Rotary today october 2014 by James Lovatt Rotary

The official magazine of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

Vocational Service Month October 2014 Volume 23 Issue 8

Riding for the disabled www.ribi.org

Opportunities now exist in certain locations to open a Clive Christian Showroom

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C L I V E

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C H R I S T I A N

K I T C H E N

C L I V E . C O M

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From the editor

In this issue RI President – Gary Huang

RIBI President – Peter King

RI Director – Mike Webb

Saving lives in the community

Aquafilter

Riding for the Disabled

Spotlight on new members

Rebuilding lives - Disaster aid

The Ebola virus

Dragon boat

Corporate Social Responsibility

A club to aspire to

World Health Organisation

Around the districts

A winning garden

Young photographer

Coasting for the corps

Trussell Trust - Three million meals

Honours

RYLA

Your letters

The team that work on Rotary Today toil away at bringing to you, our readers, articles that we hope you find interesting and informative. We have tried to make the October edition of that order and we have aimed at bringing a flavour of what Rotary does locally and internationally. All Rotary clubs and our members are part of a community. Sometimes the community is local whilst at times it is international and we all have one thing in common, we want to help make the world a better place in some way. To that end we have articles from clubs and members as well as organisations associated with our efforts like, for instance, our lead article on Riding for the Disabled which is of benefit to lots of youngsters. Many Rotary clubs across the UK and Ireland run dragon boat races and raise large amounts for various charities we report on a few and let you know how the money raised is put to use in the community. The World Health Organisation has contributed an article about the progress of eradicating polio from the world. We also have an article on the Ebola crisis in West Africa and Liberia specifically, the worse hit country as we went to press. The situation there is moving very rapidly. One section you may notice we have changed is Around the Districts since we have removed district numbers. We would like Rotary Today to appeal to a much wider audience and with that aim in mind we are making it much easier for non members to read and understand. We hope you enjoy reading the articles as much as we enjoy putting them together and of course your feedback is always welcome. Allan Berry Editor Editor@ribi.org

Postal address: RIBI, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6PB Tel: 01789 765 411

Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or RIBI. 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 Today magazine, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage.

Advertising: KM Media and Marketing (as agent of RIBI) Tel: 01522 513 515 • Email: info@km–media.co.uk RI President 2014/15 Gary CK Huang Rotary Club of Taipei Taiwan, District 3480

/RotaryRIBI

RI Foundation Chairman 2014/15 John Kenny Rotary Club of Grangemouth, District 1020

Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

RIBI President 2014/15 Peter King Rotary Club of Kew Gardens, District 1140 PR Officer: Jacqui Simpson jacquis@ribi.org Creative Designer: Martin Tandy 4

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@RotaryRIBI

Do you have a story to tell?

If so please send along with a good quality photo to editor@ribi.org

Correction

In the June edition of Rotary Today, we incorrectly reported that the Community Service Trophy was awarded to the Rotary Club of Halifax. This should have read the Rotary Club of Halifax Calder. We apologies for this error.

Please note that the following deadlines apply: December 2014 issue Copy to reach us no later than: Friday October 17

RI PRESIDENT

On the web Speeches and news from RI President Gary C.K. Huang at www.rotary.org /president

A polio free world In October 1914, Jonas Salk was born – a man who would change world history by inventing the first effective vaccine against polio. When the vaccine was introduced in the United States in the 1950s, polls indicated that polio was one of the nation’s two greatest fears, second only to the fear of atomic war and with good reason. In the 1952 U.S. polio epidemic, 58,000 cases were reported with 3,145 deaths and 21,269 instances of permanent, disabling paralysis. Globally, polio paralysed or killed up to half a million people every year. Soon after the Salk vaccine was created, Albert Sabin developed an oral version, allowing tremendous numbers of children to be immunised quickly, safely, and inexpensively. In 1985, Rotary’s Polio Plus programme was born, with a simple goal, to immunise every child under the age of five against this crippling disease. Thanks in large part to the initial success of Polio

