Rotary Magazine February - March 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ShelterBox 10 Bank UBS & Philanthropy 18 Wheelpower 24 Wheelchair Foundation 36 February /March 2015 www.rotarygbi.org

The magazine of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

21 POLIO

Pakistan’s commitment

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Talk from the top...

RI PRESIDENT 2014/15 GARY C K HUANG ROTARY CLUB OF TAIPEI TAIWAN

All the latest news from the people at the top of the Rotary tree

Listening to you

Whether it’s a successful project or a challenge to overcome, a great Rotary Day or a new idea, I want to hear what Rotarians are thinking, doing, and planning.

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s president of Rotary, it’s my job to encourage and inspire Rotarians wherever I meet them. It’s also my job to listen to what they have to say. Whether it’s a successful project or a challenge to overcome, a great Rotary Day or a new idea, I want to hear what Rotarians are thinking, doing, and planning. So whenever I travel, I ask my hosts to talk to me about their clubs. What’s going well, where do they see a need to improve, and what can we, at RI headquarters, do to help?

The answers are always interesting and often surprising. Sometimes I have a suggestion or an idea to contribute; sometimes I am able to make a connection that will move a project forward. Often, I go back to Evanston with ideas and insights that help guide us in our decisions. But what I value most about these conversations are the stories I hear – the stories that, taken together, tell the story of Rotary. In Atlanta, I attended a Rotary event honouring teachers and heard story after story about the gift of literacy and how it transforms lives. In Istanbul, I attended a wheelchair race and learned how Turkish Rotarians are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities. In Lima, Peru, I talked to a former Group Study Exchange team member who waited nearly 20 years to be invited to join a Rotary club, and heard about how returning to Rotary has transformed her life.

I’ve heard stories that have made me laugh, and stories that have moved me to tears. I’ve heard stories of how our service changes the lives of others, and how it changes us as Rotarians. When I hear these stories, I can’t help but wonder: how many other lives could we change for the better by bringing more people into Rotary? And how many more people could we bring into Rotary simply by sharing our own Rotary stories?

In this Rotary year, I ask all of you to do just that: share your Rotary stories. Tell them to your friends, on social media, and through Rotary.org.

Our Rotary stories are what inspire us, and what encourage others to join us; they help light up our service, as we work to Light Up Rotary.

•

GARY C K HUANG

RI PRESIDENT

www.rotarygbi.org

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ShelterBox

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REGULARS

FROM THE TOP

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RI President Gary Huang, RIBI President Peter King and RI Director Mike Webb write

MEET & GREET

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Up close, and personal with new Rotary Club member, Paul Palfrey

MEMBERSHIP 40 REGIONAL NEWS 45

The low down on what our members have been getting up to

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES 50

What’s inside BIG INTERVIEWS

Shelter starts with a box UBS - Passionate about philanthropy

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ROTARY IN ACTION

ROTARY AROUND THE WORLD

Jaipur Limb Trust 16 Ridding Pakistan of polio 21 Wheelpower 24 Rotary Ride 26 Melksham arts café 30 Technology Tournament 32 Wheelchair Foundation 36 Happy House 39

Belfast conference 14 Rotary convention 14 Heart Research UK 22 Rotary Around the World 28 Motor Neurone Disease 38 THIS MONTH

World Understanding Month Rotary and the UN

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RIBI ONLINE Look us up online at ribi.org or follow us on Facebook / RotaryRIBI; Twitter – @ RotaryRIBI; and Linkedin – Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

fyi

Get in touch...

RIBI, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6PB t: 01789 765 411 Got a story for us? Send it in (with a good quality picture) to editor@rotarygbi.org Managing Editor: Allan Berry e: editor@rotarygbi.org PR Officer: e: pr@rotarygbi.org Designer: Martin Tandy e: Martin.Tandy@rotarygbi.org

Advertising: Media Shed (Agents for RIBI) Gareth Macfarlane t: 01354 818009 • e: garethm@media-shed.co.uk

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or RIBI. Every effort is made to ensure that the magazine’s contents are accurate. Information is published in good faith but no liability can be accepted for loss or inconvenience arising from error or omission.

Advertisements are accepted at face value and no liability can be accepted for the actions of advertisers. The editors welcome contributions of articles, news items, photographs and letters but are under no obligation to publish unsolicited material. The editors reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Contributors must ensure that all material submitted is not in breach of copyright or that if such material is submitted they have obtained any necessary permission, in writing, for its reproduction. While every care will be taken with material submitted to Rotary magazine, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage.

www.rotarygbi.org

ROTARY // 5

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

Sharing and caring The Family of Rotary

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s President I have been invited to represent Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) at a number of special Club Charter nights, particularly to celebrate 50, 75 or 90 years of Club service.

On such occasions the sense of continuity and consistency of community service is so powerful.

Our Rotary clubs are, in reality, another family, complementing our own. In a world where trust, commitment and friendship are in short supply it is an honour to share the very special gifts, which Rotary gives to its members. The stability and support of our clubs gives every member a secure base for Rotary service and hopefully also the confidence to embrace change, try new things and take risks. If we do that, which we have always done, we may have tradition but not always progress. Why not invite our friends and supporters to become friends of Rotary? There are no rules but huge benefits.

The Alumni of Rotary

So many young people and their families are touched by what Rotary does in its competitions, youth exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and scholarship programmes, yet so often we as Rotarians do not follow up the connections made. Does your club or District have a list of its alumni? It is estimated that within RIBI there are some 60,000 alumni. It will be a huge challenge to re-establish links with them. The alumni has experienced the riches of Rotary and are our best salespeople to their generation. Please work towards finding them and reigniting their enthusiasm for what they once enjoyed.

RIBI PRESIDENT 2014/15 PETER KING ROTARY CLUB OF KEW GARDENS

ily of Rotary m a F

Our Rotary clubs are, in reality, another family, complementing our own. In a world where trust, commitment and friendship are in short supply it is an honour to share the very special gifts, which Rotary gives to its members.

The Belfast Conference

We invite you to come to a vibrant city and a great conference venue. Learn a little more of what Ireland has to offer and celebrate with young people what Rotary does for them and they for us. Peace and reconciliation through the positive power of projects and Rotary involvement will be very much a feature of the programme.

Please come and be inspired by the promise and potential of Rotary.

Peace and Reconciliation

It was an honour to attend a sixth form college in Blackpool and unveil the “Peace Pole,� one of 700 across the world to remind everyone of the importance of peace and reconciliation within communities. Rotary is so well placed within every community to show and promote justice, truth, cultural understanding and the celebration of difference. What a privilege we enjoy and a responsibility we bear!

The Titanic Belfast, one of the venues for Conference

NEWS IN BRIEF

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ROTARY // 7

What they say...

All the latest news from the people at the top of the Rotary tree

Influence change by being involved RI DIRECTOR 2013-15 I MIKE WEBB

F

ebruary in the ‘Rotary year’ is a strange time when some are beginning the planning for the next rotary year and others are continuing to implement the plans for the remainder of the current year. All of these activities, in the most successful clubs, are carried out with cooperation, consultation, in parallel and with humour. In both cases, setting and striving for achievable goals for an improved club and a better Rotary experience for all the members. How will your Club ensure that the plans for each year dovetail into each other rather than being completely different and end up being stop start?

Due to the editorial and printing time lines for the magazine, I am writing these words a couple of weeks before Christmas, a time when we exchange gifts with friends and family. It occurs to me that all of us in Rotary have already received a gift – the gift of membership. Someone has gone out of their way to ask us if we wanted to come to a club meeting, no doubt hosted us for the meeting and possibly invited us to subsequent meetings. In due course that

All of us in Rotary have already received a gift - the gift of membership. sponsor has completed an application form for us to join their club and to receive the gift of membership.

Since you received that gift of membership how many others have you shared it with? So often when asked why haven’t you joined Rotary before the answer is “no one asked me”. Let us ensure that we share the gift of membership that someone gave us and there are less people who can say, “no one has ever asked me.”

Leadership has for some time been one of the life skills learnt or improved upon through office in Rotary, be it at club or District level. Surely when asked to join a club there is an expectation that at some time in the future we would all take office and ultimately become club president, to my mind the best

From Salt Lake City to Brazil RI FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN 2014/15 JOHN KENNY ROTARY CLUB OF GRANGEMOUTH

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very three years The Rotary Foundation sponsors a peace symposium as a pre-convention event. The next peace symposium will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 4-5 June 2015.

The triennial peace symposium is a vehicle to showcase our Peace Fellows – the Masters’ degree and certificate graduates of our peace program; to educate our Rotarians about this peace-related education and scholarship program; to introduce our donors and potential donors to the program; and to explore ways that Rotarians and Peace Fellows can collaborate for peace-building.

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Highlights of each peace symposium have included international speakers in the peace field such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, breakout sessions featuring Peace Fellows working on the front lines to build peace, and Rotarians active in the peace field.

The 2015 first plenary session will feature 1987 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica. He is a two-time president of Costa Rica between 1986-1990 and 2006-2010. During his first presidential term, he engaged the nations of Central America in peace discussions that led to the

and most important job in Rotary. It is the one job where all of your colleagues, the members, wish us well and give support.

There are a number of clubs where presidents are being recycled, before this happens I ask you, if you haven’t already, to consider being more involved in your club affairs and take office. There is much satisfaction to be gained being at the coal face looking out rather than being outside looking in and wondering what is happening.

The only way to influence change and continually improve is to be involved.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the forthcoming RIBI conference in Belfast – for those of you that joined me there in 2006 you will already know what great things await us this year.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

signing of the Esquipulas II Accords and that ultimately lead to the end of the various armed conflicts in Central America.

The Sao Paulo peace symposium committee’s plans for this symposium are creative, exciting and not previously offered at past symposia. It will involve the 80 peace fellow alumni in attendance.

If you have never attended a peace symposium, this is a very special opportunity that will inform and education you of Rotary’s service to promote peace. If you have attended any of the symposia in Salt Lake City, Birmingham or Bangkok, you will especially appreciate this innovative program.

