Rotary Magazine April 2015 by James Lovatt Rotary

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ARM Interview 10 Champions of Change 18 The Silver Line 26 Rotary Ride 32 April/May 2015 www.rotarygbi.org

The magazine of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

36 WATERAID

Transforming lives with safe water

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ROTARY // 3

Talk from the top...

What better way to celebrate the end of the 2014/15 Rotary year, and Light Up Rotary with your friends, than to travel together to the 106th annual Rotary International Convention in São Paulo, Brazil.

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n Rotary, we have the opportunity to build bonds of friendship with fellow Rotarians around the world. And once a year, at our international convention, we have the chance to get together with all of our Rotary friends, to share new ideas, plan new service, and just have fun. What better way to celebrate the end of the 2014/15 Rotary year, and Light Up Rotary with your friends, than to travel together to the 106th annual Rotary International Convention in São Paulo, Brazil? Whether you have never been to a convention before or are an experienced convention goer, this will be one you won’t want to miss. Preregistration pricing ends on 31st March, so plan now for the biggest Rotary party of the year. The convention will begin on Saturday, 6th June, and after the opening ceremony there will be a traditional Brazilian Carnival party and a Samba School Parade at the Anhembi Sambadrome. Even if you think you have no rhythm or can’t carry a tune, you will find yourself dancing, singing, and laughing all night long. The party and parade will feature the bright colors, feathers, and sequins of Carnival costumes as well as the sights and sounds

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

of samba, the Afro-Brazilian music and dance, and the delicious food and drinks of São Paulo. On Monday night, Ivete Sangalo, winner of two Latin Grammy Awards, will entertain Rotarians. And every evening of the convention, Rotary Restaurant Nights will let you enjoy discounts in the culinary capital of Latin America. Savor fish from the Amazon, sushi with a Latin flair, Brazilian beef, and other offerings from some of São Paulo’s 30,000 restaurants and bars. Admission to several museums in São Paulo, including the excellent soccer museum, will also be free with your convention badge. Brazil reflects a diversity almost as great as Rotary’s: Paulistanos, as the people of São Paulo are known, have created a lively culture with influences from all over the world. One of the highlights of any Rotary convention is always hospitality night, where you can get to know local Rotarians. Monday night is your chance to experience the paulistano lifestyle with the Rotarians of Brazil – but be sure to book early, as numbers are limited. In Rotary, service and friendship go hand in hand. As you focus on the work of this Rotary year, I ask you not to lose sight of the importance of international friendship, and to register for the São Paulo convention now, riconvention.org

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GARY C K HUANG

RI PRESIDENT

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Water Aid

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REGULARS

FROM THE TOP

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

MEET & GREET

Up close and personal with one of our newest Rotary Club members, Brett Turton

MEMBERSHIP 40 REGIONAL NEWS 46

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

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES 50

What’s inside BIG INTERVIEWS

ARM Holdings plc - Chips with everything! 10 Discovering the silver lining with Esther Rantzen 26 ROTARY IN ACTION

ROTARY AROUND THE WORLD

Champions of Change 17 YouTube Stars 21 SIlver Screen 22 Rugby Saturday Breakfast 24 Rotary Ride 32 Woodland Trust 38 Lets Loop Swindon 45 45 O2 Dome Climb

ARM Interview 10 12 Rotary and the UN Belfast Conference 14 16 Immunising India Rotary around the World 28 Water Aid 36 THIS MONTH

Child and Maternal Health The Gift of Life

ROTARY GBI ONLINE Look us up online at rotarygbi.org or find us on Facebook / RotaryRIBI; Twitter – @RotaryGBI; and Linkedin – Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

Get in touch...

34 fyi

Rotary International GB & I, 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 Office: e: pr@rotarygbi.org Designer: Martin Tandy e: Martin.Tandy@rotarygbi.org

Advertising: Media Shed (Agents for Rotary International GB & I) Gareth Macfarlane t: 01354 818009 • e: garethm@media-shed.co.uk

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or Rotary International GB & I. 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.

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ROTARY // 5

What they say...

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

Connecting for good Networking

Rotarians are people who can make connections, using skills, wisdom and life experiences to make things happen. Rotary can celebrate the breadth of expertise among its members and the ability to make sustainable global connections and contacts. Perhaps, most significantly for the third party, is the Four Way Test. In a world of the temporary or expediency, the quality of trust and high ethical values constitutes a very valuable commodity, which we can offer to the world and to other organisations as a very good reason why they should network with us.

Partnerships

Over the course of our District visits, my wife and I have seen so many projects where working collaboratively with other organisations has produced very significant results. In particular the environmental projects with the Woodland Trust and Canal Trust have shown that working together in partnership is more economical in terms of resources and stronger in outcome than working separately. Rotary cannot operate in a bubble but needs to make links with other like-minded organisations to find more efficient and effective ways of working. In our fundraising and in our projects Rotary should be working “with” and not “for” other organisations. To that end Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland has sought to build partnerships with national and local organisations and companies. In terms of public relations and marketing, Rotarians need to be clear about the image they wish to present to the public and the product that we wish to sell. 6 // ROTARY

Volunteering for Rotary

Rotary should be working “with” and not “for” other organisations.” Volunteering

Any volunteer is potentially a Rotarian of the future. The Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland website and literature seeks to encourage people to work with Rotarians. Many clubs see the “Friends of Rotary” as a means to keep a link between the members and the volunteer who is too busy to join but wants to help. Rotarians have the skills not just to volunteer but to encourage, mentor and facilitate those in the community who would also like to do service.

Belfast Conference

It is not too late to register for a celebration of Rotary. Hear a little about Rotary in Ireland; share in the enthusiasm of the young people on the Saturday and experience the power of peace on the Sunday.

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The Titanic, Belfast

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What they say...

Living Rotary values RI DIRECTOR 2013-15 MIKE WEBB ROTARY CLUB OF MENDIP

ince my last article I have attended the January RI Board meeting where it was decided a group would look at the organisation of future conventions, a greater area of One Rotary Centre would be leased to tenants and a member benefit card and various proposed enactments for the Council on Legislation were approved. I have previously written of the need for all Rotarians to speak with one voice when describing the ethics, ideas and work of Rotary and to communicate the same message as to what it is Rotarians seek to achieve. Rotary values are fellowship and global understanding, ethics and integrity, diversity, vocational expertise, service and leadership

How do we live our Rotary values?

We build lifelong relationships, we honour our commitments, we connect diverse perspectives, and apply our leadership and expertise to solve social issues…

We are often asked what is Rotary?

1. R otary joins leaders from all continents, cultures and occupations

2. W e exchange ideas, bringing our expertise and diverse perspectives to help solve some of the world’s toughest problems 3. W e take action to bring lasting change to our communities around the world. These are Rotary’s three core ideas in essence

In the same publication are the Visual Guidelines demonstrating the many variations of the use of the Rotary Logo. Some time ago the Board asked the RI Communications department to develop signatures for Rotary programmes. The Board have endorsed those for Rotaract, Interact, RYLA, Youth Exchange. I encourage you to use the new Rotary Logo on all publications, posters

New grant model RI FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN 2014/15 JOHN KENNY ROTARY CLUB OF GRANGEMOUTH

hen the new grant model for The Rotary Foundation was introduced under the Future Vision Plan, the Trustees decided that it should be reviewed in the 2015-16 Rotary year so that your experiences could help make our processes as effective as possible. The Trustees recognise that grants involve many participants who may have different expectations, so I have appointed 8 // ROTARY

an independent committee of four past RI presidents to ensure that all views will be considered, and to ensure that confidentiality is given to anyone who may want it. The committee is made up of myself and Past RI Presidents Kalyan Banerjee, Ray Klinginsmith, and Bill Boyd, who will serve as chair. We would like to hear about your experiences within the areas of focus and

and publicity material as well as the essence of Rotary in all messages. Membership continues to be the main objective of Rotary International after Polio Eradication and regional membership plans are constantly reviewed and updated. I ask you and your club to be involved with the Growth Opportunity (GO) programmes and seminars being implemented by Rotary Coordinators Robin Brown and Chris Garner and your District Membership Chairs. It really can make a difference to your club membership by listening to ideas that have worked for other clubs. Please keep a look out for membership seminars in your district and ensure you attend, as there is much to gain by learning from others. Consider your personal and club contribution to The Rotary Foundation for example, is there some money that you could pay to RFUK for the beneﬁt of the Polio programme. As you read this we shall be looking forward to the RIBI Conference in Belfast, Alison and I look forward to meeting many of you there.

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district and global grants, and to seek your ideas for any improvements that could make our Rotary Foundation the best possible. We will read and analyse your ideas and meet at the Rotary International Convention in São Paulo, Brazil, to decide on any items that should be given to the Trustees Programs Committee. That committee will undertake the necessary surveys to ensure we are reflecting the opinions of every Rotary member, and will report back at the January 2016 International Assembly. We intend to make our recommendations at the April 2016 meeting of the Trustees. We welcome your suggestions, which you can email to futurevisionbillboyd@outlook.com as we seek your support to ensure that our Rotary Foundation continues to do good in the world in the best possible way.

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ROTARY // 9

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL ARM

ALLAN BERRY

ARM technology is used by billions of people around the world. A microprocessor designed by ARM Holdings plc is present in almost every part of our lives, although we don’t know it. This company takes its business seriously and takes its role in social responsibility just as importantly.

Chips with everything

I Simon Humphrey, Corporate Responsibility Manager at ARM

FACTFILE

ARM

ver 60% of Employees • Oactively participate in at least one community or charity activity.

A University Programme • supports educational use of ARM technology globally.

Provides urgent emergency • support to meet immediate

needs with immediate impact. Example: responding to the Philippines disasters.

rovides training for disaster • Prelief agencies such as OXFAM, UMCOM, The Red Cross and All Hands Volunteers in the use of donated tablet devices.