Plus, in 1988 the 166 member states of the World Health Assembly unanimously set the goal of global polio eradication. At the time, the idea was breathtakingly ambitious, and many called it impossible. Today, we are closer to this goal than ever before, with only a few hundred cases of polio reported per year, and just three remaining endemic countries. We are on track to achieve full eradication by 2018 – if we can keep up the momentum that has brought us this far. And this month, we will mark World Polio Day on 24 October, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of Dr. Salk’s birth. I ask you all to Light Up Rotary this month by doing whatever you can to shine a spotlight on our efforts to eradicate polio. Call your government officials and let them know that polio eradication matters to you. Go to endpolionow.org for inspiring stories about Rotary’s work,

and share them on social media and make the best investment you’ll ever make, by donating to polio eradication right on the endpolionow.org website and earning a two-to-one match on your contribution from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. When we eradicate polio and we will, we’ll have brought the world into a better future, and Rotary into a better future as well. We will have proved ourselves, as an organisation, capable of great things and we will have given our children and grandchildren a gift that will endure forever: a polio free world.

Gary C.K. Huang Rotary International President 2014/15

www.ribi.org | October 2014

RIBI PRESIDENT

From the President Peter King RIBI President 2014/15 Rotary hospitality has been wonderful during the course of my district visits. Clubs hosting events have invited neighbouring clubs to participate and that has created a real sense of fellowship. The more that local clubs can cooperate on local projects, the more efficient and effective will be the use of resources and the greater the visibility of Rotary to the wider community. The district governors have used the visits of Di and myself as an opportunity to get the local press and media involved, telling a good news story to the public about what Rotary does within the community.

young people, including RYLA, Youth Exchange, football, disability sports and work with young carers. As an organisation we need to maintain links with our young alumni and invite them to play a role in what we do. We should celebrate the strong growth of satellite clubs and look to growing family and corporate membership., Clear guidelines as to communication, public relations and marketing are being put in place within Rotary to enable Rotarians to share with one other and with a wider audience what they are doing. Enjoy your Rotary.

Investing in young people

I was greatly encouraged by the growing number of Rotakids and Interact Clubs in Schools. The youth of today are the Rotarians of tomorrow and we need to invest heavily in our activities for and with 6

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Rotary International Great Britain & Ireland President, Peter King joined Rotarians from Llangollen and beyond at the International Eisteddfod in Wales. The festival is attended by choirs, dancers and musicians from all over the world and has been supported by the Rotary Club of Llangollen for over fifty years. During this time, the club has provided volunteers for the event helping with finance, crowd control, transport, accommodation for competitors, floral decorations, hospitality, fundraising and publicity. Rotarian Nigel Rainsbury introduced the guests who included Terry Waite, the Mayor and Mayoress of Llangollen and Les Wilson, who leads Rotary in the North Wales and Merseyside area.

Human rights

Environment

I was particularly impressed by the environmental projects. These ranged from a butterfly garden competition for 12 local primary schools in Sussex to the reclamation of waste ground beside the canal in Stroud, to become an area of beauty and relaxation for local residents. There are a number of projects to cultivate meadowland in urban areas to preserve the natural wild flowers of the region and to provide for others an oasis of calm. These initiatives can provide the opportunity to attract volunteers from the wider community. From a chance meeting, I discovered the existence of the 25,000 Young Farmers who meet in over 600 clubs across the counties to raise funds for worthy causes and to have fun. How much contact is Rotary making with such groups or with other local and civic groups to share ideas or projects?

Visit to Eisteddfod

Laying a new foundation

Peter King visited Stroud to lay a foundation stone for a pond at the £34,000 transformation of Stroud’s new waterside park at Capel’s Mill. Nailsworth Rotary Club members have been actively involved in working with environmental charity, Stroud Valleys Project on the restoration of the Capel’s Mill site clearing rubbish, planting trees and wildflowers. Ken Culham of the Nailsworth Rotary club joined Peter King, Martyn Harwood and Stroud Valleys Project trustee Jay Way, to help with the new pond being dug as part of a scheme to transform it from a rubbish tip to a community open space. Peter also visited the Willow Trust boat on the Sharpness Canal which is supported by local Rotarians. The boat provides relaxing and inspiring days out on the waters of the canal for disabled or seriously ill children and adults. Peter joined some of the users of the fully equipped boat for a cruise from its moorings at Saul Junction near Frampton-on-Severn.