I look forward to seeing you there!

www.rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY // 9

WHAT THEY SAY

The Big Interview

ALLAN BERRY

Shelter

starts with a box The board of Rotary International recently announced that the partnership agreement with ShelterBox, a charity providing emergency shelter and supplies to disaster hit areas, is to be extended until March 2016. I went along to the ShelterBox headquarters in Docklands to find out more from CEO Alison Wallace

Alison Wallace, Chief Executive Officer ShelterBox

efore we looked to the future, Alison gave me an overview of recent happenings within ShelterBox. Alison paid tribute to the work of Tom Henderson, founder and former CEO of the charity, by commenting, “Tom has created an incredible organisation with great enthusiasm and motivation. He has built it from local club level and left a legacy of helping groups and improving people’s lives within the communities the charity has worked with. It is important that his work is continued as ShelterBox moves on and prepares to meet the challenges which will take it to the next level.”

Response Across the Globe

To learn more about ShelterBox visit: shelterbox.org

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ShelterBox has responded to 25 disasters throughout the last year, including the two deadly typhoons which struck the Philippines, namely Haiyan in November 2013 and more recently Hagupit, known in the Philippines as Ruby, which struck last December. Deployment was also surprisingly made to a disaster area in North Korea in addition to working with aid organisations in Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, and also in Gaza.

Other countries to receive deployments were Pakistan, Niger, Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia, all of which received aid after flooding.

Alison explained how stock of boxes are placed strategically all over the world in Dubai, Singapore, The Philippines, Melbourne, Panama, Curacao, Indonesia and Houston USA.

The first ShelterBox tent to be set up in the Philippines

Facing the Challenge

There are over 230 ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members scattered across the world and each SRT member undergoes rigorous training before being allowed into the field. When an SRT reaches a disaster area they have to be prepared for almost any emergency. It is important that they are able to think quickly on arrival, as they are often faced with challenges such as language barriers, issues with customs and the organisation of transport of the shelter boxes.

On top of this they then have to find suitable sites and place the boxes where they will be most effective, ensuring that they give what Alison described as “donor equity”, which ensures that the donors money is spent in the best possible way.

Think Outside the Box

A ShelterBox itself contains a tent and equipment to allow a family of 10 to live in temporary accommodation for www.rotarygbi.org

approximately three months. However in some circumstances, such as Haiti, the tents need to last a lot longer. In the last couple of years ShelterBox has introduced ShelterKits which consist of tarpaulins and ropes allowing shelter to be arranged where a family home has lost the roof but not the supporting walls. The ShelterKit gives much needed temporary accommodation.

“Aid going into countries has to be flexible,” Alison explained. For example, going into Haiti, the equipment needed to be palletised. Gaza also presented a particular problem in that the tents have quite a big footprint and could not easily be erected amongst the dense buildings.

Rotary on the Ground

Turning specifically to ShelterBox’s work with Rotary, Alison explains: “I am extremely grateful to Rotary Clubs across the world as quite often, in a deployment, it is Rotarians who help the SRT members on the ground. Our work would not be possible www.rotarygbi.org

When a ShelterBox Response Team reaches a disaster area they have to be prepared for almost any emergency

without the support of Rotary Clubs and Rotarians all over the world.”

We finished the interview by looking to the future and Alison told me of its goals to be able to respond to disasters wherever they happen by looking at more flexible ways of helping people in a variety of disaster areas, a goal that has been kickstarted by the introduction of the ShelterKit. When I came away I could not help but wonder what 2015 would bring in terms of conflict and disasters but I do know that ShelterBox will be ready and able to respond wherever and whenever disaster hits.

•

FACTFILE

SHELTER BOX Since being founded ShelterBox has responded to 250 disasters and humanitarian crises in 90 different countries and provided aid for over one million people

ROTARY // 11

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL UNITED NATIONS

Rotary and the United Nations February in the Rotary year has the theme “World Understanding Month”. In the first of a series of articles we explain the relationship between the United Nations and Rotary, and the role of The Rotary Representatives.

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otary and the United Nations share a history of working together towards world understanding and peace. In 1942, Rotary clubs from 21 nations organised a conference in London attended by ministers of education and observers to develop ideas for advancing education, science and culture across nations. That event planted the seed for the organisation now known as UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO.) In 1945, 49 Rotarians in 29 delegations helped to draft the UN Charter in San Francisco.

Rotary became heavily engaged in supporting the United Nations during its initial years by routinely sending observers to major meetings and actively promoting the organisation in specialised Rotary publications such as Report on the U.N. by Rotary International, From Here On! and The World at Work. Five Rotarians served as presidents of the UN General Assembly.

As the cold war evolved in the 1950’s and the UN became a battleground for opposing political ideologies, the RI Board moved to maintain Rotary’s long-standing policy against involvement in political matters and decreased its participation.

However, during that time and throughout the next two decades, the RI Board would, on occasion, reiterate the importance of keeping abreast of UN activities to enhance Rotarians’ knowledge of world affairs and encouraged presidential-appointed observers to major UN meetings and articles in Rotary publications.

In the early nineties the Rotary International board, after consultation with the various bodies, approved a 10-point plan which included obtaining the highest possible consultative status

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Over the year this co-operation has been extended and at present there are 20 representatives including the Dean, Ed Futa working with the United Nations in New York and across the world in locations such as, Geneva and Vienna

in the UN system. In turn, increasing support for Rotary Representatives to the United Nations, and directing the General Secretary to promote broader awareness of the humanitarian goals shared by the two organisations among Rotarians and the general public.

Over the years this co-operation has been extended and at present there are 20 representatives including the Dean, Ed Futa working with the United Nations in New York and across the world in locations such as, Geneva and Vienna.

Rotary Representatives make UN officials aware of Rotary programmes and relay back information about the UN’s humanitarian and educational work.

Recent Rotary Representative activities include promoting the Gates Challenge Grant to UN audiences, helping connect key Rotary leaders and staff for PolioPlus events in New York and Geneva, and providing information and counsel on relevant UN projects such as maternal/child health initiatives and water/sanitation technologies for Strategic Partnerships.

•

FACTFILE

UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations was • created after World War II to provide an international forum that would develop positive relationships between countries

UN Peacekeeping is the • second largest deployment in the world yet accounts for less than 0.5% of the world’s military expenditures

Women make up 30% of • civilian peace keepers B

an Ki-Moon is the eighth • Secretary-General of the

United Nations. He is from South Korea.

In future editions we will outline the role of Rotary Peace Fellows in the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals and The Rotary Foundation Areas of Focus. www.rotarygbi.org

You give hope to families in need. Thank you.

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ROTARY // 13

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL BELFAST CONFERENCE

Carnival with President Gary in Sao Paulo

R The Waterfront in Belfast

2015 Rotary Conference Belfast

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hank you for such a positive registration response for the Rotary Conference Belfast 2015! We are now well and truly up and running with registrations arriving thick and fast.

The pre-frugal lunch tours in Belfast City Hall are starting to fill up so book now so as not to be disappointed. We also have a lineup of interesting and entertaining speakers in the plenary sessions headed by Dame Mary Peters, the full list of which is available on the Rotary GBI website.

For Friday night there are two social functions from which to choose. These are the Hilton Dinner Dancing and Laughter and The Titanic Special Event, which is extremely popular and a must see!

On Saturday, in the main conference venue, Waterfront Hall, there will be a programme of youth activities during the morning, transferring in the afternoon to the Hilton Hotel Ballroom. The Annual Business Meeting will take place in Waterfront Hall and the evening’s entertainment is proving to be popular as the Gala Ball in the City Hall is now sold out! The free concert that evening in the Waterfront Hall is an alternative and is probably well suited to those on the £35 day rate.

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A top choir will then lead a short ecumenical service prior to the plenary sessions on Sunday morning.

If you want to make the most of your visit, you could join a number of others clubs who have booked tours of the North Coast organised by a local events company, details of which are available on request. Travel plans can be made with the support of FlyBe and Stena who are offering discounts to Rotarians attending the Conference. FlyBe is offering a discount of 20% on the standard airfare and Stena Line are discounting their fares by 15%, details of which are also available on the Rotary website in the member’s area.

Time is moving a pace, so register now and don’t miss out! President Peter looks forward to welcoming you to Belfast.

I President Gary Huang and the Rotarians of the city are waiting to welcome you to the 106th RI World Convention. This is the premier Rotary event of the year where fellowship will be second to none. An exciting programme of inspirational, educational and entertaining speakers, workshops and showcases is lined up in the vast Sao Paulo Convention centre and there are dozens of excellent hotels for you to choose from.

Convention is a reason to explore new areas of the world and the pre and post home stays and cultural experiences make this easy. All the details can be found on the home committee’s website.

The city has much to see with galleries, museums and parks, street markets, fabulous restaurants and architecture, both modern and period.

However, the convention itself offers the best of all experiences including an RIBI special fellowship event. So come to Sao Paulo June 6-9, 2015 to participate in the colourful and musical tradition of a Brazilian carnival event right outside the convention centre and enjoy the Rotary experience of a lifetime!

See you at the RI Convention.

•

•

For more on RI Convention: riconvention.org/en/2015

Details of hosting: rotary2015saopaulo.org.br www.rotarygbi.org

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22/12/2014 11:16

ROTARY IN ACTION

Jaipur Limb

What started in Jaipur as a local project is now developing all over the world. The Jaipur Limb Trust gives people who have lost a limb, hope and the chance of a better life. David Seed chairman of the trust gives us an update on their work.

Changing lives one step at a time

made Legs are h-density ig h m o fr , lene pipe polyethy e Jaipur th h ic to wh tted.

Foot is fi

16 // ROTARY

I

n many developing countries there are tens of thousands of people who suffer as a result of amputated or deformed limbs.

The causes include birth defects, communicable diseases such as leprosy and polio, non-communicable diseases such as vascular disorders and diabetes, snakebites, traumatic injuries as a result of accidents, natural disasters and armed conflicts.

With severe limitations of what they are able to do, people disabled in this way

become a burden to families who already have meagre resources and are often condemned to spending their lives begging on the streets.

Over the years the Jaipur Limb Trust has set up many ‘Limb Camps’, with three separate camps being set up in Kerala in India in December 2014. Earlier last year we held a Mega Camp in Banglalore, with over 2,000 people attending, and there is a possibility for outreach Camps in Sri Lanka, part funded by The Rotary Foundation with a Global Grant.

A total of 19 permanent centres have been established across Africa including camps in Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia. There are also centres in Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and further centres in India, and more recently we set up projects in Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Zimbabwe and a major centre in Pignon in Haiti. The latter is a permanent centre within an existing Orthopaedic Unit including materials for up to two years work and technician training, which will cost £25,000.

One significant project was a fully funded £16,000 modern facility in Uganda. This facility included a fully functioning solar electricity supply and water harvesting tanks, with a selfcontained physiotherapy accommodation unit, which is a state of the art facility.

