Rotary Club of Epworth and

the Isle of Axholme

District 1270

2008/9

President - Richard Vergette

Epworth and Isle Rotary Club Charter 2009







Never a Club to stick with tradition for too long – two Charters abroad felt a little like setting a precedent – this year President Richard decided to throw caution to the wind yet again and have a Charter in the Garden in the from of an old fashioned garden party complete with boaters, blazers and floaty frocks (and that was just for the gents!) President-elect Trish’s garden was the obvious and beautiful setting and with gazebos and marquees kindly loaned by Bluebell Wood hospice, over a hundred. Rotarians, friends and family enjoyed a sunny afternoon of fellowship and food (plus the odd glass of wine here and there of course) protected from the sometimes gusty elements. Guests ranged from 93 years to 43 days and Rotarian Eric Charlesworth pronounced it the most unusual Charter he had attended (and he has attended quite a few!!!). Entertainment was provided by local swing band Room 21 and special presentations were made to confer lifetime honorary membership of the club on its proud “parents” Rtns John Anslow and Alec Norton.

Young Rotarians

The birth of a first child is a proud and important event in anyone’s life, but the fact that this birth was a first for the rotary Club of Britain and Ireland makes it a particularly momentous occasion.

Elspeth Lucy Massie was born on Thursday 30th April 2009 to parents Angus and Marianne. The couple are both members of the Rotary Club of Epworth and the Isle of Axholme and as far as we know, Elspeth is the first baby to be born to parents who are members of the same Rotary Club. The Club is always proud of treading a slightly different path from that followed by many Rotary Clubs and is especially pleased to have this particular first to add to its list of achievements.

Coast2Coast 2009

Not content with doing it once, they went back and did it again – only this time differently! Members of the Epworth and Isle Rotary Club, Rotarians from other clubs, family and friends aged between 15 and 60 took to their cycles and biked cross country coast to coast from Ravenglass to South Shields to raise money for two of their chosen charities this year – the Down’s Syndrome Association and Breast Cancer Care. The intrepid group battled torrential rain and came back windburned and weatherbeaten but still smiling.

Rotary Endeavour Awards

President of the Rotary Club of Epworth and the Isle of Axholme, with Year 11 students from North Axholme School, in Crowle with their Rotary Awards. The awards are the idea of Club President, Richard Vergette, who saw the need for young people’s achievements to be recognised in terms other than academic success. The Awards are presented to young people who have overcome hurdles in order to fulfil their potential and become young men and women of whom the school and the community can be proud.

The recipients of these prestigious awards are Katie Burley, Joseph Humphrey and Elizabeth Brennan. They each receive a gift voucher and a testimonial from the Rotary Club of Epworth which can be used as part of their Record of Achievement when applying for further education and jobs.

Induction of Annie Freeman

A dozen visitors from the Rotary Club of Grimsby St James travelled the length of the A180 and M180 to visit our Club on April 16^th 2009 and Annie Freeman was inducted, bringing our membership to 34. The two events may not be directly related, (or maybe the chaps from Grimsby had already heard about Annie…..!!) but it was lovely to meet such a group of friendly Rotarians and share fellowship for the evening as well as to formally welcome to the club someone who has, whilst still a guest, joined in events to raise funds for designated charities as well as attended social events.

Spring Fling 28thMarch 2009

Caution as well as partners were flung to the wind (and to the corners of West Butterwick village hall) when the Rotary Club of Epworth held its Spring Fling on March 28^th. The Fling – a ceilidh, with pie and pea supper- was held in aid of Rotary charities. Dancers were expertly guided through a range of manoeuvres by caller Peter Barnard to the music of local folk band Pierrot and when no one could laugh or dance any longer, Rotarians were on hand to relieve the dancers of their money via a raffle and auctions. Ian Cross took top prize in the raffle, despite protestations from the rest of us that he really wouldn’t like the whisky, Ian seemed determined to hang on to it! Debbie won the whisky glass to go with her husband’s prize! Gail Corbett left at the end of the evening with a new friend, Robin R. Breast , whom we hear may be introduced as a potential new member! Finally, Ian Parkin knew it had been worth buying 500 raffle tickets! Auction winners included Andrea Brocklebank getting a day at the races, Iain and Vanessa bid for a gourmet meal for 6 (and have suddenly discovered friends they never knew they had!) and Scunthorpe Rotaract purchased a week in a cottage in Scotland, (generously donated by Joe Kingham), whilst Simon Walsh got a good service courtesy of Dave Parslow. Over £1400 was raised on the evening and will be shared amongst Rotary charities, including the Aurora centre. The Centre is based at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, and aims to improve the self esteem and confidence of cancer patients by offering a wide range of beauty advice and treatments, as well as make up and wigs to female and male patients suffering from the effects of cancer and the side effects of its treatment.

Indian Evening March 14^th 2009

Fellowship, eating and drinking were once more the order of the day as the RC of Epworth held an Indian themed fund raising evening in aid of its International charities. A number of Club members prepared a range of Indian dishes and the ambience was further enhanced by the Indian music and the dress of the participants. Once again thanks go to President-elect Trish and Rtn Joe who opened their doors to the fifty Rotarians, partners and friends. The evening was rounded off by Trish’s impromptu display of reverse carpentry skills!! The total raised from the evening was….TBA!

New Member - John Lambert

It was with great pleasure, and after not a short wait (due to illlness, inclement weather and holidays) that President Richard finally inducted John Lambert in to the RC of Epworth and the Isle of Axholme. John had already visited the Club on numerous occasions and worked with members on fundraising events before being invited to join. He is very welcome.