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f you own a smartphone the chances are high that in it is a silicon chip based on an ARM processor design. ARM has been in business for 25 years, as its corporate responsibility book says ‘making a difference to helping people live more sustainable lives.’ The company’s book also claims ‘we contribute to a sustainable society through the combination of our commercial business activity in designing energy efficient semiconductors, ARM’s partnershipbased business model and our corporate responsibility programme.’ It was concerning the corporate responsibility programme that I went along to their global headquarters in Cambridge to talk to Simon Humphrey, Corporate Most Responsibility Manager at ones h p rt a m s ARM, who is one of the n contain a d people tasked with making e n ig s e ARM d essor the statement above a proc reality. However Simon has a lot of help since this ethic of corporate responsibility seems to be embedded into the whole ethos of the company. Since the ARM technology is everywhere I started by getting an overview of where they are used and some of the applications. The statistics that Simon rolled out were staggering. ARM processor designs were in more than 12 billion silicon chips that shipped in 2014, which is around 37% of the total market. Not only do they get embedded into mobile and smartphones; they are designed into washing machines, Bluetooth devices, in car audio systems, anti-lock car brakes plus a myriad of other applications. We then moved on to discuss the corporate responsibility part of their business and Simon came up with words like ‘Hackathon’,

‘Innovation Labs’ and of course we heard about the now famous ‘Raspberry Pi’. ARM has a strategy based on four areas of focus; education, health, community and environment and we developed our discussion based around these criteria. Simon told me that the company works with schools at GCSE level with programmes based on science, technology engineering and mathematics - what is termed the STEM subjects. They run careers events in schools for 12 to 18 year olds and Simon remarked, “We engage with the young people to close the loop between school and business. During 2014 we provided direct support to over 900 young people locally and many more nationally and around the world.” There is a vested interest since ARM is developing a young talent pool for the future. Even more engaged are what is called ‘Code Clubs.’ These clubs bring together volunteers, usually but not necessarily IT professionals, with teachers, schools and venues. The projects help children to programme by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites. Another of ARM’s education programmes is ‘Literacy Bridge’ which uses talking book technology to provide those living in extreme poverty with education on health and agriculture to help reduce maternal and child mortality, hunger and chronic malnutrition. ARM partnered with UNICEF in Ghana, allowing Literacy Bridge to prove their model with 4,400 households and over 34,000 people. The results so far are encouraging with a subsistence farmer using the technology experiencing a 48% increase in his crop yield.

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Code Club, photograph courtesy of Chocolate Films

We engage with young people to close the gap between school and business.”

In our discussion we considered the environmental impact and ARM is really very aware of how its technology can have a positive influence. ARM is a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). This requires them to pledge to support the ten Global Compact principles which relate to human rights, labour practices, anticorruption and environmental responsibility. In respect of the environment, ARM has an opportunity to contribute to a global reduction in carbon through the use of ARM technology in devices to reduce the carbon footprint of the end consumers. ARM’s low power architecture already helps in this regard with intelligent motor control, satellite navigation, logistics management, control of lighting, energy and appliances in buildings and control of the grid supplying power to businesses and homes. Smart meters with silicon chips based on ARM technology also play a big part in meeting carbon reduction targets. As Simon remarked, “A 3.2% reduction of global carbon emissions by 2020 can be associated with the use of ARM technology, thus we will make quite a contribution.” ARM therefore, through its focus on energy efficiency and the ARM ecosystem and through enabling innovation www.rotarygbi.org

This farmer using our technology has experienced a 48% increase in his crop yield.

and choice is playing an important part in achieving major carbon reduction on a global scale. We could not finish an interview with ARM without asking about Hackathons and Raspberry Pi. I therefore asked Simon to tell me about Hackathons since the word ‘Hack’ can have malicious connotations. Simon replied, “Such is the corporate responsibility culture in ARM that a charity can run a challenge by an ARM group who will investigate it. Engineers will meet after work on Friday evening and will work as a team virtually non-stop over the weekend to come up with a solution. Their reward for all this

work is a plentiful supply of pizza and beer and the group will work until the challenge is met and an application is designed.” Then we moved on to Raspbery Pi, which is based on an ARM processor. Earlier this year the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced that they had surpassed the 5 million mark making the Raspberry Pi the highest selling UK PC since the Sinclair Spectrum and the BBC Micro. Using a Raspberry Pi as the core PC engineers at ARM have designed and built a robot that solves a Rubik Cube in record time. This robot is a great attraction at technology fairs such as Big Bang which was held at the NEC in Birmingham in March. I’m sure that having read thus far the question must be, ‘What has all this to do with Rotary?’ and the answer is quite simple. ARM Holdings plc is in the corporate voluntary sector and a partnership with a facilitator and volunteers who know this sector would be ideal. Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland will be working in partnership with a very successful and socially responsible company who engage their employees and the community. It’s a win win situation and we wish ARM all success with their corporate responsibility endeavours.

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ROTARY // 11

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL UNITED NATIONS

Rotary at the Top Table In the last edition we looked at Rotary and the United Nations. In this edition we look at the Areas of Focus for our own Foundation and the Millenium Development Goals.

he Rotary Foundation has a set of objectives called Areas of Focus. These are as follows: Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education and Growing Local Economies. They are aligned with the Millenium Development Goals which were set out at the turn of the century and are due to expire at the end of this year. As our representative at the United Nations Ed Futa says, “It is through our efforts on our polio eradication program that we are universally recognized as an important factor in the eradication effort. The UN recognizes that without RI this eradication would not be possible. As a NGO (non government organization), Rotary can more easily cross from working with the private sectors and foundations (such as the Gates Foundation and the pharmaceutical manufacturers), to the UN and individual governments globally. This effort grants us a front row seat at the UN’s global table. We are known as an organization that can set goals and work effectively to achieve those goals by coordinating the efforts and energies of all of the disparate and sometimes conflicting groups.” Ed continues, “This high creditability factor assists RI in all aspects of our humanitarian work. When we focus on and prioritize an area or problem, the UN often reevaluates to see if it needs further consideration by its member nations. This is a status we’ve earned by quietly and effectively pursuing our goal of polio eradication.” 12 // ROTARY

This high creditability factor assists RI in all aspects of our humanitarian work. When we focus on and prioritise an area or problem, the UN often reevaluates.” Our effectiveness in polio eradication has also allowed Rotary International to play a part in helping to set the next set of UN goals. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released an announcement at the end of last year concerning their replacement titled, Sustainable Development Goals and a report named The Road to Dignity by 2030. A number of agencies are now involved in setting the goals and Rotary is one of them. In the report, Ban Ki-Moon reaffirmed the 17 goals and 169 targets proposed by the UN open working group, of which Rotary International was one, that will come into force after the millennium development goals expire at the end of this year. People we have recently interviewed for the magazine, such as Sarah Brown, the wife of the former Prime Minister who was concerned with literacy skills, Tom Hall, the philanthropy director of UBS bank and in this edition Simon Humphrey of ARM Holdings plc have all shown their support of these goals, in particular the goals on maternal and child health. All these goals have been taken forward in the UN Document. The UN Secretary General, in an attempt to help governments, has banded the 17 goals into six “essential elements”, which he hoped would help guide member states in their negotiations on the final targets.

Ban Ki-Moon said the elements – dignity, people, planet, prosperity, justice and partnership – “were not an attempt to cluster or replace the SDGs, rather they are meant to offer conceptual guidance for the work ahead”. Ban Ki-Moon said adequate resources, the technical know-how and the political will were crucial to create a transformative vision for the future. “I urge member states to continue to keep ambitions high. We must do all it takes to provide hope for people and the planet,” he said at the report’s launch in New York. Rotary International representatives will be developing the goals along the lines of our Areas of Focus set by The Rotary Foundation in helping to make the world a better place to live for all.

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ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL BELFAST CONFERENCE

Brazilian party Rotary style

Party in Brazil

Belfast goes the extra mile

Belfast City Hall, Ferris Wheel

he 2015 Rotary Conference is here and it is a pleasure to welcome you all to Belfast where you will be sure of a warm welcome and a conference weekend like no other. The spotlight this year is on youth and peace, two of Rotary’s core commitments. Every Rotarian works tirelessly to support both these key areas to create a better world and at Conference you can see the benefit of your valuable support as well as breathe in the atmosphere of the incredible city that is Belfast. Saturday afternoon is vastly different from previous years. Whilst the Business Meeting is taking place, a showcase of Rotary youth programmes and wheelchair sports activities by our partners WheelPower will be put on at the Belfast Hilton, conveniently located next door to the Belfast Waterfront. Those who booked their evening entertainment will not be disappointed. The Hilton Dinner Dance and Laughter is offering the sharp wit of Gene Fitzpatrick whilst the Titanic Fork Supper is serving up an interesting tour of the Titanic Centre, a souvenir ticket, great food and live music by the Hyland Paddies. The Gala Dinner could not be more elegant thanks to the majestic setting of the Belfast City Hall. 14 // ROTARY

Guest speakers have been carefully selected and include the Petty Pool Trust, providers of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and great advocates of outdoor education, the Young Citizen Award winners and two Rotary Peace Fellows. Adding a splash to proceedings is the dynamic Sally Kettle, the daring Atlantic rower, and the wonderfully funny writer, comedian and presenter Tony Hawks, who is finishing things on a high on Sunday. Our friends at Visit Belfast have really gone the extra mile to make your stay perfect. With contacts at great city hotels, the team has worked very hard to find you the best places to stay and, if you choose to stay on after the Conference, their outstanding local knowledge will turn your holiday into the trip of a life-time. Travel plans have been made even easier this year with the support of FlyBe and Stena who offered discounts to Rotarians attending the 2015 Rotary Conference. May the 90th Rotary Conference inspire you, entertain you and energise you for the Rotary year ahead.

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oin President Peter King at the Sao Paulo Convention June 2015 Bem-vindo ao Brasil! Welcome to São Paulo, the home of the 106th Rotary International Convention. You are invited to join President Peter King and his wife Di at the Rotary InternationaI Convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil from June 5-9, 2015. Led by RI President Gary Huang, the Convention is the Rotary International flagship event attended by over 25,000. The Mayor of Sao Paulo offers a welcome and sends greetings to all of Rotary to share his colourful and vibrant city for this week in June. See the full program and details of the fun, fellowship and carnival experience at www.riconvention.org. TAM, the Brazilian airline is the official carrier offering special rates. A wide range of good quality hotels are available to meet your needs and all of this information and more can be found via the website. A Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Convention dinner is arranged for the evening of Monday June 8, at the Espaço Immensità, located in the Mercure Hotel, in Av. Luiz Dumont Villares close to the convention centre where President Peter invites you to enjoy a Brazillian buffet style three course dinner with your Rotarian friends. Details from denis@thespillers.me Convention is a great opportunity to attend one of Rotary’s largest global events and Sao Paulo offers a party atmosphere like no other.