Peter King spoke about human rights, a field in which he has tremendous experience and was followed by Terry Waite, who has been involved in the Eisteddfod for a number of years and is no stranger to human rights issues. Terry is an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Llangollen and praised Rotary for its international work, expressing surprise that Rotary is not better known for the life enhancing work it does throughout the world.

World peace

Bill Evans of the Rotary Club of Llangollen said: “The aims of the Eisteddfod and Rotary are closely entwined as the theme is world peace through dance and song.” Jacqui Simpson Rotary PR Officer

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RI DIRECTOR

Raising our profile Mike Webb RI Director 2013-15 We are currently in between board meetings, the next one being at the end of October and I shall report on relevant decisions in the next edition of the magazine. As I write these words in August with the sun shining down everything feels good. However there is much for us to do as Rotarians to help our communities both at home and abroad. A significant survey carried out by Rotary International found that we speak our own language to one another using acronyms like RYLA, PDG and RIBI, so we communicate with each other very well, but non Rotarians and dare I say new Rotarians, don’t know what we are talking about. The survey found when talking to Rotarians that the words ‘leaders’ and ‘leadership’ always come into the conversation, yet they were missing from all our publicity materials. We also found that Rotarians join clubs firstly to make a positive impact in their communities and secondly for friendship. If we promote ourselves as a service organisation, we are similar to

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Lions and others. If we see ourselves as a humanitarian organisation we compete with over two million humanitarian organisations. But we are more than a service organisation or a humanitarian organisation. We use our vocational skills for service to humanity. We are responsible leaders in our businesses, professions and communities and this means we apply best practice to social issues. The key words that came out of the report were ‘join leaders, exchange ideas and take action’ and I encourage all of us to use these words when talking about Rotary and what we do. The programmes of all Rotary clubs are now in full swing and I encourage you to use the Rotary coordinators, Rotary Foundation coordinators, Rotary public image coordinators and their assistants in helping to plan your club and district programmes. In this Rotary year our Rotary International President, Gary Huang is encouraging clubs and districts to hold a Rotary Day in order to showcase the work and projects of Rotary to the public in our communities. This provides an opportunity to raise our public image and a possible source of new members. I welcome details of your Rotary Day so that this information may be passed on to President Gary.

John Kenny Chairman, Rotary Foundation Trustees

The new grant structure

In each of my monthly messages, I have endeavored to highlight one individual Rotary Foundation goal for 2014/15. This month, I wish to speak about the new grant structure and the reasons for its introduction. The Foundation Trustees identified a number of growing needs to improve efficiency, to streamline operations, and to focus efforts so as to achieve greater impact and public recognition. Prior to Future Vision, the Foundation was processing over 4,000 grants per year, and the average humanitarian grant was US$12,500. With many of the grants smaller than this figure, the cost to administer the grants was increasing at a significant rate, and we needed more staff to process the growing number of applications. In addition to striving for improved efficiency, the Trustees aimed for greater simplicity and a more streamlined process. The Rotary Foundation had 12 different programs, each with its own requirements and application procedures, to support educational and humanitarian objectives. We now have only two grant types: district grants and global grants. By simplifying the process, the Trustees hope to enable Rotarians to reach a greater number of people to do good in the world; to provide a more efficient grants-making system, awarding fewer grants and large amounts at a reduced operational cost; and to give clubs and districts more ownership over the grant process. I urge you to ensure the progress of our new grant structure through your continued participation in our educational and humanitarian projects.

