, but since he is a member of the Club, he will be invited to buy us all a drink at the next meeting. He has carried off many of the prizes in the 100 Club Draw this year, lucky so-and-so. After a bit of a break, President Peter announced that this year a donation of £400 would be sent to Yorkshire Cancer Research, the sum coming from 'the Pig of Good Fortune' - a piggy bank sent round each week at the Club receiving donations from members if they share Good News with everyone else. We then had a fiendish quiz put together by Past President Martyn Phillips. It was great fun, and the guests on Mr President's Table were the winners. They received a Diary for 2018 each as their prize. The pictures show many of the 'happy band' at the end of the evening, before we braved the cold wintery weather on the way home.

[The next 100 Club Draw will be at our Charter Dinner on 8th March 2018.]

MORE USED SPECTACLES FOR VISION AID OVERSEAS

Immediate Past President Bill thought he was getting a big Christmas present from fellow Rotarian Arek when he arrived at the Club Chistmas party on 14th December, being presented with a big white plastic bag. He should not have got his hopes up so high!, but was delighted with the contents. Arek had collected some discarded, used spectacles from his optician earlier and gave them to Bill for onward transmission to Vision Aid Overseas. Bill parcels up the spectacles collected by members in boxes containg between 150 and 200 pairs each, and sends them to VAO via a local Optician. VAO recycles the specs, and the profits help with their work restoring vision to people abroad, especially in Africa. The money helps to train Optometrists, the performance of eye tests and the presciption of new spectacles (made locally). The Club has been supporting VAO in this way for over 20 years, and the last parcel sent off on 15th December was the 7th such in this Rotary year (July to June).

To learn more about VAO visit www.visionaidoverseas.org or click on the link.

ANNUAL WHISKY DRAW 8th DECEMBER 2017

This Draw, now an annual event at the Bingley Arms, was conducted by President Elect Alastair Henderson and Presidential Nomminee Ken Garrett (both Past Presidents from a few years back), with the help of some of the customers (youthful and female!). The Draw is for a Gallon bottle of Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky with tickets costing £1 for 2. With a Total of 500 tickets, this gives each person reasonable odds of winning. This year Tom McKenna, a bar-man at the Bingley was that man! Well done Tom - don't drink it all in one!! We raised over £150 for our Charities on the night, thanks entitrely to the generosity of the customers of the Bingley arms, and our thanks are due to the Staff for letting us do the draw.

The picture shows Rotarian Ken presenting the bottle to Tom.

n presenting the bottle to Tom.

ROTARY DISTRICT 1040 ANNUAL CONFERENCE, SCARBOROUGH,      13th to 15th OCTOBER 2017.

Two of our members attended the District Conference in Scarborough this year. They just had a 'day registration' for the Saturday, but were able to meet up with some old, and new, friends in the "House of Friendship" on the Friday afternoon too.

The weather was unseasonably mild (22^oC) and sunny (normally it is cold, wet or even icy), and we could sit out in the Spa Complex to enjoy our Tea/Coffee or ice-cream! Our 'Leaky Taps and Jerry Cans' project in Kenya was mentioned in the the Rotary Foundation Showcase presentation. We left late on Saturday afternoon feeling inspired and informed since all the Conference presentations were excellent - illutrative and deserving of the Rotary Moto label 'Service above Self'. 

We also brought back the crocus bulbs we had ordered in support of "Purple for Polio"  - part of Rotary's End Polio Now Campaign - ready to plant next week. 

RAISING LOCAL AWARENESS OF OUR CLUB

In the afternoon of Saturday 2nd September, about nine of our members (and a good number of spouses) attended the Bardsey Horticultural Society (72nd) Annual Show in Bardsey Village Hall. It was a great show with lots of interesting things and people.

The objective of our presence was to raise awareness in the village about Rotary, and that our Club meets at the Bingley Arms there (the oldest Inn in England) every Thursday. We  were hopeful that we might recruit a new member or two….

We took an exhibition table on the lawn behind the Village Hall where the Show was taking place. Fortunately, the weather was perfect – sunny most of the time. We had a display of “Rotary” posters and various information leaflets (including one giving a summary of some of our projects last year). 

We held a ‘Champagne Draw’ with 3 prizes: A bottle of Champagne (won by our Secretary Brendan – the Luck of the Irish!), a bottle of Prosecco (won by Lucille Vincent) and a bottle of Asti (carried off by Lucie Swallow). 

Pictured are Lucille and Lucie with their prizes. 

It was a lovely afternoon, and we will probably want to do the same next year, weather permitting. Our thanks go to the Society for making us so welcome this year.

SAD NEWS

 Rotarian William (Bill) Baker, PHF. 

1944 - 2017

It is with deep regret that we report the demise of our member Bill Baker, on Thursday 14th September 2017, after a short illness. Bill was a larger than life character in so many ways. He will be sorely missed by our members - along with many others in society, since he spent much of his life serving the community. Bill was one of the nicest men you could meet, he put everyone at their ease, and was fun to be with. May he rest in peace.

'LEAKY TAPS AND JERRY CANS' - A SUCESSFUL MATCHING DISTRICT GRANT WITH 4 OTHER LOCAL ROTARY CLUBS, PROVIDING HAND WASHING FACILITIES IN A KENYAN SLUM.

Following a presentation to the Club in September last year by two medical students, we awarded £200 to the Carolina for Kibera NGO to buy taps to be attached to jerry cans to provide basic handwashing facilities for people in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya (if not Africa). The students had undertaken a research project in Kibera and found that lack of hand washing contributed to higher rates of diarrhoeal illness, especially in children. We were so impressed by the students and their project, that President Bill presented the project at a meeting of the Leeds Rotary Club presidents in October, and by Christmas an aplication for a District Matching Grant of £1000 was submitted. Four of the Leeds Clubs matched our further donation of £200. The grant was approved and the money, now £2,000 has been despatched, meaning that in the near future nearly 10,000 people in the slum will be able to wash their hands before eating of preparing food.

 To go to the full story with more pictures:  CLICK HERE

PURPLE 4 POLIO - Our crocuses

Here is a picture of flowering crocus corms that were planted by members of Bardsey Parish Council, Students from Bardsey Primary School and ourselves in November. A grand show around the village and infront of the school, and of course in aid of Polio Plus. (Also see more pictures in 'Events 2016-17' in 'What We Do' or CLICK HERE)