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

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ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL IMMUNISATION DAY

Immunising India Although India has been declared polio free it is essential that the immunisation programme keeps it that way. Jannine Birtwhistle from the Rotary Club of Guernsey, on her recent visit to India tells us more.

uring our trip we visited a school called Ashkay Pratishthan (AP) where able-bodied children from deprived backgrounds and special needs children come together. The school, which was set up by Aruna Dalmia 26 years ago, has 450 pupils and has seen hundreds of polio victims through its doors. We met with Anuj and Saleema, two ex-pupils and polio survivors who have triumphed in the face of adversity. They both contracted polio before their first birthday and faced a future of no hope or possibility for education. Spending the first nine years of his life unable to walk, Anuj received no schooling, but during a trip to a health camp he met Aruna, who offered him a place at AP. He started in year three with no reading or writing skills, however the education he received along with the other services that the school provides, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and medical care, helped him to develop rapidly during his time there, progressing from crawling to walking with the aid of calipers. To this day mobility is still difficult for Anuj and he is unable to use normal public transport as he simply cannot get up and down steps. Nevertheless he is fiercely independent; something that was nurtured during his time at AP, and he is now a Delhi University graduate and recently started a job. He still lives with his family but hopes to one day get married and have a family that he can provide for - a dream that would have been impossible if it had not been for AP and Anuj’s own perseverance and courage. Anuj commented: “I don’t want other children to suffer like I have, you must please carry on until this is stopped.” Anuj and a group of friends have also formed a local drama group, which performs street plays in their community warning

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The effects of polio

people about the of polio and lk effects the importance of JonuacesdSthae prod getting their vaccine. first polioin Like Anuj, e in c c a v Saleema’s early life 1952 was a struggle until she bumped into a teacher from AP in her local park at the age of five and was offered a place at the school - this chance meeting turned Saleema’s life around. Saleema’s academic abilities were excellent, as was her love of music and dance that she also learnt at school. She went on to complete secondary school education at a local government school, graduated from Delhi University and is now a qualified teacher at AP. Saleema commented: “All that I have gone through is unthinkable. I do not want any other child to have to go through a life like this. I want everybody to have a healthy

body - those two drops of polio vaccine are literally life saving.” The school has certainly changed the lives of Anuj and Saleema but they both still suffer a lot of pain from their disability and they will continue to face challenges as a result of contracting the disease. We have promised the children of the world that we will eradicate polio and we must fulfill this. Despite the incredible resilience and determination demonstrated by polio survivors, the effects of the disease are with them for life. Hearing Anuj and Saleema’s story brought home the changes Rotary can make to people’s lives with this simple vaccine.

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Those two drops of polio vaccine are literally life saving.” www.rotarygbi.org

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

The story so far

C The awardees at the House of Lords

Champions of Change

In the second year of this awards ceremony we find out about the champions and what makes them special.

bolition of child slavery and toddlers begging in the streets, local and international peace, health and education all topics being tackled by this year’s Champions of Change. Twelve Rotarians were honoured at the second Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland Awards Ceremony. Hosting the event in the House of Lords, the Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness described Rotary as “a great movement” and said he was very humbled to see the achievements of the Awardees. He commented: “Your initiative and imagination with ‘Service before Self ’ does change lives, and those of us in Parliament who try to do things for people ties in very much with what you do.” President Peter King described the event as a celebration of how Rotarians change lives and an opportunity to network with other non-profits, businesses and parliamentarians. Lord Tankerness presented bound Champions of Change certificates as the President read out the individual citation précis. www.rotarygbi.org

The evening was very much about networking as Awardees met their respective MPs, in many cases for the first time, allowing them to share their projects, inform and, in some cases, gain further assistance. Every Awardee was given the support of his or her MP, from Cabinet Minister the Rt Hon Eric Pickles, to backbenchers and, in the case of Tony Allchurch, the Chief Minister of Jersey, Senator Ian Gorst with whom he had been working closely on this year’s celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the island from German occupation. Rotary showcased the talent of its national Young Musician of the Year vocalist Isabelle Atkinson singing Rossini’s La Promessa. Of course there was networking later on social media with many attendees sharing their enjoyment and enthusiasm for the event with friends and supporters.

hampions of Change are Rotarians who quietly and efficiently go about their inspired tasks alone or who galvanise a team to help. They are the unsung heroes, who, may have not been featured in recognition events locally and with their respective Clubs. They are the Rotarians who have been selected from throughout Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland who exemplify the Rotary motto “Service above Self ” by making a difference at a local or international level. Initiated last year with the Awards Evening at the Scotland Office in Whitehall, the event this year moved to the House of Lords. There were two categories for nomination. The first was Domestic given for outstanding volunteer work, largely focusing on addressing humanitarian concerns within Great Britain and Ireland. The second was International, given for outstanding volunteer work focused on addressing international humanitarian challenges outside Great Britain and Ireland.

•

Young Musician of the Year vocalist Isabelle Atkinson

ROTARY // 17

Domestic and International

Champions who change lives Nick Lamborn, Rotary Club of Billicay Ma yfl

ower.

For leading an appeal wh ich, with a matching grant fro m The Rotary Foundation, raised £65,0 00, to equip a new sixth form college for teenagers with learning difficulties. He also leads other major initiatives includ ing the Billericay Christmas Market, an ann ual event at which 20,000 people see Rotary in action, raising £20,000 a year for local good causes.

Tony Allchurch about to be interviewed for TV

Tony’s dream took a further step towards reality when last year the third Tony Allchurch, Peace Initiative was given further Rotary Club of Jersey. Governmental approval. The peace event was launched at Government House with a student peace debate in the States’ Assembly hosted by the Lieutenant Governor of the Island and facilitated by the Chief Minister. It was also attended by a number of politicians and church The Island of Jersey is this year leaders. By engaging with young people celebrating the 70th anniversary of and the population of Jersey, retired vet liberation from the German occupation. Tony has now ensured that the subject And, thanks to Tony Allchurch from the of peace is high on the States’ agenda. Rotary Club of Jersey, the aim is to The fruits of Tony’s hard work over celebrate with it being recognised the past three years will be seen this year as a Rotary Peace island. when the Peace Initiative will involve all The event has been three years in charities on the Island working together, the planning, beginning in 2012 with a as part of the anniversary celebrations, presentation on PeaceJam for 200 sixth formers followed by a meeting with members to achieve a common purpose of peace of the wider community on the island. The within Jersey. For whilst the peaceful following year Tony organised a seminar at scene which now attracts thousands of tourists to the islands every year is a far which an international group of speakers included a Rotary Peace Fellow from Japan. cry from the conflict experienced by the islanders during the second world war, The Seminar attracted high profile media Jersey is a multi-cultural society which, attention. The Peace Dinner was attended without the right kind of education and by the Chief Minister of Jersey, who spoke leadership, can inevitably lead to conflict. highly of Rotary’s peace aspirations.

Peace reigns on Jersey.

18 // ROTARY

Gill Rouse, ham North. Rotary Club of Chelten

ing For her tireless fund-rais ive ens Int and ia em uk Le for the NC), which Chemotherapy Fund (LI hospitals for its un has provided two am. In spite nh elte Ch and r in Glouceste blems pro of several personal health bine her com to she last year managed b Clu her of ent sid positions as Pre C. LIN of or ect Dir with that of

Donald James Carsley , Rotary Club of Llantwit Ma

jor.

For his work with the dis abled, in particular in organisin g the Wales Special Needs Gymnast ics and Team Disability Rotary Sport s Championships in South Wales. A retire d senior police detective, he has a desire to transform the lives of not only the disabled, but also the families thr ough enhancement of their sel f-esteem.

www.rotarygbi.org

Margaret Lund, d. Rotary Club of Fleetwoo

ablishment of For championing the est in the Rotary s ool Sch RotaKids in Primary tion of over 40 ma for the in District, resulting between 10 and 65. clubs, with membership organised the first Retired Head Teacher, she country, which the in RotaKids’ Conference annual events. r the fur by ed has been follow

Preston Ayres Rotary Club of Milton Ke ynes Grand Union. For instigating and organi sing the Extra Mile Challenge, which ove r the past 10 years has raised over £1m, ben efiting 215 local charities. Preston under takes the recce, details the routes in adv ance and manages the day-to-day organisat ion of the event.

Jean Best, right. Rotary Club of Kirkcudb

the Rotary For her part in devising d not only use ng bei is ich Peace Project, wh n adapted for in the UK but has also bee the USA and use in Mexico, Australia Peace and h ttis Sco and in developing a e for schools. mm gra pro tion Conflict Resolu

Hilary Gordon, Rotary Club of Ellon. For her leadership with the First Steps Himalayas Project a Ro tary Vocational Training Team (VTT) to deliver teacher training and raise educat ional standards in Nepal. The project direct ly benefitted 4,000 pupils and 120 teachers. A special needs head she is now busy pre paring another team to go out to Nepal in October.

John Brooker, . Rotary Club of Middleton

providing For his tireless work in Shanzu community educational facilities in the up a registered of Mombasa and setting now ensures the ich charity in the UK, wh for approximately ion cat edu provision of free to 16 years. The 300 children from three ut £30,000 per charity, which needs abo education, but ly on annum, provides not rms. ifo un ool also meals and sch

www.rotarygbi.org

Maureen Mwagale and Rt Hon Lord Wallace

Maureen Mwagale, Rotary Club of Reigate Hill.

Stopping babies begging. Maureen Mwagale from the Rotary Club of Reigate Hill moved to Britain nearly 30 years ago, but she never forgot her Ugandan roots. When her niece sent her pictures of babies and toddlers being used to beg on the streets of Kampala, she decided she had to do something to help. She booked a trip to her homeland for Christmas 2008, collected clothes and shoes for many youngsters and decided to organise a Christmas party for them. She was completely overwhelmed by the response. Around 600 babies and children turned up and Maureen had to dispatch her mother to get more food. Since that time Maureen has been combining her job, firstly at Gatwick Airport and more recently as hospital administrator, with fund-raising, including doing a recent

Mark Little, St Edmund. Rotary Club of Norwich

t 13 years to For helping over the las pating in, tici par raise awareness of, and slavery ld chi t ven projects to help pre the world. d un aro g kin ffic tra and human Gr tion oup In 2009 he formed Ac ild Slaver y, Ch of Rotarians against It now has n. ma air of which he is Ch ntries and cou 60 r ove in supporters m many works with partners fro world-wide groups.

Baby begging in Kampala

sky-dive. She gives up all her annual leave and public holidays to visit Kampala three or four times a year in order to keep in touch with the needs of the area. The money is used to help teach the disadvantaged women new skills, including bead work and soap making, to earn a living and to develop educational facilities for their children, in an attempt to eliminate their need to beg on the streets of Kampala. On her last Christmas trip she discovered fewer babies and toddlers were being used to beg, but more girls between 10 and 16 were on the streets, many of which were also involved in sexual activity. “There is lots of abuse going on in the evenings,” says Maureen. “The girls need to raise money to send back home. There are signs that trafficking is taking place. This is a time bomb.” Maureen is supported by her Club and St Andrew’s Church, Crawley, as well as many individuals and now has strong links with the Rotary Clubs of Kampala, with whom she is now trying to establish Rotaract Clubs.

Trevor Stewart, Rotary Club of Lisburn. For leading Paddy Rider (Bi kes for Africa - Jole Rider), which provid es opportunities for offenders in the Irish Prison Service to gain a skill and qualification prior to release along with providing much nee ded transport for school children in The Ga mbia and recycling waste materials which wo uld otherwise go to landfill. The project (fro m collection of bikes to transportation to the UK mainland) involved setting up and ma intaining a large network of Rotarians and businesses.

