ROTARY CLUB OF HIGHCLIFFE ON SEA CHARITY FUND

Registered charity number 1029143

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

2024-2025

The Rotary Club of Highcliffe on Sea carried on various projects throughout the year.

Broadly these consisted of raising funds to enable charitable objects to be supported and the provision of services using the time and talents of members. Full reports were provided on a regular basis to the members of the club. Due to a fall in the number of members since Covid the holding of events to raise money has proved difficult, most of the monies raised came from the members of the Club.

The club continues to support projects relating to children and young people. Once again this included the presentation of Dictionaries for Life to Year 6 at Highcliffe St Mark’s Primary School. The Club supported activities at Highcliffe School and continues to build relationships with the School particularly through the Young Chef and other competitions, and Mock Interviews. Play area equipment was provided for Somerford Primary School.

For some years we have participated in the Technology Tournament organized in the Bournemouth area. Due to its popularity we saw the possibility of providing an opportunity to extend the reach of this in the New Forest area. This was successfully achieved in March and well received by all who participated. This will become an annual event.

276 Shoe boxes were collected for countries in Eastern Europe with help from both Highcliffe Primary and Secondary Schools and also St Mark’s Church, a small increase on the previous year.

The President’s Charity was MacMillan Caring Locally, who were celebrating 50 years since their foundation and a donation of £5,000 was presented to them. Our donation to them of £2,762 was made after the end of the financial year. A further sum was raised thorough the Wishing Well Walk a joint venture with Christchurch Rotary Club and was paid direct to the charity.

Payments were made to the Salvation Army (£350), Mary’s Meals (£550), Christchurch Food Bank (£450) and the Purple Community Fund who operate in poor areas in the Philippines (£150). Responses to an emergency situations resulted in payments to Shelterbox (£1,090).

We continued our support of a Rotary Club in the USA who are leading an initiative in a rural area of Uganda, where our local churches are also active, to provide a Digital Learning Centre. With a Matching Grant from our Rotary District we were able to contribute £5,975 towards the project costs.

Various sums are raised from donations by members themselves to support Rotary’s own international Charity the Rotary Foundation. A total of £2,000 was sent during the year, including a contribution to the End Polio Now Fund. This was the second highest per capita contribution in the Rotary District 1110.

A total of £16,101 was raised and passed through the club’s account. Included in this sum is tax recovered through Gift Aid where money is received from members of the club for its charitable activities and through other donations eligible to claim under the GASD Scheme.

Payments to Charity made in the year under review totalled £13,375, but £16,566 was carried forward. This includes reserves for particular purposes to be carried out in a future year and include an emergency reserve to enable the Club to react speedily to an emergency situation.

The Trustees Tony Parkinson, Willie McNeill, Dave Foot, David Cannings and John Nicholls served throughout the year.