Bulletin for December 2025

                                                 Rotary Club of Cheltenham North

                                                         December 2025 Bulletin

He's Seen In The Smiles

Author unknown

He's seen in the smiles the whole world is sharing... He's found where there's friendship and loving and caring...

He's felt in warm handshakes when people are meeting... He's heard in the cheer of a Christmastime greeting... His spirit's behind all the gifts we receive... He's everywhere, always to those who believe…..

Christmas Lunch

Seventeen club members and seventeen guests, including some previous members, attended the Christmas Lunch at Cotswold Hills Golf Club on Monday 1st December. Salmon or turkey was on the menu followed by poached pears or Christmas pudding. Two very talented young ladies, Jasmine West (piano) and Rosa Gray (oboe and poems) provided wonderful entertainment – the whole event was a joyous occasion enjoyed by all those present.

Ladies who Lunch

Another very successful lunch was held at Rosanne’s on Wednesday 19th November attended by 17 ladies. Donations totalling over £200 were made in support of Shelterbox.

Christmas Concert

We look forward to seeing all club members and partners at the Christmas Concert on Tuesday 16th December starting at the earlier time of 7pm. You should all have received a memo detailing where you will needed. Our Hon member, Sir Henry Elwes is supporting us again this year and we hope lots of tickets will have been sold. Tell everyone to come along and listen to the delights of our soloists, Imogen and Harriet, and the children from Leckhampton Junior School. Join in the singing with The Flukes Group. It promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

News from Cheltenham Future Club Tony Pawley

Members might be interested in two speakers at recent Cheltenham Future Rotary meetings, both representing local charities seeking support.

Fairview Education (click on their website) Giles Wadsworth

A local education charity, founded by two former primary school teachers, aiming to help school children from low-income households, but with high academic potential, pass the 11+ for entry into one of the 7 grammar schools in our county.

Grammar schools are state funded but highly selective academically and most children who pass the 11+ have benefited from some private tutoring outside school. Tutoring is expensive (around £1500 / year) and families from low-income households simply cannot afford this. Consequently, the percentage of 'free school meals' qualifying children who make it into grammar schools (c.4%) is way below the national average (c.22%) and the local Gloucestershire average (c.17%).

Fairview Education offers a 'Free Tuition Bursary' comprising 30 face-to-face tuition sessions, practice exams and all source materials to applicants who qualify for free school meals or pupil premium and who can pass our base-line assessment. Their success rate to date over the last 3 years (since the charity was founded) is over 70%. Their aim is to move the needle from 4% to nearer 10% over the medium term and to give economically disadvantaged children the opportunity they deserve.

Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees (click on their website).

Definitions:

• Refugee: Someone escaping danger in their own country. They are defined and protected under international law, and cannot be returned to situations where their safety is at risk.

• Asylum seeker: Someone escaping danger in their own country, who has arrived in a new country, made themselves known to that country’s government and entered into a process to decide whether or not they can be recognised as a refugee.

• Failed asylum-seeker: Someone who has not been recognised as a refugee.

• Internally displaced person (IDP): Someone who has left their home because they are in danger, but has not crossed a border to find safety.

• Illegal immigrant: Someone who arrives in a country and remains beyond the term of their visa without informing that country’s government.

There are:

• 73.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)

• 42.7 million refugees

• 8.4 million asylum-seekers

73% are from 5 countries: Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Venezuela.

40% (49 million) are children

The UK (2024):

• The UK has the 4th largest number of refugees in Europe, behind Germany, France and Spain.

• When adjusted for population size, the UK is 18th in Europe.

• Estimated 231,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK.

• 0.33% of the total UK population.

• 13% of all immigration into the UK.

Cheltenham:

• Resettled families from Syria since 2016

• Ukraine resettlement scheme since 2022

• Some families from Afghanistan in 2024

• Asylum-seeker hotels 2019-2024

• CWR works closely with GARAS, CVT, Everyman Theatre, local churches, Cheltenham Council, etc

Both charities raise questions that led to active debate by Cheltenham Future members, covering wide-ranging issues, trying hard to avoid political, ethical and religious judgements normally outside the established rationale of Rotary. No decisions on support by the Club to either charity have yet been made.

TONY’S TRIVIA

As this is the season of Goodwill, I will thrust more Trivia at my readers (if there are any readers – responses to last month’s Trivia were neither positive nor negative – there weren’t any … but lonely souls like me just keep on keeping on …)

When I said last month that the latest Met Office computer is cloud-based, I hadn’t realised that the current storm was Claudia !

Wales – land of enlightenment

“Birmingham, stuffed full of successful universities, has a smaller proportion of graduates in its workforce than rural Powys.” Torsten Bell, “Great Britain?”, 2024

A job for Life? How things have changed – or have they?

In 2023, the average time a worker was in post before moving on was 5 years. In 1993, it was … 5 years ! Ibid

But average weekly hours worked have changed:

1856 – 63, 1936 – 47, 2016 – 32 Ibid

Nature Notes: where do Siberian tigers live?

Uh! Oh! There aren’t any in Siberia. Calling them Amur tigers avoids the confusion.

The Virtual World – an ethical question

Should we say please and thank you to a robot, like Alexa?

Picture of the Month: a recent offer at John Lewis

– save £0 !

Future Programme Clive O’Gorman

Wed, Dec 10th 2025 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Club Council Meeting

A Club Council Meeting. With Janet

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Mon, Dec 15th 2025 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Club Meeting with Guest Speaker

A Club Meeting with Guest Speaker Alexandra Lloyd-Jones who will give a talk on her

Charity the "Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire." Host Nigel Gilhead

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Tue, Dec 16th 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Annual Christmas Concert

The 47th Christmas Concert organised by Cheltenham North Rotary Club will take place on Tuesday16th December at the Princess Hall Ladies College Cheltenham. GL50 3EP See website for information and Ticket Purchase.

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Mon, Jan 5th 2026 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Club Meeting with Guest Speaker

A Club Meeting with Speaker our own Tony Pawley Tony will give a Talk on "The BBC its first 50 years -Part Two.". Host Kevin Gwilliam Menu TBA

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Mon, Jan 19th 2026 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Club Meeting with Guest Speakers

A Club Meeting with a Guest Speaker. The Speaker is Kate Peake who will show films one on “Wines of Gloucestershire” and our October Wine Festival See website for more information and the menu. Host Sue Jenkins.

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Mon, Feb 2nd 2026 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Club Meeting with Guest Speaker

A Club Meeting with a Guest Speaker. The Speaker is Rachel Nelson who will talk on " Applying to American Universities: What it takes to cross the Pond" See website for more info. and the Menu. Host Liz Jones

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Mon, Feb 16th 2026 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Club Meeting with Guest Speaker. TBA Host Michael Jones