•

To see a complete list and respective clubs go to: www.rotarygbi.org/honouring-champions-change/ ROTARY // 19

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ROTARY IN ACTION

End polio now

YouTube stars support End Polio Now An original and innovative way of raising donations for End Polio Now was presented by a young new member and it reaped a fantastic benefit.

att Mason from the Rotary Club of Reading Matins is a ‘gamer’, he plays video games in his spare time, and came up with quite an original way to raise £135,000 for End Polio Now. He put his knowledge of video games to good use by reaching out to Yogscast, a company that throughout the festive season incorporated donation requests into its live streaming of video games on YouTube. Yogscast is the brainchild of Simon Lane and Lewis Brindley, and they quickly became Internet sensations with people logging on all over the world to watch them play video games and generally entertain their audience, which is made up of over seven million subscribers. Jingle Jam is an annual event run by Lewis and Simon, and much like the TV counterparts as the webcast progresses they ask for donations to a selected group of charities. The donors can win codes to video games donated by companies such as Humble Bundle based in San Francisco, and in some cases regular watchers supply gifts of sweaters and all sorts of ‘goodies’ that Lewis and Simon give away in return for a donation. Last year they selected five charities, and End Polio Now was one of those chosen. As Lewis explained: “There is a whole generation of young people out there who do not watch television in the conventional way since programmes are scheduled. We watch at times to suit us and the subjects are very niched to a particular interest. Many of the young people who watch have never donated to a charity before and they don’t even have a credit card. We have to choose international charities that people all over the world can recognise. I knew

www.rotarygbi.org

The livestream room at Yogscast

I knew about End Polio Now since my dad is a Rotarian so selecting it was quite easy.” Lewis and Simon... it’s all fun

about End Polio Now because my dad is a Rotarian so selecting it was quite easy.” Lewis freely admits that what once was a hobby is now a full time business, which has 20 employees, or as Lewis fondly refers to them friends. Jingle Jam on Yogscast took place over four weeks and raised $1million for the respective chosen charities, including a charity chosen by Lewis and Simon for disabled gamers since they thought it appropriate to their industry. Rotarian Matt, who is 29, had the support of the members of the Rotary Club of Reading Matins and went on to say of Yogscast: “It’s like watching a football

match with other people from all over the world. In some countries stadiums of people watch Yogcast’s videos, as is the case in South Korea and Japan. I joined Rotary to help with End Polio Now and I was very pleased to make this contribution.” However it is viewed £135,000 is a whole lot of money and when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contribution is added it comes to £405,000, which is even more impressive. Huge congratulations are in order for Matt and the Rotary Club of Reading Matins for finding an innovative way to make a contribution, and Matt tells us he is thinking of even more ways to raise money, so more power to him.

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ROTARY // 21

ROTARY IN ACTION

Silver Screen

Gala screenings set to tackle loneliness

There are an estimated five million isolated elderly people in the UK, who spend days and weeks without anyone to see or talk to. Rotary Wessex came up with a unique project to help tackle this heart breaking problem.

ast year Age UK revealed shocking statistics that there are five million of our older generation who suffer from isolation, with nearly 40 per cent of over 65s saying that they felt lonely. That’s when Rotary decided they had to do something to help, and Rotary’s Red Carpet Gala Screenings were born. Working with The Damaris Trust, the aim of the gala screenings is to raise money for The Silver Screen project whose aim is to get older people out of the house and meeting new people by taking them to the cinema. The pilot was launched on Rotary’s 110th birthday to an audience of celebrities, Rotarians, business, civic, and community leaders. Over 350 guests, including honorary Rotarian Dame Esther Rantzen and Olympic diver Pete Waterfield came out in force to support the event. The glamorous screening was of The Second Best Marigold Hotel, which was held at the University of Southampton, and as a result a group of isolated older people across Hampshire and Dorset will be able to go to the cinema for four weeks in order to meet new people. Alan Ward was one such person who got in touch when he heard about the launch of the initiative on the news. Alan, who is 83, lost his wife to cancer six years ago and has increasingly felt the effects of loneliness as he is no longer able to drive and has little access to public transport. Throughout his life Alan worked as a Studio Manager for the BBC, and he’d often visit the cinema to watch live screenings of opera and ballet from opera houses across the world. “I moved from Birmingham, where I knew a lot of people, to Southampton and I now live in a reasonably isolated spot, however I have wonderful neighbours who do things for me.

22 // ROTARY

Dame Esther Rantzen and Bob Lowe, Ambassador for Esther’s charity The Silver Line, at the Gala Screening

I lead quite a lonely life, so the cinema visit wasn’t about me seeing the film, the day for me was about meeting new people.” “I lead quite a lonely life, so the cinema visit wasn’t about me seeing the film, the day for me was about meeting new people, and the project is great for bringing people together to have a chat,” comments Alan. The project is now being rolled out across the country helping even more elderly people to overcome the feeling of isolation they may experience, and the initiative aims to engage them in a social activity and help to build new friends.

•

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

www.rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Rugby Saturday Breakfast

All good friends We take a look at a fun and vibrant breakfast club that meets every Saturday to see why they are so busy and how they are doing things a little differently.

very Rotary club is unique and Rugby Saturday Breakfast certainly meets this criteria since they meet on a Saturday at Brownsover Hall Hotel on the outskirts of Rugby. We went along to a meeting to find out some of the things they get up to. Like quite a few Rotary clubs they emphasise that they do not do formality, and before the actual meeting there was the usual hustle and bustle of a busy club, and they are very busy as we were to find out later in the meeting! The informality started when we had to collect the first part of our breakfast from the main dining room of the hotel, which is a maze of meeting rooms with all sorts of events being arranged. Because Rugby Breakfast meets on a Saturday they start a little later than a weekday breakfast club with proceedings kicking off at 8:30 when the female President gets everyone’s attention, and yes she used a bell! It became apparent as the meeting progressed and we waited for our full English, or whatever we had ordered, that there was a great rapport amongst members who knew each other well and were comfortable in each others company. Another factor that was clear to see is that this club of 19 members is an extremely active bunch. They hold spring fairs, fashion shows, quiz nights, plant sales, curling evenings, local disabled sports, and their signature event ‘The Silver Band Night’. They continued to list all the events but we lost count of all they do! Working out how they do all this eventually became easy as they mentioned several times they were all good friends. In fact the Saturday meeting was formal and they often meet informally in the middle of the week for an evening meal, a cinema or theatre visit. As the President Paula Boyd Billings puts it “we are all good

24 // ROTARY

The Rugby Saturday Breakfast Club on one of their many outings

friends and all the members are like an extended family. We support each other and get along well together.” This was demonstrated when one of their members was ill recently the whole club rallied around to help her during her stay in hospital and her recuperation. The club does its fair share to help the community too, with the members helping out at a Soup Kitchen on Mondays. They visit Hope4U in Rugby, which is a food ministry offering soup or a meal to the homeless three days a week and, if needed, a bed for the night. Rugby Saturday Breakfast Rotary Club spends one evening a month helping this charity at St Andrews Church in the town. After we left the club, the members were going on to another meeting, planning the spring fair with other Rotary Clubs in Rugby. This is a great example of one of the many ways that members keep busy and help contribute to the community life in Rugby.

We are all good friends and all the members are like an extended family.”

•

www.rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY // 25

WHAT THEY SAY

The Big Interview

Dame Esther Rantzen is a very busy person but found time to speak to me about the two charities she has set up. The Silver Line, that helps older lonely people and ChildLine, which helps vulnerable young people.

Discovering

ALLAN BERRY

the Silver Lining

I FACTFILE

THE SILVER LINE

The Silver Line receives more • than 1,000 calls a day T here is no age limit for callers, • if you think The Silver Line’s for you, it’s for you

Most calls are received in • the evenings, nights and at weekends

More than half told us that if they • hadn’t contacted The Silver Line, they would have had no one else at all to speak to

For more information visit: www.thesilverline.org.uk Tel: 0800 470 80 90 www.childline.org.uk Tel: 0800 11 11 26 // ROTARY

n the last New Year’s Honours list Esther Rantzen was made a Dame. She founded ChildLine in 1986 to help children who were sexually abused and bullied and so far it has reached over 3.2 million children. Recently Dame Esther set up The Silver Line, a helpline supporting older people who feel lonely. The charity receives in excess of 1,000 calls per day. As well as receiving a Damehood she received the Order of the British Empire in 1991 for her services to broadcasting and has honorary doctorates from six universities. It was concerning The Silver Line that I wanted to talk with her recently and she was on a frantic dash around various functions and broadcasters promoting a CD for The Silver Line called Silver Linings, but more about that later. We discussed how The Silver Line works, and it is really two way. There are many people of what Dame Esther calls ‘The Silver Generation’ who quite often live alone without much company. They outlive their partner, usually of many years standing, and have to face life without them. Often with no one to talk to a little problem can become a big one and cannot be shared but often it is just bland loneliness, not having someone to share those quiet moments with. That’s where The Silver Line comes in. As Dame Esther explained, “anyone can call The Silver Line on 0800 407 090 and speak with a volunteer who has been trained to listen, pass on information, give advice and, if necessary, befriend the caller. The line is manned 24 hours seven days a week, the call is free, confidential and the caller is treated with respect and understanding.”

The ‘Silver Generation’ who quite often live alone without much company

As a result the caller, as Dame Esther said, “can be honest and speak frankly about almost anything.” The volunteers are trained to recognise if a problem needs more advice than listening, they are trained to listen, and can help the caller by referring them to an agency that will help them further. I went on to ask Dame Esther how Rotary and Rotarians can help, she said, “they are outgoing and if they have time to spare it takes only a few hours per week – a Rotarian would make a great Silver Line friend!” A Silver Line friend is a volunteer, trained by the organisation. She continues, ”the caller never meets the Silver Line friend and this helps callers in that they can be frank and they tend to open up more talking about things that are important to them and in a strange way this is liberating. The Silver Line friend can arrange to call the client back at a certain time each week for a regular chat to help break the cycle of loneliness. This may be a fixed time each week at a time that suits.” www.rotarygbi.org

Dame Esther Rantzen working at The Silver Line

Callers can be frank and they tend to open up more talking about things that are important to them and in a strange way this is liberating.” Dame Esther also explained that the charity needs money to survive and they have just released a CD called Silver Linings. Dame Esther explains, “Silver Linings is a collection of the most fabulous songs from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, what we would call the songs of a lifetime all sung by the real artists, Elvis Presley, The Momas and the Popas, Shirley Bassey and Ella Fitzgerald to mention a few. Listening to these songs we used to listen to as kids not only brings back memories but it is also physically very good for you to hear and enjoy them.” I could not finish an interview with Dame Esther without asking about ChildLine, which she set up in 1986. We talked about the child abuse cases that have been revealed recently and whether ChildLine would have been able to help. She said, “I do hope so, it is one of my sadnesses that we have not found any recollections of phone calls from young persons talking about any of these people. www.rotarygbi.org

I don’t know why that is and maybe they felt we would not have believed them but we would.” Dame Esther went on, “talking about these things is never easy since you have to describe things that make you unhappy, ashamed and humiliated.” We then discussed the courage it takes to come forward and why it is important to have a certain amount of respect for the people who along with ChildLine have brought these issues to the fore. As we finished the interview I must admit to thinking how much of her time Dame Esther puts into these charities and her grasp of the everyday workings of them was certainly impressive. So also was her empathy with the people in the charities she was trying to help. She spoke with a deep sincerity about what she was trying to achieve. Dame Esther is an honorary Rotarian who certainly epitomises the Rotary strapline of ‘Service above Self ’ in her life.