Some larger projects in progress are workshops in Burundi, The Congo, Ghana and in South Sudan, depending on whether or not the current situation in that country will allow work to continue.

There are, of course, other parts of this turbulent world where poor people’s lives www.rotarygbi.org

’s Children gs le artificial e to be are mad ely iv progress s the a d e ifi d o m ws child gro

are torn apart by local conflicts or disease.

The Jaipur Limb Trust is receiving more contact from a number of countries, however, it is not possible to extend the workload of Trustees and Project Managers, all of whom are Rotarians from the UK and Ireland. We are therefore in discussions with an E Club based in the Caribbean, which has members all over the world, to franchise our knowledge and explore ways of working and raising funds to undertake a project.

Our work offers even more hope with the ‘LN-4 Give Hope – Give a Hand’ project. The fitments were made during a supported project in Bangalore, which proved highly successful and wearers were able to grip a cup, work a hoe or tool and ride a bicycle. Some wearers have even been able to return to work, and this is a www.rotarygbi.org

truly remarkable success at a cost of only £30.

Brewing Success

Jaipur Pale Ale is an award winning beer brewed by the Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell Derbyshire and they are celebrating their tenth year of brewing by promoting this fine pale ale in Sheffield.

Every bottle bought brings a donation to the Trust, so if you are a beer drinker and live in the area look out for Jaipur Pale Ale on the shelves and purchase a bottle so that the Trust can benefit from the sale.

Moving Forward

At the Jaipur Limb Trust we will be continuing and extending our work as funds and manpower allows us. We have brought hope and changed many thousands of lives over the years and our actions are making a difference. That alone encourages us to do even more than we are at present.

YOU CAN HELP

You can help the work of the Jaipur Limb Trust by: ending a gift aided • Sdonation

by PayPal or

JustGiving

rranging a function • Aexplaining our work, we

will provide a speaker

ave you considered • Hbeing a Jaipur Limb Project

Manager?

ould you like to sponsor • Wa project?

Please get in touch For more information visit: rotaryjaipurlimb.co.uk

•

ROTARY // 17

WHAT THEY SAY

The Big Interview

Following the world-banking crisis in 2007/08 many banks went into image recovery mode and found corporate social responsibility. I went along to talk to a bank that has been active in philanthropy for many years.

ALLAN BERRY

Passionate about

philanthropy

T Tom Hall, Director, Head of Philanthropy Services UK UBS

For more information visit: ubs.com or lastmilehealth.org 18 // ROTARY

he City of London is where it all happens and sitting in the northern part of Broadgate is the bank UBS. I worked for some years in this part of the City and having not returned for a long time, I was struck by the enormous change in buildings and atmosphere.

I met Tom Hall, Director, Head of Philanthropy Services UK at the UBS offices in London. Tom has a team of 20 working with him all with experience in various foundations all over the world, which demonstrates how seriously UBS take this part of their work.

I asked Tom about corporate image and immediately I got the impression he was almost offended by the question and instantly came to the banks defence. As our discussion progressed I began to see the reasons why. Tom explained that UBS has been in the philanthropic business for 15 years, so they were established in this area well before the global banking crisis hit.

Taking a look at some of the projects it has taken on I can see why, with some of them running for many years.

Tom oozes enthusiasm for his work and told me he and the bank is passionate about its charitable work, and can recall figures, projects and outcomes without resorting to notes. He explained that UBS is the largest wealth manager bank in the world with assets of over $2 trillion, and its long term ambition is to see one per cent

It became apparent as we continued our discussion that the banks’ expertise lies in choosing the projects in which to invest of this figure to be invested in high impact philanthropy annually – a figure that would match the annual giving revenue of all the US Foundations put together. As part of its activity it has a commitment to ensure every client has a conversation about philanthropy and values based investing.

Along with the banks contributions, they also manage funds of clients who wish to give to charity with two foundations, the UBS UK Donor Advisory Fund and the Optimus Foundation.

The Donor Advisory Fund is for clients who wish to make donations to funds without the cost of setting up their own foundation and makes contributions to the client’s choice of charity and/or any registered UK trust.

The UBS UK Optimus Foundation is for clients who wish to make a one off or continuing donations to the banks’ selected projects, and contributions to both foundations attract gift aid. Tom mentioned its objectives are linked to the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals which are underlined by the areas of focus of The Rotary Foundation. www.rotarygbi.org

A Last Mile Health Clinic in Liberia

Last Mile Health

Of the many projects discussed with Tom, two really stood out for me. Tom talked me through a project in the Konobo District of Liberia where a UBS client, with matched funding from the bank, has invested £1.5m with a charity called ‘Last Mile Health’.

It is in the first phase of a scaleup intending to recruit, train and deploy 60 frontline health workers to offer healthcare to a further two health districts by June 2016, with the intent to add 10 districts by 2017. Tom explained that this investment would provide a long-term solution to the containment and prevention of Ebola in the area.

Rabies Control

The other project mentioned was an investment of just £250,000 to rid a Philippine island of canine www.rotarygbi.org

rabies, and, thanks to the donation, the project has proved successful. UBS, with their partner Alliance for Rabies Control, took an innovative approach with a combination of sensitisation campaigns, dog control, and dog vaccination. The.1.4 million population of Bohol, of which 400,000 are children, were living at constant exposure and have now benefited from this project.

We discussed the selection process of projects and from what I learned it is a very rigorous procedure. Tom talked about the thoughts that went into this with the key points focusing on “impact based investment, long term solutions, value based investing, ethical concerns, high social return, and a new word for me, edutainment.” When I asked what he meant by this Tom told me that in certain parts of China people were being educated to help themselves Getting rid of canine rabies in Bohol

out of poverty and into good health by the use of entertaining videos, hence the name.

Reporting to clients the use of their donations is also a crucial part of their day-to-day work, since a number wish to see return outcomes for what is seen as an investment, however Tom said many clients wish to remain anonymous.

Finally, we talked about the part played on the world stage by The Rotary Foundation, and the Philanthropy Department at UBS is very aware of our work especially our impressive PolioPlus initiative and the tie up of The Rotary Foundation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

UBS is a bank that has taken its corporate social responsibility to the next level through its tremendous work over a number of years and is a global player ready to extend to help shape the future of philanthropy.

•

ROTARY // 19

Bringing Hope in Madagascar The Africa Mercy and her 450 crew are providing free surgeries, transforming lives and training health professionals, for a better future. + Join in our journey and invite a speaker + Make Mercy Ships your international charity + Hold an Easter Breakfast to celebrate healing

e: info@mercyships.org.uk • t: 01438 727800 www.mercyships.org.uk Mercy Ships UK, 12 Meadway Court, Stevenage SG1 2EF Registered Charity Numbers 1053055 and SCO39743 (Scotland) Company No. 3147724 (England & Wales)

Rotary-AD-MS.indd 3

18/12/2014 16:14

Rotary Jaipur Limb Giving with YOUR help Independence Normality Mobility

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With my new Friend too

VERY MANY THANKS from JEREMIAH

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Polio in Pakistan

Ridding Pakistan of Polio Whilst polio has been eradicated in all but three countries and cases overall have fallen dramatically there is one country struggling to keep the number of infected children down. We spoke with the leading polio advocate in Pakistan to learn of the real challenges facing that country.

Child receiving the polio vaccine under armed guard

Aziz Memon, Advisor of the International Polio Plus Committee and National Chair of the PolioPlus Committee

A

s of December 17th 2014 the global figure for polio cases was 333, of which 314 were in the endemic countries and 19 in the non-endemic. Of the 333 cases, 283 were in Pakistan. Although figures from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) show that in Nigeria the last reported case was July of last year, with only six cases recorded for the year in total - what about Pakistan?

Aziz Memon, Advisor of the International Polio Plus Committee and National Chair of the PolioPlus Committee works alongside government officials to ensure full coverage of the immunisation programmes. In that role he and fellow Rotarians help with advocacy and facilitation of the campaigns scheduled by GPEI and led

by WHO. Aziz shares his disappointment that polio cases had surfaced across the country last year and he explains that 85% of the 268 cases emerged from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Paktunkhwa (KPK). Many families have now fled this area where they were www.rotarygbi.org

denied health care and immunisations to North and South Waziristan.

However in June 2012 the tribal leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur also banned vaccination teams from entering North and South Waziristan and as a result the polio cases imported from FATA are rampant today due to low levels of immunity. The families from FATA and KPK are often nomadic trying to find safe havens for their families but carry the polio virus as they move around.

The WHO has identified 33 high risk areas around the districts and town of Karachi where teams of aid workers have been prevented from immunising children because of threats of violence even resulting in some aid workers losing their lives.

Despite the threat of violence and the daunting challenges that lie ahead for them the aid workers are committed to eradicating polio from their country. The Pakistani government has also assured teams of workers that security will be provided to protect them during the immunisation campaigns.

Rotarians in Pakistan work tirelessly to immunise children and bring the case count of polio down. They spend a lot of time working with families using leaflets and storybooks and carry Fatwa booklets to show

elders and clerics that the vaccine is safe. They have worked with leaders of madrassa and religious schools explaining the importance of the vaccine and they run health camps in poor areas to build bonds in the community.

Aziz Memon assures us and all Rotarians, “The end is always harder, but giving up is not an option. We will relentlessly fight until we get rid of this crippling disease from Pakistan.”

•

FACTFILE

POLIO

is an infection caused by • a Polio virus that affects the entire body, including muscles and nerves

to 95% of polio cases show • no Up symptoms most diseases, polio can • be Unlike completely eradicated

Find out more visit: rotarygbi.org or polioeradication.org ROTARY // 21

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL HEART RESEARCH UK

Big minds help little hearts A little known charity with a very big heart has been helping young people with heart defects for many years. We learn about some of its work and projects.

H

eart Research UK is a national charity that has been helping hearts since 1967 when heart surgeon David Watson became frustrated that the pace of research was not keeping up with the need for new surgical treatments and techniques. The charity has funded ground-breaking research that included paying for six of the first eight successful UK heart transplants, and developing a heart valve that is still used today.

Among the projects being funded by Heart Research UK is one taking place at the University of Nottingham led by Professor Chris Denning. The project aims to find a treatment for abnormal heart rhythms – a condition that can cause fainting, seizures, heart attacks and even sudden death.