DEFIBRILLATOR

Saving lives in the community Defibrillators can save lives if they are used quickly enough and many Rotarians are involved in supplying defibrillators to their communities. We have looked at three projects where defibrillators have been supplied working with ambulance services and local communities. In Cumbria and Lancashire twenty Rotary clubs got together with clubs from Saitama (Japan), Bangalore (India) and South East Scotland to get match funding from The Rotary Foundation for a Global Grant raising a total of £65,000. This amount is being used to purchase defibrillators and equip search and rescue teams with lightweight equipment and training kit.

Do more locally

Kevin Walsh of the Rotary Club of Brampton and Longtown who is behind the project, said: “It is unusual for funding to be made available for locally based projects, as most Rotary Foundation grants are used to support activities in the developing world. There are needs such as this in all of our communities and I believe the more we do locally, the more people will want to help us by joining a Rotary club or support our service activity and fund raising efforts.”

Andrew Redgrave from the North West Ambulance Service Trust commented: "As a trust we are working to place Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in as many places as possible to help improve survival rates from sudden out of hospital cardiac arrests. We are grateful to Rotarians in Cumbria and Lancashire for funding this community project which will enable us to place AEDs in communities where they will be most effective." Colin Prottey from the Rotary Club of

Defibrillators are being placed in telephone boxes

Cheltenham Cleeve Vale has been helping to raise funds and supply defibrillators ever since he had a cardiac arrest some years ago. Colin is working with the South Western Ambulance Service to place AEDs in schools and remote locations where they can be accessed quickly in an emergency.

Nationwide project

Some, as in Cumbria and Lancashire are being placed in telephone boxes and in an emergency the user calls the emergency service who supply a code to activate the machine. Colin commented: “Defibrillators are a life saver and we really wish we could get more across the community. We would like to take this project nationwide in cooperation with Rotary clubs and the ambulance services.” In Wales the Rotary Club of Barry teamed up with Welsh Hearts, a charity which aims to work in close partnership with strategic partners to fund the widespread provision of defibrillators throughout Wales. Barry Rotary Club has funded units in a pub close to the High Street, a local comprehensive school, a café on Barry Island and a memorial hall used for concerts and fundraising events. To operate a remote AED it is usual to dial 999 or 111 and the operator will supply a code to unlock the cabinet in which the defibrillator is located. As soon as it is switched on it gives instructions for its correct use. www.ribi.org | October 2014

AQUAFILTER

The Aquafilter in action

Safe water in troubled times

Water is essential for communities to survive and access to clean drinking water is important to prevent diseases such as cholera and typhoid. This is where the Safe Water Trust steps in with their Aquafilter. The Aquafilter is the brainchild of John Griffin from Cleadon and District Rotary Club. John, along with engineers from Aquabox, developed the filter from a basic design and it is fitted in every Aquabox that is sent out in an emergency situation. To date 3,000 Aquafilters have been supplied to Aquabox. There are two types of Aquafilter, a basic type for families and a larger unit for use in wider communities. The family unit with two filters costs ÂŁ35 and clips on a bucket containing dirty water. The pump supplies one litre per minute supplying clean water to a family of 30. A community unit costing ÂŁ249 comes with its own box and delivers 300 litres per hour, typically supplying a school of 600 children with one litre of drinking water each. It can also be used directly at a water source. Filtration is performed by hollow fibre membranes, small tubes in which water flows both through their centres and porous walls. The porous walls have small holes, 0.00001 10

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millimetres in diameter, which allow water to pass, but hold back bacteria and viruses. There are mesh prefilters to hold back larger particles of dirt and a main filter of hollow fibre membranes. When the hand pump is operated, dirty water is drawn up through the centres of the fibre membranes and back down again, continually washing out the fibres, while clean water comes through the walls to the outlets. In addition, the filters have systems to flush clean water in reverse, back through the walls to clean them out. This takes away the accumulated substances removed from

the water. It is also possible that biological growth can block the tube walls and as a precaution, cleaning tablets are supplied with each unit. The manufacture and supply of Aquafilters is funded in two ways by donations specific to a project such as one where 1,000 filters were supplied to two areas and one based in Kigali, Rwanda which was funded by a Rotary Foundation matching grant. Aquafilters are also purchased by Non Governmental Organisations and supplied in areas of need. For instance 1,330 family filters are in use in Ethiopia. Recently the Syrian diaspora with Human Care Syria purchased 1,200 for use in Aleppo. Another 200 have also been supplied to the Rotary Club of Chelwood Bridge for the Water Survival Boxes and shipped to recent disasters in the Philippines. Aquafilters have been out in the field in Ghana for five years and are still performing well. They are also in use in Lebanon, with UNHCR and Syrian refugees.