Silver Linings the CD is available now from all major supermarkets, HMV, Amazon, iTunes with a donation of 10% from all CDs sold.

•

ROTARY // 27

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 USA, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada and India. USA: Rotary Festival Draws over 2,000 People More than 2,000 people attended a successful Corning Rotary Club Wine Food and Art Festival at Rolling Hills Casino on Saturday. One of the highlights of the event, the Clam Chowder Cook-off, garnished 1,004 votes between 10 different cooking teams. This year’s winners, with 325 votes, were the Glenn County Search and Rescue cooking team, who took home a prize of $500. In addition to the clam chowder, those attending enjoyed sampling wines and craft beers from numerous booths, and a wide variety of specialty foods. “It was a very successful fundraiser for Corning Rotary,” Cardenas said. “We want to thank everyone who attended the event along with all the volunteers, and participants that made this event so successful.”

Australia: Rotary gives back to local groups Community spirit was alive and well at the Reef Gateway Hotel on Monday afternoon, with the presentation of the Rotary Club of Airlie Beach to beneficiaries. Each year, Whitsunday businesses that purchase advertisements in the community guide, nominate a community group to receive half the cost of their ad payments. The ‘My Whitsunday’ phone book is 30-years-old this year and more than $10 million has been raised over that time. This year, a total of $16,850 was handed out to 13 beneficiaries nominated by 17 businesses. Mayor Whitney said she was pleased to be in attendance: “This is a fantastic initiative of the Rotary Club of Airlie Beach which funnels money back into the community for notfor-profit organisations,” she said.

South Africa: Rotary celebrates 25 years of Race Day The Rotary Club of Three Rivers celebrated 25 years of staging the Brian Korte Race Day event at Turffontein race course. The raceday charity event successfully raised R45,000 for needy causes ranging from shelter homes, feeding schemes, wheelchair and walking rings donation, animals under distress through the SPCA, and maize meal donations to about 30 organisations in the Sedibeng District region at any given time. Rotary President Beth Thomas commented, “We are grateful that three sponsoring companies, Climate Vaal, OWA Ceiling Systems and GMC Air Conditioners, have been supportive of this event from inception, including Turffontein management, who have equally been super-supportive of our cause.”

Nigeria: Expert harps on peace, as Ibadan Rotary Club celebrates anniversary Nigerians, especially politicians, have been enjoined to embrace peace so that the country can achieve sustainable development. Speaking at the 110th anniversary of the Rotary Club International and its 54th year of existence in Ibadan, Mrs Aderonke Ige of Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) urged all and sundry to shun any act capable of breaching the nation’s peace. The anniversary attracted bigwigs in Ibadan Rotary Clubs and dignitaries from far and wide. Ige called on the electorate to engage the leaders so as to get the best leadership, stressing that conflicts could not be ruled out in any society and that peace was not the absence of conflicts but the presence of justice. Mrs Ige admonished political elite and all to ensure that there was justice.

Canada: Rotary Music Festival back for its 60th year The talent of hundreds of youth will be showcased over the next two weeks, as the Rotary Music Festival returns. “It’s a terrific community event and an important part of the cultural aspect of our community. It also has benefits many times over, because these competitors go on and do wonderful things,” said Don Davis, chair of the Medicine Hat Rotary Club’s music festival committee. The Medicine Hat Rotary Club has been sponsoring the festival since its inception and Davis says the club could not run it without the support of the community, with people volunteering to assist with anything. They are expecting more than 1,500 performers this year, including bands, choirs, groups and individual performers in categories ranging from choral and piano to musical theatre.

India: Prevent birth of thalassemic children A local unit of Rotary International has launched a programme to make Mumbai and Thane free of thalassemia within the next six years. They plan to prevent the birth of babies who may be affected with this genetic disorder by screening pregnant mothers and young couples who could be carriers of the gene. Rotary outlined ‘Vision 2020’ prepared by pediatrician Dr Lalit Katkar and his team. “We are emphasizing a shift from treating the disease to preventing the birth of such children in future,” Katkar said. The programme was launched at a seminar at Haffkine Institute by Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao. Rotary says there are an estimated 65 to 67 thousand b-thalassemia patients in India with certain communities reportedly having a higher incidence of thalassemia.

28 // ROTARY

www.rotarygbi.org

INTERVIEW ALLAN BERRY

Meet & Greet

Up close, and personal with our newest Rotary Club members. FACT FILE Brett Turton is very new to Rotary and recently joined The Rotary Club of Cambridge South. He is still learning about the organisation but gives us his impressions so far. NAME: Brett Turton AGE: 46 ROTARY CLUB: Cambridge South OCCUPATION: Solicitor, specialising in Contract and Data Privacy Law

had a fair idea what Rotary was about before I joined as my late father was a Rotarian, and I had a reasonable knowledge that Rotary was a service organisation providing help and support to local and international projects. I knew I wanted to get involved so I looked at the Rotary GBI website and I liked what I saw. I sent an enquiry in and since I work in Cambridge it was referred to Cambridge South Rotary Club and they meet on Mondays at 6:00pm at the Gonville Hotel in Cambridge, so it suited me fine. After going along to a few meetings my perception of Rotary was enhanced, as I had found a club that met my need and underlined for me what Rotary was all about, service above self. To be honest when I was asked if there were any highlights of becoming a Rotarian, my induction sprung to mind, which took place in early February, as I am so new. Since I only recently joined, I am still learning all about the organisation, so asking me about what I think should change in Rotary was equally challenging. What immediately comes to mind is that encouraging younger people to get involved should be at the top of the agenda. There are also many things about Rotary that I think would enhance the image and raise the profile, and we should be projecting our efforts at fundraising and fellowship. Of course our efforts at getting out into the community to help and support the needy and vulnerable could be highlighted. I tell my friends about Rotary and have a female colleague who volunteers at the local hospital as well as a retirement home and I have asked her about joining. I relayed to her how Rotary brings together like-minded people who

After going along to a few meetings my perception of Rotary was enhanced, as I had found a club that met my need and underlined for me what Rotary was all about, service above self.

want to give something back to the community and help build goodwill and peace in society. I get a lot out of being a member since it gives me a sense of belonging to a community minded organisation that promotes goodwill and peace. The Rotary Club of Cambridge South meet every Monday at The Gonville Hotel Gonville Place, Parkers Piece, Cambridge CB1 1LY. Their meetings commence at 18:00. l

To find a club near you go to: rotarygbi.org/club-finder 30 // ROTARY

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ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS YOUNG

PHOTOGRAPHER

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EFFECT We are neighbours, community leaders,and global citizens uniting for the common good. With your help we can achieve even more. To find out how you can help go to: rotarygbi.org

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ROTARY IN ACTION

ALLAN BERRY

Rotary Ride

Why is Rotary supporting research into prostate cancer and why have they chosen to run an event to raise money and awareness? We ask one of the leading consultants in this field of work

A revolution in diagnosis

R Professor Mark Emberton of University College Hospital

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otary Clubs across Great Britain and Ireland are signing up for a big event being held on Sunday June 21, 2015 that coincidentally is also Father’s Day. The event is the Rotary Ride and this year they are cycling for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer kills 10,500 men in the UK every year however it is reckoned that with proper diagnosis and treatment that number could be markedly reduced. Why did we choose prostate cancer, I hear you ask, and why should you take part? To get answers to these questions and a few more we met up with one of the countries leading specialists in this field. Professor Mark Emberton of University College Hospital, leads a team working on minimally invasive methods in the diagnosis and treatment of prostatic disease with a particular emphasis on cancer. Mark Emberton is leading the change in the way prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated and we discussed this at length. The diagnosis begins with a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which is a very simple blood test to see if the prostate gland is working correctly. A raised PSA is merely an indication that there is the possibility of prostate cancer and not a diagnosis. From this point further tests and diagnosis can be quite invasive and we discussed this with Mark since it is from here that his team differs from the usual continuing procedures. Mark and his team advocate the use of Magnetic Resonant Imaging (MRI) Scans at this point. The observation was made that in many instances this would not be offered. Mark Emberton commented, “They have the means to do it since most hospitals have an MRI machine, which is busy doing hips and knees”. This was challenged and Mark went

on, “Most MRI’s are reasonably full, I’m not saying MRI and the prostate is trivial, you have to do it well, machines would need to be retuned and caring staff would need training to be able to interpret the images. “I don’t think fund raising should pay for core NHS facilities but it could be used for training, computer aided diagnosis and implementation. All these are new skills for better diagnosis and care.” Mark Emberton fervently wanted to get across the message that the next stage after a PSA shows possible abnormality should be an MRI scan but it was put to him that not many NHS Trusts would take that pathway routinely. He replied, “At University College Hospital we do and everyone who has a high PSA test we do an MRI Scan and do 2,000 a year here.” When asked if he knew of any other hospital where the scan was routine he was hard pushed to name any but did roll out the names of several in the mainland of Europe. The professor admits that he is in the early stages of a revolution in diagnosis and research in the early management of this disease. He has written many papers on the subject and was able to back his statements up with facts from papers printed all over the world. He wants to start a lobby in the same way the lobby on breast cancer changed perceptions and treatment. He explains, “It’s a good news story all round and we would like all men diagnosed with a high PSA to adopt the ‘Image First’ strapline and lobby as this is the product of five to 10 years of research.” We put it to Mark that it was innovative and he agreed, “It’s what we want innovation to do, result in better health care.” Prostate Cancer UK gave a positive but somewhat guarded response to the approach taken by Professor Emberton when asked about the advances in his work this is what www.rotarygbi.org

Rotarians on London Bridge

It’s a good news story all round and we would like all men diagnosed with a high PSA to adopt the ‘Image First’ strapline.”

Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK said, “The use of MRI scans early on in the process of diagnosing prostate cancer is certainly showing promise, not only in terms of increasing the accuracy of diagnosis but also avoiding unnecessary biopsies. We will need to wait for final trial results, due later this year, before we know the full potential of this technology. In the meantime we need to see arrangements put in place to ensure that more men can benefit if the trial results are positive.” The reasons given by Mark Emberton and the resulting changes are why we are asking everyone to participate with events held by their local Rotary Club across the country on Sunday June 21 and the initiative has the backing of the UK’s largest prostate charity, Prostate Cancer UK. Mark Bishop, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK said: “It’s fantastic to see that Rotary has decided to organise the Rotary Ride 2015 to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK. By doing this they, and other participating rotary clubs, are joining men united and helping to make a real difference in furthering the fight against prostate cancer. www.rotarygbi.org

The Rotary Ride for Prostate Cancer takes place on Sunday June 21, 2015. For details go to: rotarygbi.org/rotary-ride John Hewko taking part in a Rotary ride

Whatever you do together, big or small, you’ll be helping us push for real change, from more effective testing to better treatments. We thank all the rotary clubs involved and wish them every success with their challenge.” l

ROTARY // 33

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL VTT VISIT

The gift of life India has the highest number of maternal deaths in the world, with 17% of all such deaths occurring there. Rotary is working to make a dramatic difference through vocational training to prevent mothers dying in childbirth. Two years ago, a Vocational Training Team from London travelled to Mumbai and Jawhar, a poor rural, tribal area north of Mumbai, with the vision of training local doctors and health workers in advanced life saving skills for mothers and babies. This year, it was time for the team to return to see the astonishing success of this programme, which has resulted in not one single mother dying in childbirth at Jawhar Hospital since their visit. Eve Conway from the Rotary Club of Redbridge and VTT Coordinator Judi Stockwell joined two senior midwives Caroline Duncombe and Manjit Roseghini and Paediatrician Piyusha Kapila to retrace the journey they took two years ago.

They met up with a team of Rotarians from Mumbai including Dr Balkrishna Inamdar, who spearheaded the project, Paediatrician Dr Sandeep Kadam and “Master Trainers” who the VTT trained in 2013. The team of 13 gynaecologists and obstetricians had learnt advanced life saving skills for mothers and babies, using manikins. They then passed this on to local doctors, nurse-midwives and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), women who work with families on health care issues in villages. Since 2013, the training has been rolled out by Master Trainers to over 400 nursemidwives and ASHAs. During this year’s visit, a further 12 Master Trainers, over 100 nurse-midwives and 125 ASHAs were trained by the team.

This plan is working. Since the 2013 visit, we have been told more women have registered for antenatal care and the percentage of women attending Jawhar Hospital for childbirth has increased from less than 50 to 85%.”

Senior midwife from London Manjit Roseghini showing life-saving skills for mothers to nurse-midwives in Jawhar

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The role for ASHAs and nurse-midwives was established to encourage women to register for antenatal care early on, and to have a plan to get to hospital for the birth. The training also showed them what to do in an emergency where there are complications during birth. Judi said: “This plan is working. Since the 2013 visit, we have been told more women have registered for antenatal care and the percentage of women attending Jawhar Hospital for childbirth has increased from less than 50 to 85%, with the number of mothers dying in childbirth dropping from between 250 to 300 in 100,000 deliveries to 100, with no maternal deaths at all at the hospital.” Dr Inamdar, added: “It is a satisfying experience to work and succeed in Jawhar, a backward region with high maternal mortality rate, which faces challenges of

L-R: VTT Coordinator Judi Stockwell, Eve Conway, senior midwife Caroline Duncombe and Mumbai Rotarian Narayan Mohite

infrastructure and deficient basic medical amenities. “To actually address a Millennium Development Goal in such a region and succeeding through a model project was even more gratifying. This is Rotary’s international strength and capability at its utmost best.” The idea for this programme started in 2011 when Dr Inamdar and Eve met on a webinar for future District Governors. Eve said: “Our aim was to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in villages. Our two districts jointly funded the programme, with support from a Rotary International global grant, totaling $70,000. We are delighted our joint project is saving so many lives.” Dr Inamdar has also set up 43 anaemia camps in the community because 40 to 50 per cent of maternal deaths there are due to the condition. None of the women attending have died during childbirth. The Rotary District in Mumbai is working with the Indian Government, the Federation of Gynaecological Societies of India and Association of Fellow Gynaecologists with a view to rolling across India, and it is clear this holistic approach is saving lives of mothers and babies in Jawhar.

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www.rotarygbi.org

“Sometimes I am forced to drink mud.” Djande, Burkina Faso

Image: WaterAid/Andrew McConnell

During the dry season, communities in drought-prone Burkina Faso are forced to collect water from muddy holes dug in the ground. Sometimes they even have to drink the mud. But your club can help to build new water boreholes, construct sand dams, and ensure that communities can montitor and manage their water supply outside of the rainy season, by supporting our pioneering Project Sahel: Water 365 initiative. Find out more at www.wateraid.org, and if you’d like to support the appeal, please send a cheque payable to ‘WaterAid’ to: 47-49 Durham St, London SE11 5JD, call 020 7793 4563, or email rotary@wateraid.org

Charity registration numbers 288701 (England and Wales) and SC039479 (Scotland)

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL WATER AID

WaterAid is an international charity looking for solutions to supply water to underprivileged and poverty stricken communities across the world.

The Elixir of Life

W Water Regulates your body temperature Helps your body absorb nutrients Helps convert food to energy Cushions your joints

36 // ROTARY

ater is essential for hygiene and sanitation, and WaterAid works with some of the most marginalised communities to set up practical and sustainable projects that meet a real need. I wanted to find out more about the organisation and how Rotary is involved so I met with Chris Wainwright, WaterAid’s Head of Communications. I started by asking Chris the mechanics behind the projects and as the interview progressed his knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm for their work really impressed. WaterAid works with local partners in 27 countries globally to get water to communities in need. The way the water is delivered is dependent on many factors, as Chris said: “No one size fits all, we work with local communities, governments and NGO’s to find a bespoke solution to deliver water. We look at the local infrastructure and discuss ways in which we can get safe water to where it is required.” In Ethiopia for example, although it is one of the fastest developing economies in Africa, 44 million people, over half of the population, have no access to safe water in the rural areas. So far, WaterAid has helped with over 50 projects there and the delivery of water in a remote part of Ethiopia was achieved with a gravity fed system down a mountain rather than just drilling a well with a tap stand: a need met on a local level using natural resources. Chris told me that wherever the charity has supplied water the health and wellbeing of that community has improved and Chris explained that the funding for their projects can come from a number of sources, one of which was our own Department for International Development along with grants from the benefitting countries and donations.

ALLAN BERRY In Bangladesh WaterAid recently partnered with the Department for International Development on a number of projects and they are now one of the largest recipients of WaterAid in 2014. Here over 23.5 million people lack access to improved water sources and flooding from monsoon rains each year makes work there to improve sanitation all the more difficult. The H&M Conscious Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the fashion retailer, also helps to fund WaterAid’s Global Program for providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to schools with a grant of three million Swedish Krona over three years. The project supplies water and sanitation facilities to schools and will reach 250,000 students in some of the world’s poorest countries by the end of the partnership. This partnership, which is part of a programme aiming to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is helping to change that and so far the results are encouraging. We went on to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, and Chris informed me that the CEO of WaterAid Barbara Frost had addressed the UN Assembly on water issues and was working at a high level on the sustainable development goals for 2030. In terms of how Rotary and WaterAid came together, Chris explained that the relationship developed from a meeting with the founder of the Glastonbury Festival, Michael Eavis, 25 years ago and they have since partnered on projects such as one in Tanzania called ‘To Be a Girl’ where Rotary contributed £50,000 to give 1.5 million people clean water, another in Zambia where Rotary contributed £100k, and a recent project in Madagascar, which was supported by The Rotary Club of Lincoln, all of which were aided with match funding from The Rotary Foundation. www.rotarygbi.org

Solo drinking safe water and using the well for the first time, Madagascar

Being old I used to spend a long time fetching water hence having body pains. Now it’s a thing of the past.”

This winter WaterAid is launching a campaign, in line with the present Sustainable Development Goals, to help with maternal and child health. The programme will focus on safe water and sanitation for mothers, and is aimed at reducing child mortality for under fives. We also touched on the Ebola crisis in West Africa where WaterAid is helping with hygiene to save lives and prevent the spread of the disease. Chris also mentioned how the combined work of Rotary and WaterAid can really make a difference to people’s lives. One example is Queen Kwisi, a 70 year old who has lived in the Lingison village of Mungulube Zone, Zambia for many years. Despite just being along the main trunk road to the district administration offices, the village has never benefitted from a government initiated water project. Queen used to draw water from an www.rotarygbi.org

unprotected shallow well about one kilometre away. With assistance from a Rotary funded WaterAid project, the village now has a new accessible water point. Queen said: “I am old and even I am able to lift the pump. It is installed so that even children can draw water that is clean with no dirt. I used to spend a long time fetching water causing body pains. Now I am covering less than 50 meters to the water point and am able to do other work”. As we were winding up the interview Chris went on to remark: “WaterAid is grateful for all the help and support Rotary has given us over the years. We do not take what Rotary and Rotarians do lightly; the commitment is very much appreciated, thank you.”

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FACTFILE

WATER AID

people in the world • do 748notmillion have access to safe water

In 2013/14 WaterAid reached 1.9 • million people with safe water and 2.9 million with sanitation

£15 can enable one person • to Justaccess a lasting supply of safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation

Diarrhoea is the third biggest • killer of children under five in Sub Saharan Africa

Hand washing could reduce the • risk of diarrhoea by nearly 50%

ROTARY // 37

ROTARY IN ACTION

Woodland Trust

Growing for tomorrow Do you often look out at your local area and notice the lack of trees and wish for a more picturesque environment? How would you even go about changing this? Well Rotarians across the country have been addressing this problem in their community thanks to The Woodland Trust.

rees are a simple thing we often overlook and take for granted in our daily life but they in fact provide a huge benefit to communities, making neighbourhoods a nicer place to live and work. The impact to wildlife and the environment is unquestionable, and they can even transform unused areas of land. The Woodland Trust has come up with a unique idea to help increase the amount of native woodland across the country and provide these many benefits to the UK, and Rotarians have been instrumental in helping this project come to life. For several years the Trust has been providing free tree packs to groups across the country, enabling them to plant anything from 30 to 420 trees on a piece of publicly accessible land. There are two windows when tree packs are delivered,

in the spring and autumn, but applications are received all year round, and only in exceptional circumstances when the allocation is fully subscribed do they close early. It has been a hugely successful scheme, attracting applications from a diverse range of people, including a large number of Rotary Groups and 64 groups have received nearly 20,000 trees from the Woodland Trust in the last three years alone. One such club, which has planted over 420 trees thanks to its partnership with the Trust, is the Rotary Club of Knaresborough. The club identified three primary schools in Boroughbridge, Staveley, and Scotton Lingerfields that had a keen interest in the environment, as well as showing the need for the trees. Ian Watson, Environmental Officer for the Rotary Club of Knaresborough, said: “We held a ceremony to plant all the trees, which meant all the children could get involved and see their schools being transformed. “At Scotton Lingerfields the Assistant Horticulturist from Harrogate Borough Council attended the ceremony and gave a talk to the pupils, really helped to bring the project to life. We hope that the school can enjoy the space for many years to come.” Currently the Trust is marking the Centenary of the First World War by providing tree packs to people who wish to commemorate it, creating living memorials across the country. The charity has also secured four locations across the UK, one each in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to create four Centenary Woods, planting hundreds of thousands of trees.

