club news 2019-2020

Mydrin was representing Ammanford Food Bank and he gave a talk on what the Food Bank represents. He emphasised that Ammanford Food Bank would never have come into being without the tremendous support of the local community and he quoted the phrase "Together we make a difference".

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On Thursday the 3rd of October the club welcomed Leslie Prosser to speak to the club about Friendly Dementure 

Many people with Dementure also start to behave in ways that aren’t normal for them. These might include becoming agitated (for example, being very restless or pacing up and down), calling out, repeating the same question, having disturbed sleep patterns or reacting aggressively. This can be distressing and challenging both for the person and anyone caring for them. The person may need treatment and support for these behaviours which is separate from any treatment specifically for memory problems.

In the later stages of Dementure someone may become much less aware of what is happening around them. They may have difficulties eating or walking without help, and become more and more frail. Eventually, the person will need help with all of their daily activities.

Leslie pointed out how important it was to be patient with people suffering from dementure and to be dementure friendly . The Rotarians were quizzed on different aspects of dementure and how they can be recognised

The picture below shows Senior Vice President Chris Parish , Lesley Prosser and President Gordon Kilby

Llandeilo Rotary welcomed Anna_Marie Jones and Dr Beth Routley from Cancer Research Wales on the 5th Sept to speak to us about the Cancer Research work undertaken in Wales

Cancer Research Wales is the leading independent cancer research charity in Wales.  They  receive no government funding whatsoever and rely solely on the generosity of the general public to fund their amazing work through fundraising activities, donations, legacies and income from our shops.   Over £1 million per year is invested in Wales looking in to the prevention, early diagnosis and better treatments of cancer. 

 Every 30 minutes someone in Wales is diagnosed with cancer. Thanks to research, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, and the number of people currently living with a cancer diagnosis in Wales would almost fill Cardiff’s Principality stadium twice over. In spite of this, around 9,000 lives in Wales are still lost each year.

 Dr Beth Routley spoke about their work investigating the role of the HPV virus in certain types of head and neck cancer in men. These findings were instrumental in the decision to extend the HPV vaccinations in the UK to include boys as well as girls, for whom it is already given to prevent cervical cancer.

 She also explained how some cancers are more difficult to detect and late diagnosis is associated with poorer outcomes, but also showed how they are addressing this issue by funding work taking place at Swansea University to develop a new, non-invasive blood test to diagnose bowel cancer. This test is currently being trialled in GP surgeries in South Wales.

 Finally, we heard about an exciting clinical trial that was recently funded by Cancer Research Wales. This immunotherapy trial harnessed the power of the immune system to treat late-stage bowel cancer patients. On average, patients lived for an additional 10 months, with few side effects and good quality of life. This study represents a significant advancement for bowel cancer, which is the second greatest cause of cancer related death in Wales, and has traditionally failed to benefit from discoveries in immunotherapy”.

Pictured left to right is Chris Parish Senior Vice President , Dr Beth Routley, President Gordon Kilby and Anna- Marie Jones

LLANDEILO ROTARY CLUB YOUTH EXCHANGE

Tuesday, 30 July marked a significant date in Llandeilo Rotary Club's history when an evening was held at the Plough Inn, Rhosmaen to mark the occasion of a Rotary Youth Exchange. The Family to Family exchange was between Wales and France. This date coincided with the same date as United Nations Friendship Day.

The two girls Catrin Duff of Wales and Morgane Latapie of France were involved in an exchange visit arranged by Llandeilo Rotary Club; the first of its type ever arranged by the club.

Also representing Rotary were Eric Blackwell and his wife Liz. Eric is the District Youth Exchange Officer for the Rotary District of Southern Wales. Eric remarked that the Llandeilo Club was one of only four clubs in RGB&I (Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland) that undertook a similar exchange during 2019.

The one to one exchange involved a visit to the two countries where each family looked after their guest and took them around the area.

In France Catrin was welcomed into Morgane’s home. She improved her French and absorbed the local customs. She was shown the sights and was involved in Festivals, undertook horse riding in the Camargue and visited Marseilles town and the cathedral.

Whilst in Wales Morgane lived with Catrin’s family in Llandeilo. She visited nearby Garn Goch, spent a day at the Royal Welsh Show, visited the town of Barmouth and went camping on Cadair Idris.

During their visits each girl made a presentation to the local Rotary Club. Catrin to Rotary Club d’Istres in French and Morgane to Llandeilo Rotary Club in English.

This proved to be a popular evening with over 20 people attending including Rotarians, their wives and guests, Ladies of Inner Wheel and the family of Catrin Duff.

At the end of the evening Rotary banners were exchanged and Eric Blackwell thanked the club for arranging and sponsoring the visits. Kevin Duff, Catrin's Father, thanked the club for arranging the visits and their hospitality.

Rotary organises Camps and Tours for young people from 15 to 25 and Family to Family exchanges for 15 to 17 year olds. A Camp or Tour will have about fourteen young people all the same age and each one will come from a different country. A great way to make friends around the world. Exchanging with a Family helps you to understand another culture and learn or improve your knowledge of a foreign language.

If you are interested in taking part next year visit our website at www.youthexchange.org.uk . It is open for registrations of interest on 1st September 2019.

PHOTO- Left to right Kevin Duff, Richard Hughes (Llandeilo Rotary) Aidan Duff, Catrin Duff,Anne Duff, Morgane Latapie, Gordon Kilby (President of Llandeilo Rotary) and Eric Blackwell (Group Exchange Officer Rotary District).