New Year’s Party January 3^rd 2009







Shortly into the new year, just as we thought the fun and frivolities of the season were over for a while, Trish and Joe Kingham hosted a social event – this time an Abba themed party. (We believe that Trish wasn’t allowed to play at dressing up when she was a little girl and so she makes up for it now at every opportunity!) Many Rotarians made a tremendous effort, donning crimplene flares and blond wigs – some wore matching outfits (Barbie and Ken Hogg) and some like Hilary O’Connor and Ian Cross just wore their everyday office gear (!!)

It was a fabulous evening of fun, capped by terrific food and some very talented (and some not so talented) singing on the Karaoke.

As usual, many thanks to the Kinghams for their hospitality and for encouraging the blond in us all.

(PS – the well known cabaret group “5 blonds and a brunette” are now taking bookings for the summer season)

Mince Pie and Coffee Morning December 13^th

It was a bitterly cold morning just before Christmas when six lady Rotarians gathered to spread their festive wares in the smaller room of the Imperial Hall. The biting wind and driving rain interspersed with flurries of snow did much to put off the usual Saturday shoppers in Epworth and the ladies waited and waited for buyers for their Christmas fare. Four customers later (two of whom were family and therefore didn’t truly count) and dozens of mince pies, spiced biscuits, cakes and pickles were still waiting to be bought. Undaunted, Rotarians Julie and Carol piled the sweet treats on trays and touted them in the streets and shops of Epworth. After a particularly fierce battle between her boot and a manhole cover, Carol retreated indoors and Bronwen took over, tempting traders and customers alike in an effort to raise funds. Meanwhile back at the hall, Rotarian Dave Parslow made a manfully brave attempt to eat his way through the remaining stock whilst the ladies made the most of the time to improve fellowship and flag up a few ideas for future activities.

Despite the disappointing lack of customers, the Club made £94.65 towards the Leonard Cheshire Homes,

but just good fun was had by all who were there.

New Members

Gail Corbett, Sharon & Marion Cross

Janet & James McCann

Deborah & Ian Cross

13 Nov - Coffee Morning in aid of Kidscap

Phil Bradley, organiser of Kidscap, collecting his cheque for £660.76.

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.

Sport Relief 2008

Despite the inclement weather almost 200 people signed up and furthermore arrived to participate in the Sport Relief Mile, the second event of its kind to be held locally and organised by the Isle of Axholme Rotary Club in conjunction with South Axholme Community Arts College.

People of all ages and abilities sprinted, ran, walked or slept in their buggies around the course marked out by Scott Barlow (head of PE at the College) which gave participants a choice of distances of 1, 3 or 6 miles. Local MP Ian Cawsey kindly rang the bell to start proceedings, and then gamely ran the course accompanied by his daughter.

Entrance fees, sponsorship and donations to the fund allowed us to send in excess of £1000 to Sport Relief from this one event.

Photographic evidence from the event confirms that:

Our president needs help finding the big hand on his Mickey Mouse watch

Our President elect CAN run a mile (if there’s a cheque at the end of it)

Some of our members look most fetching in their day-glo jackets and woolly hats

Past presidents look very handsome in masks (or just need the extra oxygen !)

The organisers wondered why they had to stand around having photographs taken

Our secretary is not averse to tripping up competitors so that she can be first over the line!!!

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 20^th 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 !

Urban Saints Youth Group

Urban Saints Youth Group worker Ann Lane, receiving a cheque from President Richard. The total sum was made up of £80 raised by the Urban Saints themselves, £500 from a nearly new clothes sale and coffee morning run by RC of Epworth and £500 from the Rotary District Simplified Matching Grant scheme, giving the Urban Saints over a thousand pounds with which to purchase a table tennis table, a snooker table, trampettes, 3 tents and a silk parachute, which it is hoped will help entertain the Urban Saints on a weekly basis as well as widen their appeal to potential new members in an area in much need of activities for the young.

'Nearly New Clothing Sale'

One local project which has benefited from Rotary support recently is Urban Saints Youth group which is based at Epworth Baptist Church. Urban Saints provides a much needed focus for youth, in an area often lacking in activities and facilities for its young. Thefunds will be used to replace worn out equipment used by the Youth group in both their weekly activities and in their regularoutward bound trips and it is hoped that it will also widen its appeal to potential new members. A Nearly New clothes sale wasorganised in order to raise funds and Rotarians collected clothes from far and wide – clothes of every shape and size, includingdesigner wear from some of our more stylish members and even a mink coat!! Accessories, books, toys and bric-a-brac were alsocollected. A sunny Saturday morning dawned and we had high hopes for a busy morning as we wheeled racks of clothes throughthe quiet streets of Epworth. The Sale room was unfortunately also quiet, despite the temptation of tea, cakes and scones; quiet,that is, until Sue Lambert decided to drum up trade in her own inimitable way. Through the streets, shops and cafes of Epworth she went, like some latter-day town-crier, stopping everyone she knew and plenty that she didn’t, advertising the sale andpropelling the public through the doors of the sale room. By the time the doors closed four hours later, close to £500 had beenraised. This, together with £80 raised by the Urban Saints themselves, has been used to apply for a Matched Funding Grant givingthe Urban Saints over a thousand pounds with which to purchase a table tennis table, a snooker table, trampettes, 3 tents and a silk parachute.

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.