For further information about the Trust’s work visit woodlandtrust.org.uk 38 // ROTARY

www.rotarygbi.org

Schools working with Rotary

When Penyfai Church in Wales Primary School was rebuilt last year the Rotary Club of Bridgend identified the need the school had for landscaping the grounds, and during their discussions with the head teacher it was agreed that part of the area would be a memorial ground to commemorate the First World War. Reverend Mike Lewis, of the Rotary Club of Bridgend, said: “We felt that not only would planting new trees be a great use of the vacant land, but the memorial wood will be a great resource for teaching. The children learnt all about the First World War in their curriculum and the garden is a great way for the past to be remembered.” The project is part of the Trust’s main objective, to increase the amount of native woodland across the UK. This is because we have one of the lowest levels of woodland cover in the whole of Europe, which is www.rotarygbi.org

just 13%, compared to the 44% European average. The benefits trees and woods provide are endless, just a few of these include improving air and water quality, preventing soil erosion, providing homes for wildlife, not to mention absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen for us to breathe. The Trust has enabled the planting of over 20 million trees both on its own land and by inspiring schools, communities and landowners to plant trees, and is aims to continue to work with Rotary to make the UK a greener place to live.

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Rotarians planting trees

FACTFILE

PLANTING TREES

akes good use of • Munproductive land beautiful places • Cforreates people • Gives wildlife a helping hand • Supports the environment

ROTARY // 39

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

The pages of this magazine outline just a few of the activities, projects and work of Rotarians across the world. If in reading the articles you would like to find out more about the organisation which is Rotary please read on:

Membership of Rotary

otarians are ordinary men and women from all walks of life who have a desire to give something back to their community whether it is locally or at an international level. There are now myriads of ways to offer service under the umbrella of the Rotary organisation and many ways of being a member. Associate Membership is a way of belonging to Rotary and a club allowing you to find out about Rotary and the club within

40 // ROTARY

a period of time with the intent of becoming a full member. Satellite Clubs are springing up across the UK and Ireland and these are clubs attached loosely to an existing club, which arranges meetings at times and venues to suit their members. Corporate Membership is for a group within a company to become members of Rotary. It is a good way for people within a company to help in community matters and concerns.

Membership of an eClub allows the prospective member to become a member of Rotary and attend meetings online. This allows the member to meet fellow members all over the world at any time of their choosing. Meetings are held online to suit all the members and many are recorded for viewing later. Projects are also run online. This is a good way of getting into Rotary at a time to suit you, family and working life.

â&#x20AC;˘

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EAST YORKSHIRE SELBY/ YORK Rotarian’s cosy tranquil village cottage for 2. All on one level. Near RSPB Blacktoft Sands. Tel: 01405 704555 www.reednesshall. co.uk GOATHLAND, WHITBY - (N Yorks Moors) “Acorns” a stylish and comfortable 4-star bungalow. One double and one twin. Pets welcome. Rotarian owned. Tel: 01947 896333 NORTH YORKSHIRE, WHITBY Rotarian’s superbly equipped bungalow, sleeps 4, quiet area, parking, easy access to all facilities, town centre 5 minutes, telephone 01947 840504 for brochure.

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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. 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

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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

Rotary Identity

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.

Signs and Plaques

Property for Sale

Defibrillators

Internship INTERNSHIP - Granddaughter of a Rotarian, 22 years old. Junior Engineer in Image Processing and Vision, Master in Management, looking for internship in the UK for six months. Bilingual: French, English, understands German. ariane.tanguy@hotmail.fr

This lovely villa Sabina is for sale. Fully furnished with full Air-conditioning and Central heating. Situated in La Torre Golf resort, Murcia. Close to the Town centre, Supermarket and Club house. Comprising 2 bed, 2 bath, spacious living/dining room, terrace and roof top solarium, garden and off road parking under pergola. Offers over 135,000 euros

For more stunning photos, go to http://www.finn.no/finn/realestate/ abroad/homes/object?finnkode=35034735 Call: 0044 (0)7768753135 Email: nnsarmah@aol.com

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

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April 2015

Publishers

Rotary Emblems

Speakers

BOOK PUBLISHING

PERSONAL APPEARANCES

Authors invited to submit manuscripts all categories

New Authors welcome

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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): ............................................................... ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................

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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

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April 2015

ROTARY IN ACTION

Let’s Loop Swindon

Looping Swindon Let’s Loop Swindon is an initiative which encourages businesses in the local area to make themselves more accessible to the hard of hearing.

ou may think buying a cup of coffee would never be nerve wracking, but that isn’t the case for Lin Barker. Lin is amongst the other 10 million people who experience a form of hearing loss in the UK, and struggles to perform simple everyday tasks due to a lack of functioning hearing loops in shops and businesses. “Being hard of hearing is still a source of embarrassment for me, because shops often don’t have the appropriate equipment. I feel nervous when I approach a till because I cannot be sure that when I get there I will be able to understand what is being said,” Lin describes. It is experiences such as these that inspired Lin to join a team of Rotary Community Corps who are working together with charity Hearing Link to encourage businesses in and around the Swindon area to have efficient working loops. The Community Corp, set up by Tim Mason from the Rotary eClub, and his colleagues have been heading into banks, pharmacies, and local shops to perform audits of their loops and signage to identify which businesses are performing well and identify those that need improvement. Information is then passed on to Hearing Link UK and Swindon Borough Council who will try and encourage businesses to make themselves more accessible to those who are hard of hearing. Tim comments: “I am very proud of all the work that has been put into Let’s Loop Swindon by both the Rotary Community Corps and the supporting organisations. We have the opportunity to make a difference to the people’s lives.”

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The loop seen here helps to increase the sound

For more information visit: www.1100rotaryeclub.org/lets-loop-swindon/

Over the top at the O2 To celebrate Rotary’s 110th Birthday over 150 Rotarians took to the capital to climb the O2 Dome in Greenwich, and raised money for End Polio Now and Walk for Water. To celebrate Rotary’s continued efforts to put an end to polio, Rotarians from across the UK and Ireland climbed the 02 Dome in London and raised the ‘End Polio Now’ flag high above the capital’s skyline. Rotarians Mukesh Malhotra, Adrian Brewer and Eve Conway organised the event, Mukesh commented: “It was a very special day with many of us braving hail and high winds at the top! It is a great achievement to make the climb and raise money for two great causes and I was very proud to be a part of it.” At the summit the End Polio Now flag was flown against the capital’s skyline to celebrate the successes in the global campaign for which Rotary GBI has raised over £20 million to date. The walkers were joined by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greenwich, both of O2 Dome walkers whom had come to honour and support the work carried out by Rotary members in both the local and international community. For more information on the walk The climb took place in small groups from or to find out how you can donate to either of the two charities 12pm through until 5.30pm, with the final supported, log on to climbing group enjoying a fantastic view of the sun setting over London. www.benefitgigs.com

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REGIONAL NEWS

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

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

ENJOY A TASTE OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Enjoying The Big Lunch

Bringing peace to Winchester

otaract member, Luke Addison has recently helped to find a new venue for the PeaceJam conference in the UK. PeaceJam is an international education programme, which works directly with Nobel Peace Laureates to inspire the younger generation to be active citizens and agents for change. After attending the PeaceJam conference in Monaco at the end of last year, where Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a speaker, Luke was so inspired that he contacted PeaceJam and the University of Winchester, where his Rotaract club are based, to see if the university could become the new home for the conference – and both parties gladly accepted. They are now working on establishing a local PeaceJam department, or hub, that will be responsible for organising a series of conferences, events, and fundraisers in the area, which would go beyond a single weekend experience and have a longerlasting impact. Luke explains, “I am confident these events will inspire students on multiple campuses to work hand-in-hand with non governmental organisations, charities, and support networks to have a positive influence in their communities. “My goal now is to run PeaceJam Winchester for three years, gaining experience in all areas of peace and international development, as a precursor to applying for a Rotary Peace Fellowship. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated help, support, and enthusiasm of my local Rotary club.”

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he Big Lunch, the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours, is this year delighted to be working with Rotarians to open up streets, community centres and anywhere that can be filled with people and serve up a taste of community spirit to all. Sharing the belief that society works best when people work together, Rotary GBI and The Big Lunch are teaming up for a fourth year to strengthen communities whilst having fun along the way. On Sunday June 7, people from all communities will come together to enjoy a great lunch and it could not happen without Rotary’s help. It is perfect for connecting communities, helping Rotary fundraising for a local cause or just celebrating a great day out. Last year, The Big Lottery funded initiative saw 4.83 million people taking part. The effects lasted beyond the day itself with 85% of attendees feeling better about where they live as a result. Lunches can be big or small and everyone can bring something to the table; whether that is a dish to share, an extra pair of hands or setting up. There are lots of free resources available in the Big Lunch packs. The FREE 2015 Big Lunch packs are now available to order at www. thebiglunch.com or by calling 0845 850 8181. It is full of ideas and resources; including stickers, posters, invitations and lots more. Got a lunch organised? Tell the Rotary PR team pr@rotarygbi.org.

Safeguarding Children

hatback is a group of 11-18 year old young people based in Kingswinford and from foster families. It is made up of youngsters who are in foster care and the birth children of foster carers who want to help other young people in the ‘looked after system’ to have a voice. The Rotary Club of Dudley awarded these young people £1,000 to help with their work involving the breaking down of barriers and dispelling the myths about ‘being in care’ through their media productions. During their weekly workshops, the young people decide on the issues they wish to tackle that will benefit young people in the care system as they recognise the need to educate others because of their own experiences.