The charity has also recently launched its ‘Helping Little Hearts’ appeal, which aims to pay for a toolkit for every heart centre in the UK, which will give young heart patients their own exercise “prescription” to tell them exactly how active they can be after heart treatment.

Currently these young patients and parents leave hospital often unsure what they can and cannot do and therefore they could be missing out on valuable exercise that will improve their condition.

One patient already benefiting from the appeal is three year old Riley Platts who has a heart defect that required two major operations. His mother Kathryn says, “It is important for all parents of child heart patients to know how much activity their child can do, too much or even too little can be damaging to their heart.”

The Helping Little Hearts campaign demonstrates how important fundraising is to Heart Research UK, which spends £1m each year on research plus £100,000 on community healthy heart grants that aim to prevent people getting heart disease. These grants include projects in schools teaching children the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

22 // ROTARY

Riley doing his exercise supervised by Tommy.

It is important for all parents of child heart patients to know how much activity their child can do, too much or even too little can be damaging to their heart.

The charity’s ‘Treasure Chest Appeal’ is another fundraising example, which is run with the co-operation of Beaverbrooks the jewellers. It encourages people to clear out their jewellery boxes, drawers and dressers, and recycle their old, broken and unwanted jewellery. The charity will send out a freepost envelope on request for jewellery hoarders to fill and send back or drop into their local Beaverbrooks store. The jewellery is then collected and auctioned by Bonhams Auctioneers, to be re-used and recycled. All proceeds raised from the auction help fund Heart Research UK’s work in helping people to live happier, healthier and longer lives.

•

FACTFILE

YOUR HEART

Every day, your heart creates • enough energy to drive a truck for 20 miles

Your heart beats over 100,000 • times per day Y

our heartbeat and • mimics the musicchanges you listen to Your left lung is smaller than • your right lung to make room for your heart

For more Information visit: heartresearch.org.uk www.rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Wheelpower

We took the opportunity to speak with WheelPower that loves sport and are dedicated to providing opportunities for disabled people to live healthy active lifestyles.

Giving back self confidence KEYFACTS From its launch in 2012 the Rotary Wheel Appeal along with WheelPower has raised £115,000 and funded 23 sports wheelchairs. Over 50 Rotarians helped with events in 2014 and eight Rotarians have been appointed Wheelchair Ambassadors.

The Guttman Legacy

Over 65 years ago, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann began using sport as part of the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured patients from World War II at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Guttmann established a competition for patients that coincided with the 1948 London Olympic Games. Since then the Paralympics, or “Parallel Olympics”, has become the pinnacle of international competition for disabled athletes.

Today, Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the national disability sports centre and home of wheelchair sport and WheelPower, providing accessible facilities for training and events for disabled men, women and children from all over the country. Besides these facilities, WheelPower also offers a comprehensive programme of sporting opportunities and sports wheelchairs for young and newly disabled people.

Rotary gets the Wheels Turnng

Rotary Clubs across Great Britain and Ireland have become increasingly involved with WheelPower through its Rotary Wheel Appeal initiative. This helps a disabled child or adult to

24 // ROTARY

take part in sporting activities by funding the special wheelchairs needed for different sports such as basketball, where a streamlined lightweight chair is required to turn on a sixpence very quickly, or rugby, where a much heavier and robust chair is needed. Such specialised wheelchairs come at a cost and Rotary helps to fund them.

One person to benefit is Jessica who has cerebral palsy, which has affected her left side mobility. Jessica was introduced to archery when at a WheelPower junior camp. She had tried several sports previously, but decided archery was best suited to her. However to become a wheelchair archer Jessica needed a special wheelchair and so she applied to the Rotary Wheel Appeal fund to help with the cost of a new chair. Jessica and her new chair attended a Junior Camp and she has since gone on to be selected by GB Archery and is on the World Class Talent Identification Programme. Jessica commented, “The WheelPower Junior Programme gave me the confidence and belief that I could still participate and enjoy sports. My Wheel Appeal chair has made a huge difference to me because now I can compete in my favourite sport at the highest level. I was able to represent Great Britain at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) Games in August and won gold - thank you WheelPower!”

Future’s Looking Bright

The future of WheelPower is looking bright.

The goals in the past two years were to continue the momentum of the Paralympic games of 2012 and maximize the benefits of sport for disabled people at the birthplace of www.rotarygbi.org

A session at the very popular wheelchair basketball

FACTFILE

WheelPower gave me the confidence and belief that I could still participate and enjoy my sport

the Paralympic movement.

In 2014 the pilot project in Spinal Units commenced, where WheelPower’s Physical Activity Advisors have been providing expert advice and support to patients in the early crucial stages of rehabilitation following a spinal injury. In the last year the Paralympic Legacy project ‘Motivate East’ has also seen a large increase of people from East London, with a range of disabilities take part in sporting activities, from paralympic prospects to beginners.

Not only does sport develop confidence and improve fitness it is also a great way to have fun and make friends. The benefits, www.rotarygbi.org

in terms of physical and psychological improvement are tremendous, whatever a persons age or ability and more people are beginning to take part in events.

It is estimated that there are 750,000 wheelchair users in the UK and many more have a disability which means they may need to use a wheelchair to play sport. WheelPower have come a long way from turning the concept of Dr Ludwig Gutterman into a reality all those years ago and his legacy still lives on. However we still have a lot to do and WheelPower is well placed to develop sport for disabled people even further.

WHEELPOWER YEAR 2014 ACHIEVEMENTS

Heritage Flame Lighting • ceremony Disabled gym members • increased by over 50% Over 100 young disabled • people attended Time to Shine residential event at Stoke Mandeville Stadium

Local disability sport was • helped with over 500 items of equipment

Wheel Appeal has delivered • 566 sports wheelchairs since its launch

Almost 6,000 disabled people • took part in the project Motivate East

The Stoke Mandeville story • was related to over 31,000 people

ROTARY // 25

Rotary

ROTARY IN ACTION

Rotary Ride

On yer bike

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongst men. Every hour of every day a man dies from this form of cancer. On the 21st June 2015 Rotary members across the country wish to highlight this terrible disease and do something about it, below are the reasons why.

W

hen a family member is given a diagnosis of cancer the news is devastating, leading to thoughts of disbelief. Why me, how bad is it and what happens now?

Information comes in thick and fast and it is sometimes difficult to take it all in.

Yet when reality kicks in, the news can be overwhelming, with the sufferer and the family needing to come to terms with it quickly. All cancers are bad news, however there is one with a certain mystery about it and that is prostate cancer. Although it only directly strikes males, partners and families are very much involved.

Vicki Hawes, from the Rotary Club of Mawddach, Dolgellau has first hand experience as her husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Vicki had encouraged him to go to his GP to request a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, which gives an indication of possible prostate cancer. Vicki’s husband had a PSA test that was slightly raised, and after further assessments prostate cancer was confirmed. Vicki explains, “I remember vividly the moment they told us and will never forget for the rest of my life. It was frightening, devastating, and difficult to take everything in, but at the same time we knew we somehow had to cope. A specialist oncologist nurse gave us counselling to help us cope and my husband had the cancer removed and went for a course of radiotherapy.” Life for Vicky and her

To find out more about Rotary Ride keep an eye on our website for updates: rotarygbi.org To find out more about Prostate Cancer go to: prostatecanceruk.org

Celebrating a fundraiser with Prostate Cancer UK

It was frightening, devastating, difficult to take everything in but at the same time knowing we had to somehow cope.

PROSTATE CANCER

the UK Prostate cancer • is Across the most common cancer in men

husband is slowly returning to normal and they are evidence that if caught early enough the survival rate is encouraging.

Vicki wants to spread the word that men must go for regular PSA Tests and is working to raise awareness of the symptoms, encouraging anyone to go and speak to their doctor if they are not sure. Vicki and her female colleagues in the Rotary Club of Mawddach are supporting The Rotary Ride to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer and funds for research into the disease. She hopes to encourage everyone to participate by bringing their whole family along to get on their bikes on Sunday 21st June 2015 to show their support for help in early diagnosis and treatment.

•

26 // ROTARY

FACTFILE

Every hour one man dies from • prostate cancer - that’s more than 10,000 every year

ver 40,000* men are • Odiagnosed with prostate cancer

every year - that’s more than 100* men diagnosed every day

It’s estimated that by 2030, • prostate cancer will be the most common cancer

One in eight men will get • prostate cancer O

ver a quarter of a million* • men are living with and after prostate cancer

Two out of three adults don’t • know what the prostate gland does

www.rotarygbi.org

Te

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ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL AROUND THE WORLD

Rotary around the world We bring news of Rotary happenings around the world in this regular feature. This edition has news from India, Malta, Malaysia, Kenya and USA. India: Madurai. Literacy Project Launched “Planning ahead, proper execution and commitment to the mission is imperative to achieve the goals of the Rotary India Literacy Mission’s Teach Programme.” Governor K. Rosaiah, said.

Congratulating the initiative of the Rotary Clubs in working towards the setting up of adult literacy and vocational centres, Mr. Rosaiah said that it was important to create awareness among the public of the importance of educating young girls.

“A joint and concentrated effort is necessary from all quarters which include the Rotarians, parents, educational institutions and students to eradicate illiteracy from the country as a part of the Teach programme” he said.

Malta: Gozo. Announcement of Vocational Fund The Minister for Gozo, Dr Anton Refalo, together with the Rotary Club Gozo announced the setting up of a Vocational Fund to support the young in the area in their career aspirations.

The Ministry of Gozo and The Gozo Business Chamber are backing this initiative, which is intended to be a longterm project.

Dr Refalo announced that the Ministry for Gozo will be helping the Rotary Club to achieve its objective.

Rotary’s President, Guy Kurkjian, underlined the current need: “young people all need finance to progress their studies towards a career, for materials, tools, books, private tuition or help to study abroad.

Sometimes the most talented individuals come from the poorest of backgrounds and they, in particular, need assistance.”

28 // ROTARY

Kenya: Nairobi. Airtel Kenya and Rotary Club to Provide Clean Water Airtel Kenya has partnered with the Rotary Club of Nairobi East for a safe water harvesting project that will provide clean drinking and cooking water to the Enkeriyan Primary School in Kajiado County and the neighbouring community.

The project will save residents from walking long distances in search of water, and the Rotary Club of Nairobi East is also organising a team of 47 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbers, who are CEOs of different multi-national companies, journalists, entrepreneurs, bankers, and others, are drawn from various countries around the world, including Kenya, Japan, Turkey, Namibia, Canada and South Africa.