Breaking news In Gaza, ten community units have been purchased and supplied by Medecins Sans Frontieres and are in use in five hospitals preventing the spread of typhoid and other water born diseases. To learn more about the Safe Water Trust and Aquafilters go to safewatertrust.com

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Graham More and Harriet Dearden welcome Rotary Blue to the stables

Riding for the disabled The Rotary Club of Kingham & The Wychwoods recently raised £2,700 to buy a horse named Rotary Blue. The horse was donated to the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Moreton-in-Marsh to help improve the lives of children and adults with physical or learning disabilities through horse riding. RDA was founded in 1969 and has 500 member groups across Great Britain and Ireland, many of which are supported by local Rotary clubs. Its president is HRH the Princess Royal and each year over 26,000 disabled people take part in riding, carriage driving, vaulting and show jumping activities. Working across the whole spectrum of disabilities, age range, social status and in urban and rural environments, RDA aims to help each individual derive a therapeutic benefit and achieve a personal goal.

Strengthening core stability

Medical professionals recognise that the warmth and three dimensional movement of the horse is transmitted through the rider’s body, gradually making it more relaxed and supple, strengthening core stability, reducing spasms and improving balance, posture and co-ordination. Other 12

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benefits include freedom of movement, gaining confidence, building relationships, receiving life enhancing physiotherapy and achieving individual goals.

Improvements in 12 weeks

Riding offers an element of risk denied to many people, especially those who have been affected by an accident or serious illness. Apart from being enjoyable and therapeutic, riding offers the chance to regain mobility and a sense of achievement. People with congenital disabilities discover a new freedom in movement, whilst those with degenerative conditions can retain mobility and remain active for longer. RDA says that 80% of riders experience physical improvement in 12 weeks or less and 82% of riders demonstrate improved communication skills. Horses are high maintenance and

whilst much of the physical work is done by RDA volunteers, funds are needed for food, bedding and vet bills. The Rotary Club of Kingham & The Wychwoods used the Kingham Rotary Duck Racing Festival to raise funds towards the annual cost of keeping fourteen year old Rotary Blue. Chipping Norton Rotary Club also donated £1,100 raised from the Chipping Norton Jazz Festival which will go a long way towards his yearly expenses. Graham More of the Rotary Club of Kingham & The Wychwoods said: “It has been really rewarding for the members of our club to see Rotary Blue joining RDA. He has been made an honorary member of our club and will make a huge difference to the lives of the adults and children who ride him. Providing them with an opportunity to ride and be close to an animal makes all of our hard work worthwhile."

RDA championships

Kesteven Rideability is supported by the Rotary Club of Grantham’s annual swimarathon and has just celebrated 25 years of providing horse riding at The Paddocks Riding Centre. The centre provides 720 rides for more than 40 disabled people in the Kesteven area each year. They take part in a range of dressage competitions with walk only, walk and trot and walk and trot and canter tests. Competitions are an important part of the therapy and last year a group of riders was funded by the Rotary Club of Grantham to attend the RDA National Championships in Gloucestershire. Paul Wilson of the Rotary Club of Grantham said: “One of our riders was thrilled to win an award at her first ever national competition, beating over 180 riders from all over the UK. Another was the overall champion in the Grade 2 Championship test and won the junior freestyle section. The riders enjoy the chance to take part in competitive sport as well as benefiting therapeutically.”

