Rotary Club of Epworth and
the Isle of Axholme
District 1270
2008/9
President - Richard Vergette
New Members
Gail Corbett, Sharon & Marion Cross
Janet & James McCann
13 Nov - Coffee Morning in aid of Kidscap
The smell of cakes wafted invitingly from the door of the Imperial Hall in Epworth on the morning of Saturday November 15 2008, but unfortunately the shoppers of Epworth were not being tempted to follow their noses and partake of a warming cup of coffee and a slice of cake at a coffee morning held to raise funds for the Isle based Kidscap Club. The Rotary Club of Epworth and the Isle is never to be defeated however, so Rotarian Carol Walsh visited all of the shops in the town, Sue Lambert got out her address book and phone and Kidscap organiser, Phil Bradley, carried trays of cakes through the streets like a sweet toothed pied piper bringing customers into the Hall.
Cakes were available to eat inside with a hot drink, or to take away, along with a variety of preserves, crafts and there was also the opportunity to bag a bottle of wine in a tombola with a twist.
Behind the scenes Debbie, Andrea and the Purple Hand Gang made light work of serving customers whilst Julie fought with the chocolate cakes and Simon chatted knowledgeably about the merits of Millionaire’s shortbread (!!) and after just 3 short hours of what the Rotary Club of Epworth and the Isle likes best – chatting, eating and drinking - £445.76 had been raised for Kidscap.
Kidscap is a bi-monthly activities club for children with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties, which aims to give the children 3 hours of organised play whilst affording parents and siblings some much needed time to do other things or just the opportunity to chat to other parents in similar situations. The sessions take place at Epworth leisure centre but the nature of the children’s disabilities mean that a high ratio of carers to children is required, which is, of course, expensive and so whilst each session costs parents around £10 including lunch for the children, the real costs are around £ 300 per session
The money raised from the coffee morning will contribute towards the costs of a dance and movement therapist to work with the children over a series of sessions.
10 Oct – Pamper Night
£635.35 was raised for Rotary's International Charities including Shelter Boxes by dozens of (mainly lady) Rotarians and their friends and partners getting together to become even more beautiful than they already are. Beauticians, alternative therapists, representatives from local fashion, accessory and beauty outlets in the area gave their time and expertise to give a lot of hard working people a little luxurious pampering, including mini massages, facials, make-overs, pedicures , reiki and reflexology sessions. Winner of the raffle, Sue Kingham, rounded off her relaxing evening with a bottle of whisky!
14 Aug – visit to Bluebell wood
This evening was the culmination of many months worth of fundraising for Bluebell Wood Childrens’ Hospice. A small group of Rotarians travelled to the Hospice at North Anston, near Sheffield for a tour of the facilities and to officially hand over a cheque for the sum of £13918.22. Raised by various events including the Bollywood Ball in November 2007 and of course the epic Coast to Coast cycle rides.
20 July Belton Party in the Park
After the deluge suffered last year, every single person in the Isle was hoping for warm sunny weather for the Party in the Park in Belton on July 20th 2008 and they were not disappointed…. until the end (but more of that later)
The Isle Rotarians occupied a not insubstantial gazebo which as erected early in the morning by a number of burly mallet wielding Rotarians! As we gathered and shared food, wine and friendship, the sun shone, the singers sang and the next door tent waved their flags. As the sun went down and the lamps were lit people grew close, more in an effort to keep warm than in fellowship and as the last drops of champagne were drunk and Richard Fullwood once more proffered his brandy, flags were waved and voices were raised in joy as fireworks and Elgar rounded off a splendid evening.
18 July 2008 – Presentation of Cheque to Brett Carroll
A cheque to the value for £100 was presented to Brett Carroll in order to support part of his campaign to climb Kilimanjaro and raise funds for Childreach International.
12 July 2008 – BBQ hosted by Andrew Gatecliff
Once more Andrew and Leanne Gatecliff threw open their home and garden to Rotarians in order to raise funds for Rotary Foundation This time a barbecue was held on a sunny but breezy evening with £115 the total raised. Thanks once again are due to the Gatecliffs for their hospitality.
28 June 2008 – Hogg Roast
A Hog(g) Roast (such a young club and so full of wits!) was held at Hurst Priory on the Isle of Axholme to mark the handover from Iain Hogg to Richard Vergette and to raise funds for Shelter Boxes. The event was superbly organised by Tricia Murphy and Paul Harrison and was held in the marquee where Rotarians, family and friends with support from DAG Stuart Leyland and a number of visiting Rotary clubs including Hull Paragon (as usual!!) attempted to make inroads into the enormous beast. Dancing proved difficult with full tums, and produced some unusual moves to the excellent music provided by the live band. It was a superb evening of fun and fellowship !
Handover 26 June 2008
Ever willing to step into the spotlight and eager to take on his new mantle as Sergeant at Arms Past President Richard Fullwood conducted the handover ceremony, when Richard Vergette was handed the “President’s Gong” and Trish Kingham was installed as President –elect.