USA: Clarksburg VA. 5 News Thanks the Clarksburg Rotary Club 5 News would like to thank the Clarksburg Rotary Club for welcoming one of its anchors as a speaker for their weekly meeting Wednesday afternoon.

The group hosted Daybreak anchor Shannon Chavez as their guest speaker on January 14, 2015 at Minard’s in Clarksburg.

Business and professional men and women in the Harrison County community make up the Clarksburg and Bridgeport Rotary Clubs.

The groups are part of Rotary International which has 30 clubs across Northern and North Central West Virginia.

Shannon said, “All of us here at WDTV are happy to have been a part of the Rotary Club’s work in Clarksburg.”

Malaysia: Special Award for the wife of the Prime Minister The Rotary Club of Greater Kuala Lumpur has conferred its greatest award, “The Service above Self ” to the Prime Minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

The club’s former president, Datuk Siva Ananthan, said Rosmah was the best person to be rewarded with the recognition as she has laid out various stepping stones for the nation to build on.

“She could have been content to be the wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, but instead she has dedicated her life to public service.

“This highly educated and elegant lady has been an inspiration and a driver of change for the unfortunate and less privileged members of society.”

He added that through Rosmah’s “singular efforts and devotion” more than 650 Permata Negara centres have been established to care for children who otherwise would not have the opportunity for “an early and comprehensive education.”

USA: The Rotary Club of Madison New Jersey To begin the New Year, the Rotary Club of Madison announces its new “Friends of Rotary” program. The “Friends” program invites individuals to become affiliated with Madison Rotary and participate in club service projects without having to join Rotary.

The “Friends” program offers individuals to team up with Madison Rotary in helping our communities both locally and internationally. Becoming a “Friend of Rotary” allows those who share Rotary’s ideals and objectives to participate in Club Service activities without full membership, yet contributing to the community or participating in Rotary events as a person’s schedule permits.

Being a member of “Friends” offers the opportunity to help by participating in club events or by annual donations. Some Rotary events are not specifically for fundraising but just for socialising and fellowship. These fun events are an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Arts café

A Rotary Club as the community hub Tucked away just off the market square in Melksham is an art gallery that doubles up as a Rotary club and cafe. It is well worth a visit, either just for a coffee or for the full meals on offer.

A

visit to Melksham Rotary Club could be like a visit to almost any club until you realise that it is the members who are serving the meal, and not only do they serve the meal, they cook it as well. Dig a little deeper and you find out that their meeting venue is in fact the club since they run the Arthouse Café in the town.

The Arthouse Café, off Market Place in Melksham, is open seven days a week and the café has been leased by the Rotary club. The premises, which was originally a fire station,

was first converted into a youth café by the local independent newspaper before The Rotary Club of Melksham took over the café on Independence Day in 2011 and the rotary members have been running it ever since. The club is a small group, with a wide age range and even mix of gender.

The Arthouse Café encourages local artists to hang their works for a fee and when they are sold the Rotary Club levies a commission. When we visited the walls were festooned with a mixture of pictures, landscapes and still lifes from a variety of artists.

The café, run by the club members with the help of 40 volunteers, including some with medium learning disabilities, has raised £39,500 for local and international charities and has become the hub of the local community. It is the venue for the local Alzheimer’s Society once a week and many people within the town use the café as an informal meeting place. One of the members puts together the weekly menus and the volunteers take turns in cooking the meals.

Taking over the café as a club venture was the idea of Norman Drake, a long serving member who commented, “It seemed like a good idea at the time and we had a ready project to take on to raise funds. We are all very much hands on and are very grateful to all our volunteers.”

The number of charities that have benefited from the café over the years since opening is endless. The Royal United Hospital Bath was given a donation towards the cost of a PET scanner in the oncology unit, other recipients include the local Food Bank, a local hospice, Dorothy House, an eye camp in India, Hope and Homes for Children as well as ShelterBox. The club has just announced the Young Photographer Competition and one thing is for sure the pictures will get a good airing for the people of Melksham on the Arthouse Café walls. The President, Steve Fivash, believes the café is unique for Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland and we reckon he is probably right!

•

IT ALL ADDS UP With the Arthouse Café Melksham Rotary Club has raised

£39,500 in the three years it has been running.

To learn more about the Arthouse Café and Melksham Rotary Club go to: rotarygbi.org and enter Melksham in Club Finder

30 // ROTARY

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Technology Tournament

Budding young scientists in Belfast had to clear a shower of radioactive meteorites. We learn how they tackled the task with the help of Rotarians.

Meteorites land in Belfast

W

orking and engaging with young children in the community is unquestionably one of the most rewarding tasks that Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland members ever embark on. They achieve this in many ways and the programmes and competitions available for young people are one such way.

There are projects for Young Writer, Young Chef, and Young Photographer to name just a few, and one of the most popular is the Technology Tournament.

From its inception 20 years ago the tournament has attracted thousands of young people from the ages of 12 to 18 and involved over 500 schools, academies and colleges across the country.

Organisers of the event

32 // ROTARY

One such tournament recently took place in the Long Gallery of the Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast. The event attracted 60 youngsters from schools and colleges in the Belfast area and was run and supported by Rotary Clubs in Belfast.

The students, working in teams of four, in three age categories, are supplied with wood, string, elastic bands, garden wire, cardboard and glue and are given a task to do. The project is titled, The Radioactive Meteorite Task in which the students are asked to design a grab that would lift a radioactive tennis ball, the meteorite, from a plastic receptacle and place it accurately on a bull’s eye within a 60 second timeframe from lift to placement. The teams have to work against the clock and all the students need to bring is good communication and organisation skills, as well as demonstrate the development of their solution to the challenge.

Rathmore Grammar girls’ team was selected to be the winners after tough deliberations by the judges, as the standard of participation was very high.

Through the busy day speakers from various businesses in Ireland entertained the students and the lead speaker was Roisin Crawford founder and CEO of Stemaware, a company based in Londonderry specialising in running workshops for pupils on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Betty McNerlin MBE facilitated much of the day and acquired backing and sponsorships from a www.rotarygbi.org

Boy watching the Meteorite land safely - © Peter Vamoss

“It’s great to see Rotary running events such as this, and seeing the participants getting so much out of it. It was a very rewarding day for everyone involved,”

out across the country in 2015 and have number of Belfast based companies, along the endorsement of The Royal Academy with Invest in Northern Ireland. Betty of Engineering and The Institute of Civil commented, “It’s great to see Rotary running Engineers as well as being awarded a Crest events such as this and seeing the participants Discovery Award by the British Science getting so much out of it. It was a very Association. rewarding day for everyone involved.”

Feedback from the students is interesting and enlightening with such comments as, “Always think out the plan first. I learnt how to make a brilliant object out of wood, and that people have different ideas of this task nde The Alle fell to than I did. I learnt how to Meteoritea fireball collaborate different ideas into Earth in ary 8, on Februwas the one and that technology is 1969. It car. hard but fun.” size of a One of the teams meeting the The Rotary Technology challenge - © Peter Vamoss Tournaments are being rolled

•

www.rotarygbi.org

ROTARY // 33

INTERVIEW ALLAN BERRY

Meet & Greet

Up close, and personal with our newest Rotary Club members FACT FILE Paul Palfrey of Swindon Phoenix Rotary Club is a very active Rotarian who joined recently. Having already been club president and a Paul Harris Fellow, he tells us about his Rotary experience to date.

NAME: Paul Palfrey AGE: 49 ROTARY CLUB: Swindon Phoenix OCCUPATION: Programme Manager

I

was first introduced to Rotary in January 2009 when I was asked to give a talk as a guest speaker on the work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, before then I had no idea what Rotary did but I knew it was associated with charity work.

After attendance as a guest speaker I was asked to go along to a club meeting to find out more about Rotary and I was inducted into Rotary on 21 April 2009.

I thoroughly enjoy my Rotary life and my wife Lynn and I have made lots of new friends.

My highlight has to be when I was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in September 2014 in recognition of my achievements as a member of the Swindon Phoenix Rotary Club.

Swindon Phoenix Rotary Club has a vibrant, can do attitude and we are changing the image of Rotary. Our youngest member is 29, the average age of the club is 48 and we have a good gender mix. We have adopted a flexible and relaxed weekly meeting attendance, which I believe is essential to attract and retain the members who have families and a hectic work life as many of our members are in busy and demanding full time jobs. As a club we have achieved fantastic results within the first three years of being chartered gaining 26 members

by June 2012, a membership which has now risen to over 30.

Swindon Phoenix has put itself and Rotary on the map in and around Swindon with the work we do for and within the community with large events such as The Dragon Boat Race in June, the Santa Run in December and the ‘Know Your Blood Pressure Day’ in April.

All members of Swindon Phoenix believe the key message is that Rotary is a global family, and one of the best things about it is that you are never lost for conversation on your first meeting as you have lots in common before you even get to know

34 // ROTARY

My wife Lynn and I have made lots of new friends through Rotary each other.

I am very active in Rotary and use my career as a programme manager to oversee many of the clubs larger fundraising events.

Finding time to fit Rotary into what is already a very demanding and busy family and work life is difficult, but if you are passionate and enjoy being a Rotarian, it comes naturally.

Rotary has become one of my main hobbies, along with DIY around the home and for friends.

Lynn and I have made some superb friends through Rotary and we enjoy many social activities and events as a way to unwind and relax.

If I were to sum up what I get out of Rotary in just a few words I would say, fun, friendship and rewarding. l

To find a club near you go to: rotarygbi.org/club-finder www.rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY // 35

ROTARY IN ACTION

Wheelchair Foundation

In a contributory role, David King from The Three Counties and The West Country District E-Club spoke to Milton Frary of the Wheelchair Foundation about its life changing work.

From a caterpillar to a butterfly

W You can help by: Making a gift-aided donation Organising a fund-raiser Helping find corporate

sponsorship.

• • •

For more information visit: wheelchairfoundationuk.org

36 // ROTARY

ithin the Rotary family, Milton Frary is affectionately known by friends as Del Boy. Just like the Only Fools & Horses’ TV character, he is known as a wheelerdealer who gets things done.

That’s why in the past 10 years this active Rotarian, a member of Wetherby & District Club, has established the Wheelchair Foundation. It is now a formidable force, transforming the lives of thousands of people across the globe. In fact, since the charity was established in the UK in 2004, nearly 31,000 wheelchairs have been delivered to 29 countries, notably in Africa, Nepal, Pakistan, the Caribbean, and the Philippines to Eastern Europe.

