Rotary round-up Diss Waveney Rotary Club It’s been a busy year for the Diss Waveney Rotary Club, despite the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Last autumn, they delivered over 250 Usborne Illustrated English dictionaries to Year 5 pupils in 10 local schools (receiving over 70 thank you letters from pupils in return). Working in partnership with Diss & District Rotary Club they then went on to plant 75 trees on Brewers Green to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day – there are plans to install a memorial plaque later this
The Gates Foundation matches each £1 with £2, so the total for Polio Plus now becomes £654. Then there was Christmas a time most associated with the Rotary Club. Determined to bring some Christmas cheer to Diss, the Deneside Ramblers, organised by the club's International Team, performed Christmas carols outside the United Reformed Church.
year.
This was followed later in the month by
Unable to undertake their usual bucket
(We’ve checked his diary, and he’ll be there
Santa’s special appearance at Mere’s Mouth.
collections in local stores, the club found an alternative way to raise money for Polio Plus. Inspired by the 1240 miles of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, the Foundation Team encouraged members to empty pockets and purses of loose change and tip the money into jam jars. The aim was to collect 1240 coins by World Polio Day on the 24th October. The target was reached and more. 2018 coins were collected, amounting to £218 for Polio Plus.
again this year on the 18th, 20th and 22nd December from 10am to 2pm.) More recently, the club has been involved in supporting the Computers for Schools initiative. Early this year, club president, Beverley Blake, presented computers donated by club members to 121 Computers in Diss for refurbishing and sending onto local schools for pupils to use during lockdown.
Donations made by Diss Waveney Rotary Club between Oct 2020 and April 2021 include: Diss Salvation Army, Diss Citizen Advice Bureau, Banham Zoo Conservation Project,Leeway, (a womens' refuge in Norwich), Lend with Care, (an international microfinance charity,) End Polio Now campaign, Polio Plus and The Rotary Foundation. As soon as all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the club has a full programme of fundraising activities planned. Watch this space! Find out more about Diss Waveney Rotary Club at: disswaveneyrotary.org.uk
36 Diss Matters Summer 2021
