Rotary round-up

Diss Waveney Rotary Club

With a new president at the helm and faceto-face meetings back in the diary, not to mention a packed schedule of fundraising events, it’s back to business for Diss Waveney Rotary Club.

Working together In the summer, Diss Waveney Rotary Club and Diss & District Rotary Club joined together to plant 75 trees on Brewers Green to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Since then, the two clubs have laid a memorial stone at the site of the trees.

Welcoming a new president In June 2021, at a handing over ceremony, outgoing president, Beverley Blake, presented incoming president, Elaine Bootman, with her presidential collar and jewel. Beverley wished Elaine well in her coming year and Elaine thanked Beverley for all her hard work and commitment to the club in what was an extremely difficult year due to all the COVID-19 restrictions.

Time to meet On 7 August, a social gathering was held at Roydon Village Hall. The first face-to-face meeting of club members, the gathering gave members the chance to catch up after not meeting for so many months. “Zoom helped us conduct business and keep up with our speaker meetings during COVID-19,” said president, Elaine Bootman. “And it will, no doubt, have a role to play in the future. But nothing can replace the atmosphere when members are brought together in fellowship.”

Time to help On 27 August, the Diss Waveney and Diss and District Rotary Clubs joined together in a street collection at the Mere’s Mouth to raise funds for the people of Haiti following the devastating effects of the earthquake and tropical storm, Grace. The event itself raised £520.43. Continued donations via the website have brought the total to over £700. The proceeds will be divided equally between the two clubs to support Rotary’s efforts on the ground in Haiti.

Dates for the diary Fundraising events: 10 December - The Fine City Chorus at Roydon Village Hall 18, 20 & 22 December - Santa, his sleigh and helpers will be at the Mere’s Mouth 26 March 2022 - The South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band at The Corn Hall

Speakers booked: 22 November - Cecile Roberts, the Chief Executive Officer, of Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney 28 March 2022 - Graphologist Patricia Field

Diss & District Rotary Club

Fundraising, fundraising and fundraising (and a bit of fun, too), Diss & District Rotary Club member David Crawford reviews the past few months.

Meeting up and moneys raised “The second annual Rotary Club ‘SIMPLY WALK’ event took place on 27 June. It was great to see over 60 people take part. Thanks to them we raised over £800 for Rotary charities. “We also completed our ‘Funny side of life!’ cartoon collection campaign, put together by our resident cartoonist, David Gooderham. This proved a great success, and raised over £2000, which is to be split between Cancer Research UK and The Norwich Hospitals charity. “In conjunction with the Diss Waveney Rotary Club we commemorated the 75th anniversary of VE Day with a stone being placed adjacent to the trees we planted on Brewers Green in Roydon last December. A moving occasion, this joint initiative also gave us the opportunity to meet up with our fellow local Rotarians. “With the UK government giving us the allclear (and with COVID-19 safety measures in place) we were very pleased to be able to meet with fellow Rotarians, family and friends at our annual Summer Garden Party. James and Lynn Kay provided their fabulous garden, yet again, and somehow it looked better than ever – as always, we are very grateful to them for their generosity and support. “It wasn’t just a fabulous chance to get back together at a social event, but of course we were raising money. The raffle had over 30 prizes donated by members and, along with ticket sales, this helped us raise over £2000!!! “The weather behaved very well and so did most of the club’s members. Although some interesting dancing later in the evening suggested that the wine had been put to good use! “Spurred on by meetings outside, the club visited the 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbotts on 31 August. A fascinating look back to wartime England through the eyes of an American Air Corps was combined with some entertainment from museum volunteers and a fish and chip supper! “And most recently, together with the Diss Waveney Rotary Club we held a joint collection at Mere’s Mouth on 27 August for the Haiti Earthquake Disaster and raised £742.63 in generous donations from the public. The Diss & District club’s half share will support the emergency response of ShelterBox.”