But the job is far from done. “According to World Health Organisation figures, there is a need for 150 million wheelchairs in the world, so the work that we are doing is only just scratching the surface,” admitted Milton.

“Disabled people are hidden away, and it’s only when you turn up to a place that you find more disabled folk than are actually registered.”

On the final day of the district conference in 2003, Milton challenged fellow Rotarians to donate enough money to buy a container’s worth of wheelchairs to send to Africa – that’s 280 wheelchairs, total value £14,000.

“We raised enough money to send four containers!” Milton remarked When Peter Offer became Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) president two years later, he adopted the Wheelchair Foundation as his charity,

At last a way to get to church – © Elaine Frary

raising a staggering £500,000 to really establish the cause. Peter and his wife Janis became fully involved, visiting Romania and South Africa to present wheelchairs to hundreds of people of all ages and from all walks of life. “Nothing could have prepared us for the experience,” said Peter at the time.

“From the small child who was brought in a wheelbarrow, to the lady with twin teenage girls who, for 15 years, had relied on her husband to carry her around. The stories were endless.”

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New wheelchairs awaiting new homes

Once, I was a caterpillar crawling on the ground, today I am a butterfly”

wheelchairs are manufactured in The journey has only just begun, China. Each would normally cost but it is a rewarding one with 004, Since 231,000 £350 in the UK, but because of Rotary very much at the heart y nearl hairs the large quantities ordered they of the project. wheelceen have b d to can be delivered for £75 each.

A few years ago, Milton re e deliv ntries A retired bank manager, was in the gem-rich South u o 29 c Milton is laid back about his role, African city of Kimberley to deliver now a trustee, as a catalyst for an wheelchairs to a number of disabled amazing initiative which allows children people. to go to school, adults to work, and older He came across one girl in her early 20s, people to once again become an active part of who offered a beaming smile when she saw family life and society. the wheelchairs. So poor was her family that “You do what you can,” he said. “I took for years the only way of getting anywhere this project and developed it for the UK was to shuffle around. thinking someone else might take it on. In The girl looked at Milton, delighted the end, it came down to me. It has become at how this very simple wheelchair was something of a full-time job, but I am doing going to transform her life. “Once, I was a something that I want to do and that I enjoy.” maggot crawling on the ground, today I am a Besides fund-raising to buy more butterfly,” she told him. wheelchairs, the charity is now looking to It is a memorable line which has stuck in organise repair workshops in developing Milton’s mind ever since. Surely Dell Boy countries to maintain the equipment. can now be fairly described as a diamond There is also work to be done working with geezer! physiotherapists to help them teach carers.

•

www.rotarygbi.org

FACTFILE

WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION

It is estimated at least 100 • million people need a wheelchair but can’t afford them.

In developing countries, the • need is as high as 6% of the population, particularly in landmine-scarred countries which have high disability rates.

It costs £75 or €90 to buy, ship • and deliver a new wheelchair.

Each wheelchair is designed for • the rough conditions

ROTARY // 37

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE

Nigel gets his voice back Motor Neurone Disease (MND) can strike at any age and can leave the patient unable to walk, talk and even feed themselves. Rotary Clubs in Yorkshire are helping sufferers locally.

Nigel using the donated iPad ,his voice.

Source: Yorkshire Post © Yorkshire Post

N

igel Dean, a former security guard from Normanton, was forced to give up work when diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) last year. Although his only symptom was voice loss, this meant that Nigel could no longer communicate with family and friends. Nights down the pub with his mates became a thing of the past – until Rotary came along.

Within weeks of hearing of Nigel’s plight, Rotary Clubs in Yorkshire had raised the funds and sought approval to provide Nigel with an iPad, to be used as an electronic communication aid, which was delivered to his home.

Nigel was the first beneficiary of a fund set up by the Rotary Clubs of Yorkshire to help sufferers of Motor Neurone Disease.

The Rotary Clubs are working with the MND Association to raise funds for people like Nigel to help give them a better quality of life. Nigel’s daughter Lisa says, “Dad was getting quite frustrated at not being able to talk to me and since he lives alone I was very concerned that he could not let people know how he was. Getting the iPad and being shown how to use it has given him a new lease of life and taken a big worry from me.”

Motor Neurone Disease is difficult to diagnose in its early stages and can take as long as five years to get a complete diagnosis, by that time it has progressed further. There is no known cure and it can strike at any age, attacking the motor neurones that send messages from the brain to muscles, thus leaving the patient unable to walk, talk and even feed themselves.

Willie Clark from Bingley Rotary Club is one of the Rotarians spearheading the scheme to raise over £20,000 as a fund for the MND Association to buy much needed

38 // ROTARY

Yorkshire Rotary Clubs hope this fundraiser will improve the quality of life for people within the county with MND equipment to improve the lives of people with the disease.

Willie commented, “Often it can take as long as 12 months to get much needed equipment to an MND sufferer’s home. By raising this money and keeping a fund going we can buy much needed equipment and get it to the patient a lot quicker, in days rather than months. Yorkshire Rotary Clubs hope this fundraiser will improve the quality of life for people within the county with MND.” Rotary Clubs in Yorkshire have helped Nigel get his voice back and he tells them it is for one special reason, “What I am looking forward to is taking the mickey out of my mates like they have been doing to me – only joking though!”

•

FACTFILE

MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE

5,000 people in the UK suffer • from MND E

very five people in the • UK dieday from MND MND is progressive and often • suffer have just 14 months of life after diagnosis.

For more information visit mndassociation.org

www.rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

Happy House

Blackpool to Kenya with love Rotary Public Image Coordinator, Herbert Chatters and Elizabeth Gomm, a trustee, take a look at a project that is aimed at changing young peoples lives in Kenya.

A

Lancashire woman has been helping to save and change lives in Kenya thanks to her charity, which she set up 15 years ago. The incredible achievements of former hotel landlady Sue Heywood, founder of Children of Watamu Happy House Charity, are truly inspirational.

This remarkable story began by chance on holiday in Kenya in January 2000 when, due to a holiday hotel mix up, Sue came across a school in Watamu where children were sitting on bare floors counting stones.

On her return to Blackpool she placed a bottle on the bar of her hotel for donations and raised £600 in the first year.

Over the years she has developed three schools, creating 700 places for disadvantaged children, plus a library with 50,000 books. In 2010 she realised her dream by opening ‘Happy House’ a purpose built children’s home costing £250,000.

A nursery school was added in 2011 and a primary school two years later, and fundraising is now going ahead for a secondary school.

Sue and her husband Dave spend most of their time in Kenya, but in 2013 they concentrated their time in the UK working on fundraising and raising awareness of the project along with fellow trustee and UK voluntary co-ordinator Elizabeth Gomm.

Happy House has raised the bar for humanitarian child care in Kenya and is a flagship for the way impoverished children can be cared for, educated and loved. Classes are small and the Kenyan curriculum, plus computer studies, French and art are taught, with outstanding results.

Sue addressed Cumbria and Lancashire Rotary District Conference recently, and Sue and Elizabeth have been invited to speak at many Rotary clubs. Also, Elizabeth introduced Rotarians of the future to the Happy House family at the UK’s first RotaKids Conference at Lancaster University.

Elizabeth says: “We are always looking for help with raising funds and are grateful to Rotary clubs who are keen to become

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involved. Fleetwood club is a tremendous support as is Limavady Rotary in Northern Ireland. They know that every penny received goes directly to supporting the family. There are no middle men.”

The Happy House, with nearly 100 kids who have been orphaned, abandoned, neglected or abused, in the family, depends entirely on fundraising, donations and its child sponsorship scheme.

As the song goes, in our world of plenty, we can reach out and bring joy and hope.

Whilst there will not be rain in Africa (where they need it) Rotary can spread a smile of joy by providing support.

•

Sue Heywood with some of the school children

We are always looking for help with raising funds and are grateful to Rotary clubs who are keen to become involved.

To find out more visit: childrenofwatamu.net ROTARY // 39

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For more information telephone or e-mail Rtn. Allan Smith on 01534 780373 or allan@smithonweb.com Website available www.algarveexecutiveapartment.com

Spain

• Rotarian’s newly-built, interior-designed Luxury 5* B&B • Located in Stoke Gabriel village - “The Jewel on the Dart” • Stunning views overlooking village and River Dart • Warm, Cosy & Welcoming. Afternoon Cream Tea on arrival • Three Ensuite luxury Bedrooms with balconies. Open all year • Guest Lounge and Guest Conservatory. Flat screen TVs • Free WiFi. Local Fishing, Boating, Sailing and Walking • Near to Agatha Christie’s home – Greenway House

MORAIRA – LUXURY VILLA OVERLOOKING THE MED

Javea Rotarian family’s luxury 2 bed/2 bath apt in beautiful Old Port area. Delightful pool 4 minutes walk from seafront. www.puertoreal.co.uk or tel: 020 8892 2603

If you would like to advertise in Rotary Today call 01354 818012

CALPE, COSTA BLANCA

Luxury “all year round” villa in spacious grounds with large pool and magnificent views. Furnished to a high standard throughout. Sleeps 8/10 comfortably. Tranquil and very private.

Easy reach of town, beaches, golf, tennis, and much more.

WWW.VILLAMAYA.COM Telephone: 07768 077 864 0117 970 1610

Switzerland

SWITZERLAND - Gstaad. Situated in the small village of Rougement, our luxury 3 bed 2 bath apartment sleeping 6/ 8 is ideal for summer/ winter holidays. Set in spectacular scenery & walking country, the village is part of the Gstaad super ski region, with summer skiing available on nearby glacier. Regret no children under 10 years. For further details: 0115 925 5838 or fax: 01159683133

USA

FLORIDA – DISNEY AREA. Family – owned, air-conditioned, 4 bedrooms (sleeps 8), 3 bathrooms, fully equipped villa with private pool. Quiet neighbourhood, woodland outlook, close to Champions Gate (shops) and Reunion (Golf). 10 minutes from Disney. Easily accessible to Legoland. Convenient for airports. From £295 per week.

Tel: Stephen Hart – 01469 532121, email: hart1045@aol.com

FLORIDA - Rotarian’s luxury 5-bedroom 3-bathroom villa in Kissimmee. South facing deck, pool and spa, overlooking lake.

Close to Disney and all other attractions. www.firstfloridavilla. com Tel 01382 566125.

