BETTER LATE THAN NEVER FOR RICHMOND ROTARY

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER FOR RICHMOND ROTARY

Each year Richmond Rotary Club organises a Christmas raffle that raises substantial sums of money for various charities, the last raffle raising £2346 in total. 

Amongst the charities supported were Swaledale Mountain Rescue, Richmond Mayfest, Garget Walker House, Marie Curie, Rotary Best Kept Village, Yorkshire Air Ambulance as well as the Ukraine ambulance appeal.

Last year (2024) the first prize was an amazing working Lego display designed and created by Rotarian Ian Armstrong for children 4 to 11 years of age. 

The display included moving ice skaters, skiers and even a train track around a model lake. When the draw was held just before Christmas the winner was Ruth Appleby, but she found the model too large for her home and asked Richmond Rotary to find a suitable place for it.

Following suggestions from various Rotary members, the super model was donated to the Hero Factory at the Influence Church in Richmond where it is thoroughly enjoyed by the many young people who attend the junior church.

The Head of The Influence Junior Church Faye Thomson said: 

‘We are so grateful to Richmond Rotary for donating this amazing model to us. The kids here enjoy it enormously and it brings the children huge excitement. It fits in perfectly with Hero Factory’s Master Builder series where we teach the kids that God is the ultimate master builder who loves them.’

Richmond Rotary President Mac Bryant added:

‘It is great that we have finally managed to find such a suitable home for Ian’s brilliant working Lego model. We are grateful to the original winner of our first prize and the whole thing proves that sometimes things really are better late than never as so many charities have benefitted from everyone who bought a ticket from our Christmas raffle.’