Choosing the ideal horse

Wadebridge Rotary Club supports North Cornwall RDA which is based at Lakefield Equestrian Centre near Camelford. The club recently donated £1,600 towards the purchase of a new horse called Wexford, who has been bought to replace one which had come to the end of his RDA career. Suitable horses are not always easy to find, so what is involved in buying a horse or pony?

Good active walk

Deborah Hall MBE, of Chigwell Riding Trust for Special Needs says: “Horses and ponies need to be chosen with great care. Temperament is of the utmost importance and they need to be fit and well. We have 14 horses and ponies, each with special qualities and experienced instructors who assess the riders then match them with the right pony. The pony needs to have a good active walk as their pelvic action mimics our way of moving, which subconsciously enables riders to practise and learn the walking movement. “Some need to be forward going to help weaker riders and some must be calm and quiet to cope with more excitable riders, but they all must be capable of supporting our more advanced riders.”

Rotary support

Fact File

Keeping Blue Whilst the physical work is carried out mainly by volunteers, there are significant costs involved in keeping a horse for a year: Hay 155 bales of hay

£542

Salt lick To give Blue the minerals he needs to keep healthy

£47

Horse nuts 15 bags

£100

1 bag of alfalfa To add nutrition to his diet

£12

Bedding

£169

Deborah, who has managed Chigwell Riding Trust for the last 33 years and been a Rotarian for the past 12, cannot speak highly enough of the support given by Loughton and Buckhurst Hill Rotary Club. They have bought a pony, a rug dryer and a saddle and given their time running fund raising activities which include an annual barn dance to help with much needed ongoing day to day costs.

Farrier Blue has a new set of shoes and a hoof trim every 5 weeks £600

Jacqui Simpson Rotary PR Officer

Rugs Blue’s rugs are cleaned and waterproofed once a year £35

Worming Blue has three worm counts during the year

£52

Vet Blue has an annual flu and tetanus injection

£32

Total

£1,589

www.ribi.org | October 2014

Spotlight on new members Gwen Powell is the first female member of the Rotary Club of Burnham Beeches. She was born and bred in South Africa and moved to the UK 16 years ago. Gwen is the founder and project manager of a newly formed charity called Clean Conscience – making a difference one bar of soap at a time – the only hotel amenity capturing and recycling service in the UK.

Name: Gwen Powell Age: 40 Rotary club: Burnham Beeches Occupation: Founder and Programme Manager, Clean Conscience Project

ow did you become involved H with Rotary? I became involved by being invited as an after dinner speaker. Our club didn’t have any lady members. They courted me for over a year until I felt ready to join. It was not the all male club that made me hesitate but rather the perceived financial and expected time commitment that I had to get my head around. What was your first impression? My first impression was that of a room full of men mostly dressed in suits or at least with a jacket and tie on. Nonetheless they were very friendly and welcoming. What surprised you most? I was most surprised to learn that Rotary is behind the End Polio Now Campaign and is also a project partner to the ShelterBox programme. What is it like to be a member? Being a member of the Rotary Club of Burnham Beeches gives me an opportunity to become more involved in my local community, to contribute my time and skills to projects that make a real difference in the world. Most of all it makes me feel proud of being part of an organisation that is so highly respected.

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What are the best and worst things to happen since joining? The worst thing was the realisation that not all clubs are embracing the changes that are necessary to help Rotary grow and prosper. The best thing is that I’ve been welcomed by all members and now feel part of the Rotary family. How would someone describe you? One of life’s doers, hands on and a good but reluctant leader. When your friends or family find out you are a member what do they say? My friends and family are not surprised by me being a Rotarian, they are only surprised that it took me so long to join; they think it fits my service orientated personality to a tee. What would you say to someone who is thinking of joining? Find the right club for you and just do it. What do you wish other people knew about Rotary? I wish more people realised that Rotary is an opportunity for so much more than Service Above Self. Since becoming a Rotarian I have had an opportunity to develop my skills and I value myself and my contribution to humankind more than I did before.

