Celebrating with our Better Halves

Monday December 15 saw the club gather at the Beauvoir Arms in Downham for our usual lunch Time meeting.  Normal?  Not a bit of it, for this was the date of our annual Christmas Dinner with our partners.  
Over 30 members and guests attended and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, a first chance to celebrate Christmas, to exchange Christmas cards and relax a little before the stress of the “official” family celebrations and other Christmas festivities?

After arrival, there was time to order drinks for the meal, while at the same time, handing over and receiving Christmas cards from other members.  As always, service from the staff was excellent and they were quick to supply the drinks.

Missing Members

We missed a few stalwarts due to illness or other prior commitments, Olu Akindeinde, Robert Godfrey, David Holroyd,  Margaret Fowler, Trevor Bond and Ben Curtis.  We missed them all.

We were in our usual location in the bar, away from the distractions from other guests in the main restaurant. In fact it was just what you’d expect from a Rotary get-together at Christmas.
It was good to see Ed Harrison back amongst us after missing so many recent meetings, but we were sorry Margaret was ill and unable to make it.

Fellowship and Fun

Staff were quick to bring out the usual pre-starter and first courses.  Brian had prepared matters so well, with a table plan for members and each table with a list of what each person had pre-ordered in case they couldn’t remember (I plead guilty again - Editor)  and made it easy for the staff to deliver the right food to the right person.  Main courses followed and then it was time for speeches.

President Stephen was his usual efficient self, leading the occasion and reminding members why we were all there – to say thank you to our partners for their tolerance, patience and understanding as we go about our Rotary business year in and year out.  He highlighted recent successes and efforts.

• Billericay Fun Walk - thanks to the support of members and friends, and after the bonus celebration a month ago, we had raised a record amount of over £3700.
• Christmas Quiz - Thanks to our quiz masters, Roger and Sarah Kettle, we had directly raised over £3,500 including over £238 raised by the children of Buttsbury Junior School.  With the contribution of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the grand total is £11436 worth 109,000 anti-Polio vaccines.
• ORBIS Blindfold Walk - This had also raised a record amount of over £520.

And he added “And if you hurry you can still buy a balloon or another balloon, in our exciting world-wide Balloon Race”.

“We have supported local community events, Summerfest, Fireworks Display and the very wet Christmas Market, Buttsbury and Quilters Schools through the Rotakids Clubs, crocus planting etc. and we continue to make substantial donations including, eradicate polio, Hurricane Melissa, Mary’s Meals, Kenya Students, Lennox Cancer charity, Pen Pals club, and the Unite in Kindness badge project and others.”

“One of my great joys is the companionship and friendship of our weekly lunch meeting.  Thank you to everyone here for your contribution, with the satisfaction that we have done a little bit towards helping others in this season of goodwill.  I would particularly like to thank Brian for all his support and advice even though he assured me, before I became President, that there was not much work to do.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my first six months as President and look forward to the next half year. 

100 Percent Genuine

Then Roger Kettle hosted our traditional Christmas 100 Club draw.  The 100 club is one of the club’s regular fund-raisers, and it’s a painless way for members and their friends to donate to charity and at the same time, have the chance of a prize.

Half the receipts go in prizes, half to the benevolent fund for charitable purposes.  Its growth success means that more members mean more prizes.  Roger shook up the “selection” tokens, and as the number of each selected token was announced,Brian Wellman read out the lucky winners for each of the selected token numbers.
The first winner was drawn by President Stephen, a £100 first prize which went to Keith Wood.
Our most senior member, Bert French, then drew the next winner for £80 which went to Ken Smith, who had won the £80 prize exactly one year ago  at our 2024 Christmas lunch draw..

• Third prize of £60 went to David Rothon
• Fourth Prize of £50 to Trevor Bond, 
• Fifth Prize of £40 to David Clark
• Sixth Prize of £40 to Clare Clark
• Seventh Prize of £30 to Peter Strong

We congratulate them all - Happy Christmas!