GULF COAST AT FLORIDA - Tara golf & Country club. Sarasota/ Bradenton.

Luxury airconditioned, fully equipped 2 bed/ 2 bath 1st floor condominium overlooking golf course, sleeps 2-6. Facilities include 18-hole championship golf, heated swimming pools, tennis, gymnasium. Close to beaches, 45 minutes from Tampa International Airport. From £350 pw Tel: 0131 446 0890. www. florida-golf-holidays.com MARCO ISLAND - Nr Naples, Florida.

Sea View overlooking the 10,000 Islands, beautiful 2 bedroom/ 2 bathroom apartment. Tel: Bruce Young 01793 521436 or email: danger3303@aol.com

ORLANDO FLORIDA Rotarian’s luxury villa (special rates for Rotarians and Rotarian’s families)

In gated community with club house, tennis court, volley ball and children’s play area. Fully air conditioned. 4 bedrooms 31/2 bathrooms. 20 minutes from Disney. Own heated pool with screen and covered lanai. 2 bedrooms en suite. TV/DVD/Games console. Very close to many golf courses including Champions Gate and Reunion. Club house open 7 days a week with comprehensive gym and games room, tennis court and children’s play area.

Rates from £450 per week.

Discounts available for Rotarians please email: nigel4653@sky.com www.njorlandovilla.com 01526 569521

Insurance INDEMNITY AND LIABILITY INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE Comprehensive cover from £15 a month. My quote is to beat your renewal quote whilst providing excellent cover.

I am a former Lloyd’s underwriter with 30 years experience in the field. Rtn Rob Ward, Sennet Insurance Services Ltd, 1 Oaten Hill Place, Canterbury, CT1 3HJ - Tel: 01227 781200

Are you a Charity Trustee?

If so, you could be sued by the charity or a third party. Protect yourself and your fellow trustees.

Our comprehensive cover costs just £10 a month for a whole board of trustees.

As a Rotarian, with over 30 years experience in this field, I understand your needs. For a no obligation discussion you can call me Rob Ward, Managing Director, Sennet Insurance Services Ltd on 01227 781200.

Rotary Emblems

Rotary Club of Exmouth & District Licensed to supply your emblems and car stickers Visit our website / Buy online www.exmouthrotaryclub.co.uk Martin:01395 275911

Signs and Plaques

Speakers PERSONAL APPEARANCES Celebrities supplied for After dinner speeches Personal Appearances Conferences Golf Days Sportsman’s Dinners All Corporate and Sporting events.

Let us arrange the speaker/celebrity for your function.

Call us for a quotation and/or a list of celebrity clients.

20 North Mount, 1147-1161 High Road, Whetstone, London, N20 0PH Telephone: 020 8343 7748 www.personal appearances.biz Email: patsy@personalappearances.biz

T-Shirts Fellow Rotarian Offers In House Embroidery & Print Polos, Sweats, Fleeces Pennants, T-shirts and Hi Vis Medals, Trophies & Awards Customised with your Club logo

e-mail sales@1ststopdirect.com 0800 008 6865 www.1ststopdirect.com

If you would like to advertise in Rotary Today call Leanne on 01354 818012

Rotary Identity

www.ribi.org

February 2015

43

Classified Advertisements These classified columns offer Rotarians and their families an inexpensive lineage or classified display service.

Commercial advertisements can only be accepted in display style, but otherwise Rotarians can advertise or ask for anything they like, within the bounds of legality, decency, honesty and truthfulness.

If you wish to advertise within the personal classified pages, please complete the coupon below and post it to: Media Shed, 22A Market Hill, Chatteris, Cambidgeshire PE16 6BA. Alternatively contact Leanne on 01354 818012 or email leanneh@media-shed.co.uk (Media Shed are agents of RIBI).

Name .............................................................................................................................................................

Address ......................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................... City ..........................................................................

County...........................................................................................................Postcode .................................

Tel: ...............................................................................

Email: ...........................................................................

Rotary club:..................................................................

Classified heading: .......................................................................................................................................

Wording (continue on a separate sheet of paper if necessary): ............................................................... ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................

Rates Lineage

Minimum £20.40 +VAT (up to 20 words) Additional words at £1.02 +VAT.

Classified Display

£26.25 pscc (minimum 2x1)

SAMPLE 3x1 £78.75 + VAT

SAMPLE 2x1 £52.50 + VAT

Please indicate how many issues you would like your advertisement to appear in.

1 issue 3 issues 6 issues Cheques should be made payable to Media Shed Ltd and can be enclosed with the coupon Alternatively, payment can be made by Debit or Credit Card. Please call 01354 818012 to make a secure payment.

These adverts are placed in good faith and we accept no responsibility for misrepresentation. No personal classified lineage advertisement will be accepted which advertises more than three properties for rent or sale on behalf of the same person in any one issue. All advertisements are placed subject to the Standard Terms and Conditions of Acceptance of Advertisements of Media Shed Ltd. Further details can be obtained by telephoning the sales department on 01354 818012 or can be found at www.media-shed.co.uk/terms-conditions

44

www.ribi.org

February 2015

REGIONAL

NEWS

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

Catching up with all the news from Rotary clubs around Great Britain and Ireland

KICKING OUT POLIO…

T

he Ellan Vannin Football Team from the Isle of Man will, probably in a world first, wear new kits in support of the Rotary ‘End Polio Now’ Campaign.

The team played its first game against a side representing the Occitan Football Association at a ground in Toulouse, France on the 30th December 2014. The deal to wear the shirts and hold the match was struck by The Rotary Club of Douglas.

The result was Occitan 5, Ellan Valley 1 and was held in support of the Rotary International, ‘End Polio Now’ campaign with the Ellan Valley team wearing their new away kit with the campaign logo on the front.

Chairman of the Rotary Club of Douglas End Polio Now project said: “Although we lost the match we were really pleased the team wore its new away kit to highlight the polio initiative. It was a really good game and a great weekend.”

Bones make money

T

he Rotary Club of King’s Lynn charity account has been bolstered to the sum of £1,310 thanks to the local butchers shop.

Priors Butchers in Dersingham asked customers who regularly collect bones for their dogs to kindly make a donation and in three years it was able to present the funds to the club by Clifford Prior, who manages the family businesses.

£1,310

King’s Lynn Rotary Club President Bob Sharp commented on receipt of the donation: “It really is wonderful that this family business and its customers have seen to donate to Rotary charities in this original way. We are very grateful to them for the donation which will go towards making a difference to peoples lives locally and internationally.”

The local dogs have also benefited.

www.rotarygbi.org

GIVE US YOUR BOOKS Books4Home is working to empower children to develop a love of reading and experience the chance to own books.

Clubs in Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands have taken up an idea from The Rotary Club of Worcester South. The club discovered that children in the schools they are working with have very little access to books at home. In England only one in three girls and only one in every four boys have a book of their own at home.

The Rotary Club of Worcester Severn donates pre-used books to the schools, and lead Rotarians in Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands were so inspired by the project that they are developing the idea locally.

Studies show that children who read well have a better chance to succeed in life. Rotary Clubs in that region are donating suitable unwanted books to local schools so the children can choose a book, and take it home to read and keep it.

12 projects have resulted from the programme and one teacher remarked: “The children look forward to the books arriving in school and are delighted they can take them home. It is not unusual that parents cannot afford books and see them as a real luxury for their children. This scheme helps and we are all very grateful.”

The clubs are now operating projects across various areas and the children, parents and teachers are delighted with the books, of which over 2,000 have been distributed.

ROTARY // 45

REGIONAL

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

NEWS

FIRE ENGINES AND AN AMBULANCE TO KOSOVO

M

embers of the Rotary Clubs of Mounts Bay, Helston-Lizard, Redruth and Bodmin have returned from Kosovo, where they delivered three fire engines and an ambulance to the hard-pressed emergency services there.

The convoy travelled an impressive two thousand miles, with the ambulances filled with redundant school uniforms, an operating table, stretchers, an inspection bed, and other medical equipment. The fire engines took all kinds of equipment, including breathing apparatus, uniforms and clothes.

However, the trip was punctuated by all kinds of incidents. “It was quite a journey,” said John James of Mounts Bay Rotary Club upon his return, “we had a number of breakdowns on the way, but the mechanics we took with us were fantastic!”

The group of 12 drivers, mechanics and relief drivers were made up of Rotarians as well as several past and present firemen, including five members of Green Watch from Crownhill Fire Station in Plymouth.

“There was a tremendous can-do attitude amongst the team,” John added. “Whenever we encountered a problem, we always found ways of solving it!”

The journey to Kosovo took six days before the team split into four, each group delivering their vehicle to where it was required in the country.

Kosovo is still recovering from the effects of the war of independence in 1999, when many buildings, whole villages and much of the infrastructure was destroyed.

A lasting legacy

A Name Stone From Rotary

T

he Rotary Club of Bradford on Avon has continued to support its relationship with Dorothy House Hospice with the help of an abandoned stone.

The club has worked with the hospice in Bath for a number of years by helping to maintain the grounds, creating and laying the original paths and planting the main woodlands with 200 trees and over 250 shrubs.

The Rotary club’s most recent project has provided a new entrance to the facility with a stone found in the grounds. The stone was reconditioned and engraved thanks to funding from the club, and construction work was carried out by members to help give the centre a refreshed entrance area.

Bob Coulthard, who led the project and was helped by members of the club, said: “It’s been hard work and taken a good deal of our time but we’ve all worked together as a team and can be proud of what we have achieved.

Thanks to all who helped!”

Dorothy House Hospice aims to give physical, psychological, social and spiritual care to patients and their families facing life threatening illness, death or bereavement.

The Journey to Kosovo Begins

Listening in with ‘Radios from Rotary’

U

pon hearing about the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, the Rotary Club of Knighton set about teaming up with the Rotary Club of Sunset in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The club is helping to supply funds for writing materials, exercise books and radios to school children in the area. So far 120 pupils have benefited from the ‘Radios from Rotary’ project in two communities, including one to the west of Freetown and Bobor Village, Sussex, in the Mountain Rural District.

The radios provided by the project are

46 // ROTARY

being used for learning programs broadcast by the Ministry of Education. The President of the Rotary Club of Sunset, Lawrence Sesay said: “The Ebola virus has affected every sector of the community in Sierra Leone and education is the key to development of the country coming to terms with the disease and getting back to normal life. We are sure the children will use the radios and writing materials and benefit from them.”