What do you find most challenging? I find it most challenging and hugely frustrating that the Rotary wheel is turning so slowly. If Rotary wants to grow and be relevant then there must be change to the way we do things. While we should always adhere to Rotary’s core values – service, volunteering, fellowship, diversity, integrity and leadership. What we do is what matters most. If you could change one thing about Rotary what would it be? I would change the formalities and regalia – they would go into the archives to remember days gone by – and suits and jackets would be replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere. What do you do when you are not working or volunteering? I enjoy the company of family and friends over a good meal and a bottle or two of good red wine. If there is a fire pit going and a good storyteller available then all is right with the world. My partner Dennis and I enjoy visiting his family in Denmark and going on long walks in the country with our dog. um up your Rotary club in three words S Change is happening.

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Day 10 The Ghan This is one of the world’s most iconic rail journeys. Over 1,555 kilometres, we pass golden wheat fields, vast sheep stations, rugged mountain ranges, salt lakes and the contrasting landscapes of the fiery red earth and the cobalt blue skies. Whilst on board, all our meals are included as are a wide selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Days 11 - 12 Alice Springs Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the outback’s largest town, featuring the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the School of the Air, and the Old Telegraph Station. On our Freedom Day, take an optional hot air balloon trip over the outback landscapes or an excursion to the Western McDonnell Ranges to see the picturesque scenery of Simpson’s Gap and Jay Creek. Day 13 Uluru (Ayers Rock) Journey along the scenic Desert Oak Drive to the icon of Australia’s outback - Uluru. We enjoy a refreshing glass of sparkling wine and witness the changing colours as the sun sets. There is a further chance to explore the rock in the morning, before visiting the impressive Olgas. Days 14 - 17 Cairns & Barrier Reef We enjoy an included journey to the Outer Barrier Reef. Snorkel in the sheltered coral lagoon and view the reef from the semi-submersible glass bottom boat or underwater observatory. Lunch is included. Optional tours on our Freedom

Other tours from Distant Journeys: New Zealand - 23 days from only £3,495pp Australia & New Zealand - 28 days from only £4,995pp Terms and conditions: Special offer is £29pp in twin / double room, £58 for single occupancy and is subject to the availability of flights and accommodation. For full booking conditions, please request a brochure or visit www.distantjourneys.co.uk

PAGE 15.indd 1

3 Unbeatable Value

Days in Cairns include a scenic railway journey to the picturesque market town of Kuranda, before returning by the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and a day trip to the nearby World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest.

3 All scheduled flights 3 A choice of UK airports 3 Four star accommodation 3 All breakfasts (worth £250pp)

Days 18 - 21 Sydney A morning’s tour includes the beautiful waterside suburbs of Bondi Beach, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. We continue to the city centre and Hyde Park, Parliament House and the Royal Botanical Gardens. The tour finale is a fabulous luncheon cruise with amazing views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Why not use your Freedom Days in Sydney to visit the spectacular World Heritage listed Blue Mountains, which are a perfect example of native Australian bushland, with gum trees, majestic peaks and deep gorges stretching as far as the eye can see? Day 22 Arrive UK We arrive into our chosen airport (London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle or Glasgow) bringing an end to our incredible adventure. SPECIAL OFFER Save up to £532 per couple Book by 1st Dec 2014 and enjoy a two night return stopover for only £29 per person (£58 for singles). Our stopover choices are Singapore, neighbouring Sentosa Island, Bangkok or Dubai and include return transfers and four star accommodation with breakfast.