Chatback visited the Dudley Rotary Club to discuss its progress and research done for their eighth media production – Anybody’s Child. This led to the Club having an input into the storyline for the five part 30 minute film which has now been launched specifically to help anyone involved to understand the dangers of child exploitation and how to safe guard yourself. The film has been launched and the club given a preview recently. Jane Ahmed of Chatback says, “Please pass this on to anyone you think should view this film. We wish to thank Rotary for their help in the project.” A Teachers’ Pack to accompany the film includes hints and tips for teachers and educators. For the film go to www.chatback.org.uk/productions.htm

Youngster filming for Chatback

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BEDDING DOWN IN TANZANIA

BIKES FOR AFRICA

swestry Borderland Rotary Club recently organised a collection of used bicycles to be sent to schools in Africa, where the children often have to walk up to ten miles before they start their lessons. These children often arrive tired and late and can’t stay for after school activities, as they have to walk back home again before dark. The Bikes4Africa scheme, B4A is a Rotary charity part of Jole riders, which reconditions used bikes and transports them to African schools where they are loaned to needy students. When the child leaves school the bikes are refurbished locally and passed on to another child.

Oswestry Borderland Rotary Club’s collection day

Since the scheme started in 2006, 2,500 bikes have been provided and there has been a noticeable improvement in student attendance and grades. Each bike collected needs a donation of £10 to help transport and repairs, so for the cost of a couple of cups of coffee donors could make a huge difference to a child’s future. Two years ago Oswestry Borderland Rotary Club sent 42 bikes to the charity thanks to the kind donations from local people, and the club went one better this year. They held a collection day earlier in the year and to date over 80 bikes have been collected.

ack in 2013 Alasdair Seale from the Rotary Club of Braids and Dr John Philip from the Rotary Club of Mirfield joined a group out in Tanzania to do a total refurbishment of a small district hospital, which was in desperate need of renovation work. The hospital at Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria had four hospital wards that were in need of a new roof, electrics, plumbing and redecoration. It was during this time that Alasdair and the team identified that the hospital beds were in a terrible condition. The beds had filthy foam rubber blocks for mattresses, which could not be washed properly and a lot of the ensuing health problems involved diarrhoea and sickness. Alasdair took on the challenge of raising funds to provide new mattresses, which included a grant from The Rotary Foundation. Competitive tenders were obtained from Tanzanian manufacturers and in February 2015 all 180 mattresses were replaced in the hospital with washable alternatives. The Rotary Club of Nansio assisted with the transport of the mattresses by truck, ferry and finally a fleet of small pick-up vans taking them from the port to the hospital. Alisdair commented, “we want to thank everyone who helped raise donations and funds for the new mattresses, patients at the hospital will now have an improved and cleaner place to sleep.”

Yohana Tumaini, President of the Rotary Club of Nansio

A WHEELY GREAT DONATION

Suffolk youth has had his chances of appearing in a future Paralympics Games boosted thanks to support from the town’s Rotary Club. Ryan Revell is a disabled 14-year-old from Bungay who has shown great promise at wheelchair basketball – and the club, largely through the efforts of Chris Staines, has raised over £2,000 towards the cost of a state-ofthe-art wheelchair, which is helping him to be considerably faster around the court. Chris Staines of the Rotary Club of Bungay did a sponsored 5,000m swim to raise the money by using his arms only so he could appreciate what it was like for someone

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unable to use their legs. Ryan’s mother Heather and the rest of his family visited a club meeting to thank the members for their generosity and explain what it means to him, she comments: “We want to say a massive thank you to Chris and everyone at the club – it is going to make a huge difference to Ryan, he is currently in the U15 basketball team, but they want him in the U19s. Basketball is his life.” Ryan added: “I can go a lot faster now – it is a lot better, better in every way. I want to make it into the Great Britain squad for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo if I can.” The Rotary Club of Bungay wish him every good luck with his endeavours.

Ryan Revell in his new wheelchair

ROTARY // 47

REGIONAL NEWS

ROTARY I INTERNATIONAL XXXXXX REPORTS

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

HELPING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

ecently the Rotary Club of Sidcup took on a vocational project to tackle the challenge of local youth unemployment. Erik Foster, who led the project, approached the local Job Centre Plus in Bexleyheath where they were welcomed with open arms. A relationship developed and regular group mentoring sessions were set up for 18-24 year olds, usually for those unemployed for more than 13 weeks. The target was to improve the youngsters employability by boosting such things as their morale and self belief, rekindling enthusiasm and focussing them on the basics of what employers want and need to see, also understanding how an employer thinks. The group sessions benefitted from Rotarians being either ex-employers or being responsible for a number of employees, so they know what employers are looking for when employing young people. The aim of the sessions was to get the younger people to tell all about themselves, talk through their CV’s and inform them how the personal content is so useful to employers in giving them a snapshot picture of the real person applying for a job. An average group size is up to 12, and sessions take about an hour after, which they go through their aspirations on a one-to-one basis giving guidance. Since they started in August 2012 over 50% have come off Job Seekers Allowance and to date almost 500 young unemployed have been helped. There are now five clubs in the area running projects at local Job Centres and more are planned.

SKYDIVE IN AID OF MS

Sessions to support unemployed youth

pirits are high at one Devon Rotary club where daredevils raised more than £14,000 for charity. This amount was the result of a challenge set for 50 Rotarians and friends to skydive in aid of the MS Society. Kathy Uglow, President of the Rotary Club of Babbacombe and St Marychurch said: “Our club is celebrating its 50th year and we really wanted to make a difference with a challenging fundraiser. We are over the moon with the result. The experience was amazing for everyone involved and all agreed the free fall, travelling at speeds of 120mph, was the best part. We are extremely grateful to everyone who sponsored us, particularly Linden Homes, of Newton Abbot, who sponsored three skydivers and to their staff who participated.” The funds raised are being divided to support sufferers within the Torbay area and to aid national medical research into this devastating condition.

YOUNG ARTISTS RECOGNISED T he Rotary Club of Stafford Knot held an exhibition and prize giving for the 13 - 16 year old Young Artist Competition 2015 The competition was supported by local schools with 36 pieces being entered, all of which surpassed expectations for artistic and technical merit. Due to the high quality of the works the judges had a particularly difficult task in deciding the ranking of the best pieces. Prizes and certificates were awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place with seven Highly Commended certificates being given. In the summing up the

judges said, “Judging was a difficult task due to the high quality of all the entries, the future for art in the local area looks exceptional. The Judges look forward to up and coming competitions.” Gallery@12 have kindly offered to exhibit the winning entries at their Eccleshall gallery later this year. The prizes for the winners were sponsored by Bargain Artist Shop Stafford,. The Young Artist Competition in Stafford is encouraging local young artists to exhibit their art and achieve recognition for talent. Megan Price’s artwork

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PLANTING FOR POLIO

he Rotary Club of Banbury has started their second year of their successful partnership with local secondary schools, where students aged 11-19 of all abilities and backgrounds were involved in planting crocus bulbs as part of the “End Polio Now” campaign. A working party of Rotarians organised the project in liaison with staff at Banbury Academy, Blessed George Napier, Bloxham, Chenderit, Frank Wise, North Oxfordshire Academy, Sibford, Tudor Hall and The Warriner. The dual focus of the project was to raise awareness among students and each school community of the international effort to rid the world of polio and for the whole Banburyshire community to make a difference by raising funds for the campaign.

Rotarians visited schools to attend assemblies and help with planting. At one school sixth-formers had researched the history of polio and the battle to eradicate the disease before presenting their findings to the whole of the school community and Rotarians explained the pattern and purpose of the local project. Cherwell District Council and Banbury Town Council will this year echoed their donation from last year when they gave 5,000 crocus bulbs to enable pupils to plant 500 crocuses on each school site and 500 in St Mary’s churchyard in the centre of Banbury. After the success of the project in secondary schools, this year it will be rolled out in some local primary schools, meaning children as young as four can get involved in this potentially world changing initiative.

Rotary on the radio

f you don’t have any plans this weekend, why not tune into local community radio station 107FM and listen to Rotary on the Radio (RotR) presented by members of the East Grinstead Meridian Rotary Club. Ginnie Waddingham, Lesley Robinson, Steven Kirupai and Anthony Beevor make up the team of four presenters who take it in turns to host the show every Saturday lunchtime, which runs from midday until 3pm and is also available online at Meridianfm.com by clicking the ‘listen live’ button – resulting in the show attracting listeners from as far afield as New Zealand. As well as playing music a number of guests appear on the show to talk about their contribution to the community. Guests have included the Town Mayor, a Rotary Youth Leadership Award student, Kent Surrey and Sussex (KSS) Air Ambulance, manager of Chequer Mead community arts centre and many more from the local community including businesses and the local Lions Club.

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On the air Anthony Beevor, one of the presenters of the show comments, “Already we have had several enquiries from listeners enquiring about Rotary and possible membership. The aim of the show is to support our local community in East Grinstead and surrounding villages and increase the profile of Rotary both internationally and in our part of Sussex. It is great fun, try it!”

Minibus in Folkestone

Back in business with a new minibus

he Activities, Respite, Rehabilitation Care Centre (ARRCC) in Folkestone are back on the road with a new mini bus after two local Rotary Clubs helped them raise the funds to purchase a brand new one. The Rotary Clubs of Folkestone and Folkestone Channel found out that the centre was about to lose the minibus they were hiring so they decided to come to the rescue. The minibus is a much needed lifeline for people using the centre since it is used to transport them to events within the area. ARRCC decided the only solution was to purchase a minibus and after working hard to raise as much of the cost as they could, the two Folkestone Clubs chipped in to make up the difference. The bus is also being utilised by other charities within the area, so it is really being put to good use. ARRCC Manager, Trish Bishop commented, “It’s a tremendous relief to have the minibus as without it our options for our clients would be very limited. We are most grateful for the support of the local Rotary Clubs.”

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 find us on Facebook /RotaryRIBI; Twitter – @RotaryGBI; and Linkedin – Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

ROTARY // 49

Connecting Communities Here we demonstrate Rotarians, across the world, taking action in their communities and trying to make a difference with a selection of tweets. Emma Waddingham @EmmaWConsulting Had a fantastic day #Upato2 with @MeridianRotary celebrating @rotary birthday & raising funds for charity with Dad!

Helen Glover @Helenglovergb A reminder of a great project by @rotary @RotaryGBI so we can #EndPolioNow. Every bit helps.

Nicola Hern @SeventhCorner

DVHS Design Tech @DVHSTech Our teams effort @hollinstech technology comp for @ShelterBox with @RotaryGBI and @BAESystemsplc

Anita Thomas-Epple @AnitaEpple Not been a member a week yet and already looking forward to visiting Parliament with fellow Rotarians from #Uttoxeter @RotaryGBI

Just found out that @RotaryGBI runs technology tournaments for kids #didnotknowthat

The Radclyffe School @TheRadclyffe Rotary Bolton Lever @Bolton_Rotary

Very proud to host the @RotaryGBI Young Chef District Final & even more when Year 11 student Tasnim Masuma won it!

#RotaryNW are pleased to announce that almost ÂŁ53K will soon be distributed to #Bolton charities. @RCSCF @Ironman_UK @boltoncouncil 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.

50 // ROTARY

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