With the Knighton Club now on board the Rotarians in Sierra Leone are actively seeking to extend the project to other schools.

Celebrating receiving the Radios

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ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

GLOBAL GRANT FUNDS UGANDA PROJECT

T

he Rotary Club of Winchester has been visiting Kasese in Uganda over several years, meeting with its Rotary Club and hosting past Presidents in Winchester. In 2013 the clubs applied to The Rotary Foundation for a Global Grant to establish working libraries with appropriate books in 20 primary schools.

The application included a Vocational Training Team (VTT) to begin the project and funding was provided by the two clubs Winchester and Kasese along with their respective Districts and funding from the Rotary Clubs of Jersey, Le Havre de Grace, Oberhausen-Antony-Hutte, and Central Calcutta.

The project will run until January 2016.

The VTT is made up of a highly experienced team, who have all previously worked in Uganda, two of whom are Winchester Rotarians.

The team went out to Kasese and worked with Ugandan partners, Rotarians and the co-operating organisation, Education Uganda for six weeks.

As part of the project librarians and teachers from the 20 schools were trained and the first six schools received their 600 books last February. The books were published in Uganda and are linked to the school’s curriculum, with most printed in English, which is the language of education in Uganda.

Kasese Rotary is the host club for the project and it has worked to source and distribute the books in an area where no formal libraries had previously existed. The initiative has reached 14,200 children and over 220 teachers, many of whom have limited understanding or experience of libraries.

John Wilkinson from the Rotary Club of Winchester said: “We would like to think this project is making a difference since we have brought people and resources together, helped by the Rotary Foundation.”

P

www.rotarygbi.org

IT ALL ADDS UP

£2,141 Pudsey drops into Stone

C

The gift of sight in Sri Lanka

ershore Rotary Club sent over £4,500 to its partner Kandy Rotary Club in Sri Lanka, which has helped with the eyesight screening of 1,500 people at three eye camps.

Rotarian John Angood, a former member of Kandy Rotary, comments: “Every £3 donated helped to improve the sight of one person.” He and his wife have since visited Kandy to monitor the progress of each of the camps.

The first camp has helped 625 people, most of which received prescription spectacles with 12 receiving cataract operations. The second camp, which is in a very remote area, screened over 500 people and 43 of those were sent to hospital for cataract operations and many more were given free spectacles. Finally the third camp saw 320 people attend, 20 of which will benefit from cataract operations.

John said: “Not a penny or rupee is wasted – all labour is given voluntarily and the screening for prescription spectacles and

Pudsey Visits Stone

An Eye Camp in progress

cataracts is done by volunteer professionals.

The organisation of the eye camps is carried out by Rotarians working with the local headman and volunteers, but there is still a desperate need for more screening.”

Inspired by the success of the project, Pershore Rotary has already started raising funds for eye camps in Sri Lanka for 2015. For more information visit uk.virginmoneygiving. com/charities/pershore

hildren at schools and nurseries in Stone had a visit from Pudsey Bear in the week leading up to BBC Children in Need, after Stone Rotary Club arranged for him to be in the town.

Pudsey visited six local schools, the Beavers Club and several day nurseries, to thank them for their fundraising efforts, and in some schools he answered questions using sign language to his Rotary helpers who translated the answers into words.

On the day of the Children in Need appeal, Stone’s Rotarians and friends were out in force collecting from passing motorists and pedestrians at the traffic lights on the High Street, helping to raise £2,141 in total.

Stone Rotary started supporting Children in Need back in 1997 and since then has contributed over £45,000, mainly from its annual street collection. Club President, Len Bassett said, “Once again the people of Stone have been very generous and we would like to thank them. All the monies received is put to some very good causes in the Children in Need appeal”.

ROTARY // 47

REGIONAL

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

NEWS

DRAWING LINES ACROSS THE WORLD

T

he Rotary Club of Workington is helping countries throughout the world thanks to a major recycling initiative with Derwent Recycling Services, a local waste management and recycling company.

The company approached Kenny Kirkwood of the Rotary club to put forward a project, which involved the members recycling a store of manufacturers’ rejected pencils. The club took on the challenge and began sorting through the six tons that were available.

The club’s job was to sort out the various types of pencils, packaging them into manageable quantities and palletising them for distribution for recycling outside of the UK.

The six tons equated to 1.5 million pencils, so it was a huge commitment by Rotarians to fill containers and small skips with pencils on a weekly basis.

Other clubs in the area provided phenomenal support and the project soon went nationwide. The pencils are now reaching 28 Countries worldwide including Nairobi, Tibet, South Africa, Gambia, Argentina, Ukraine, and Chernobyl to name but a few.

Kenny said: “The whole process was a pleasurable experience and we are very proud that, through our club, we reached so many people around the world.”

We went to Uganda and bought a pig In October Duncan Hamlett and Lilian Barton visited Uganda to help provide children at the primary school in Kitale with shoes to help protect their feet from the jigger bug.

They were joined by Mike Willetts of the Rotary Club of Carnforth and his wife Linda, who founded a primary school ten years ago, and they traveled there to help many of the children who attend the school bare-footted.

Also, Rotary Club of Lunesdale funded the doubling in size of the chicken coop housed there so it will allow up to 1,000 chickens and the eggs they produce will become a source of income.

During their time there the group purchased a pig, which meant a round trip in a battered old pick-up truck on very bumpy roads. It took four men to lift her onto the back of the truck for the journey. She makes a welcome addition to the two young pigs already residing in the pigsty and they get on well.

It is hoped that the pig project will prove a source of revenue as pork is in demand in the towns.

Mike’s heartfelt wish is to ultimately provide all the pupils of this school with life skills to help them become self sufficient and find a way out of poverty.

The six tons equated to 1.5 million pencils

Best foot forward

L

edbury Rotarians celebrated the culmination of the 14-year Caribbean Diabetic Footcare project on World Diabetes Day by launching a book, Two Sides of The Coin.

The book contains 260 pages of articles from doctors, patients and supporters, which describes the project from its modest beginning at Ledbury Rotary Club. It also contains features on doctors who have been

48 // ROTARY

taught modern footcare techniques, patients who have had limbs saved, which previously would have been amputated, and an insight into the enormous help given by volunteers.

The project started when Ledbury Rotarian John Greedy visited the Tobago Rotary Club and heard how high levels of diabetes in the Caribbean, coupled with the lack of modern clinical techniques, resulted in levels of foot amputations being amongst the highest in the world. Since its

inception the project has helped people in 12 Caribbean Countries with funding coming from several sources including The Rotary Foundation.

Copies of the book are available from Ledbury Rotary Club or electronic versions are available from the club’s website. All proceeds will go towards funding further footcare projects.

www.rotarygbi.org

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

ROTARY WALES DISABLED GAMES T TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

he Welsh Disabled Games of 2014 was held at the Newport International Sports Village in November and attracted 150 participants aged 16 and above.

The games, which was in its 30th year, included 10 team events in all games such as boccia, curling, pool and swimming to name but a few. The competitors were given a helping hand thanks to their local Rotary Clubs, which provided transport to Newport for the weekend.

Don Carsley from the Rotary Club of Llantwit Major, who leads the team running the event commented: “It is very rewarding to see all these people coming together for the weekend enjoying each others company and the competitions. From the smiles on their faces we know they have had a good time so it makes the hard work all worth while.”

The Welsh disabled games are held on the first weekend of November each year.

IT ALL ADDS UP

£350,000

Paul Wilson

Global swim makes another big splash

T

he Rotary Club of Grantham received national recognition at a special launch event at the London Headquarters of JustGiving in November.

The world record breaking Rotary Global Swimarathon featured alongside Cancer Research UK as a case study for a major new national publication called Friends

www.rotarygbi.org

with Money, which looks at the best way to use social media in fundraising. The Rotary Global Swimarathon was also featured on The Guardian online as an example of best practice for their use of social media.

The dedicated two-page spread in The Guardian tells how the Rotarians identified and inspired enthusiastic supporters on social media and turned Grantham’s highly successful 25-year local Swimarathon fundraiser into a global phenomenon.

Since 2014 three annual events have raised over £350,000 - enough to provide over 1.2 million vaccines to protect children against polio. Club member Paul Wilson, who co-ordinated the global event through Twitter and Facebook, was a panellist at the publication launch alongside charity representatives sharing their experiences and insight for the benefit of invited guests from across the national voluntary sector.

Fellow Rotarian Roger Graves, who came up with the original idea, praised Paul for his

outstanding commitment and leadership in communicating Grantham’s passion to a global audience. Roger said: “It is wonderful to see how our event has laid the foundations for other Rotary social media fundraisers, such as the World’s Greatest Meal, which has already raised more than $2 million for Polio eradication in only one year.”

GET IN TOUCH...

Got a story for us? Send it in (with a good quality picture) to editor@rotarygbi.org Also: Look for us online at rotarygbi.org or follow us on Facebook /RotaryRIBI; Twitter – @RotaryRIBI; and Linkedin – Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

ROTARY // 49

Connecting Communities Here we demonstrate, Rotarians in Great Britain and Ireland and across the world taking action in their communities and trying to make a difference, with a selection of Tweets

Tweets

Kevin Hill @KevinJAHill

Dan Gaynor @GaynorDan

Follow

Spoke to Rotary West Calgary about leadership and transformation today #Rotary #leadership

Goodwill Alberta @GoodwillAB

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Rotary Down Under @rotarydownunder

50 // ROTARY

Herbert Chatters @chatters007

Follow

RT @RotaryGBI: #BigThankYou to the thousands of volunteers in Rotary, who raise funds for good causes through sports events #BBCSPOTY

Fascinating interview with Milton Frary about Wheelchair Foundation for @ RotaryGBI Today magazine. 31,000 wheelchairs given to 27 countries

In our game of @rotary everybody wins! #WeareRotary #GameChanger

Bonkers and brilliant and brave. Congrats to all today’s #lymelunge swimmers and @RotaryGBI for organising. Next year for me ;-)

Follow

Thank you for your support @rotary! We were able to add two trucks to our @GoodwillAB fleet!

Dave King @RunningPeekay

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Rotary D9570 @d9570

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Partnerships with #Rotary Clubs and #Councils make fundraising book sales successful in our District.

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FOLLOW US Follow us on Twitter @ RotaryGBI or visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/RotaryRIBI to keep up to date with the latest news and activity from Rotary and our clubs.

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ROTARY // 51