Request a brochure Call FREEPHONE Mon - Fri 09.00 - 17.30, Sat 09.00 - 17.00

Great Barrier Reef included

3 Local tour managers & guides 3 All-inclusive on The Ghan 3 Five city sightseeing tours 3 Tour of Ayers Rock 3 Outer Great Barrier Reef 3 Sydney lunch cruise 3 Flexible stopover options 3 Single traveller savings 3 100% ATOL protection couple Save up to £532 per 1

Return stopover from only £29pp Book by 1st December 2014

Departure Dates & Prices per person 2015 31 Jul 04 Sep 02 Oct 06 Nov

£4,295 £4,295 £4,295 £4,295

2016 01,15 Jan £4,295 05, 19 Feb £4,295 11 Mar £4,295 06 May £3,695 05 Aug £4,295

2014

0808 271 4139 www.distantjourneys.co.uk

11/09/2014 11:40

ORTHOPAEDICS

OUR JOB ONLY ENDS WHEN THE PRUNING BEGINS We want you back doing what you love best, as soon as possible. That’s why we offer enhanced recovery programmes including physiotherapy, exercise routines and hydrotherapy. And once you’re comfortable enough to return home, we’ll probably even insist on walking you to your car. It’s the little things that make the difference. For orthopaedic treatment, talk to us. 0800 015 1912 www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/rotary

Serious about health. Passionate about care. 030429 © BMI 2014

30429_Orthopaedics_Rotary_275x210_v1.indd 1 PAGE 16.indd 1

15/01/2014 12:27 11:13 11/09/2014

5% EXTRA DISCOUNT F O R R O T A R Y M E M B E R S , F A M I LY & F R I E N D S

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8 days, 6 guided tours Budapest • Vienna • Nuremberg Departing March to December 2015

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10 days, 8 guided tours Lisbon • Salamanca • Porto Departing March to December 2015

Many more itineraries available – call for details All Viking river cruises include: • Return scheduled economy-class flights from London • Fly from regional airports at no extra cost. Exclusive to Northumbria Travel • Deluxe ensuite stateroom with river view • All on board meals

• Specially-selected house wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on board • Guided tours including visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites • All port charges, airport taxes and overseas transfers

Book by 31 October 2014. For more information call Northumbria Travel on 01670 829922 Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email us at info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 5AB Terms and conditions: All departures are subject to availability. All details correct at time of going to press but are subject to change. Prices shown are per person and based on two sharing the lowest grade stateroom available on selected dates. Prices quoted are including up to £1,000 per person discount, but excluding additional 5% discount. Fully escorted Elegant Elbe date is exclusive to Northumbria Travel. Some cruises also operate in the reverse direction. Prices are valid until 31 October 2014. Single supplements apply. ABTA V924X, ATOL 3124.

VRC_Rotary_A4_Sept2014_1.indd 1 PAGE 17.indd 1

28/08/2014 17:28:13 11/09/2014 11:42

If you own a

you

can make a difference Few holiday homes are booked all year round. Here’s how you can put a spare week to good use. Our online Directory lets holiday home owners ‘bank’ a week so that healthcare professionals can ‘withdraw’ on behalf of their families.

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www.knebworthhouse.com Registered Charity No. 1126389 18

PAGE 18.indd 1

Knebworth Park, Nr Stevenage, Herts SG1 2AX Tel: 01438 812661 Immediate access off the A1(M), at J 7, 15 miles from M25 (J23).

www.ribi.org | October 2014

11/09/2014 12:06

Disaster Aid tents giving shelter to earthquake victims in the Philippines

Rebuilding lives

When disaster strikes in the world it is fair to say that Disaster Aid is on the case. Disaster Aid UK is part of an international organisation with members in Australia, America and Malaysia. It is supported by many Rotary clubs but their main supporters come from the Rotary Club of Denton and Audenshaw. On 15 October 2013 an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit the Philippines. Over 350,000 people were displaced and 44,000 homes damaged or demolished with the epicentre being in the area of Bopal. Disaster Aid UK worker, Ed Cox was deployed to the area to assess damage, coordinate with organisations and provide aid where it was required.

Balay Mindanaw

Ed worked with a group of NGOs under the name of Balay Mindanaw who arranged cluster meetings within the community to consider the most appropriate aid. Ed was joined by Christine Cassar and Chris Overton and the three of them worked in the Pig-ot, Bohol area. It was important that the community tents were set near to peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homes since they did not own the land and wanted to stay close so that they could rebuild their homes. Shelter repair kits were provided and tarpaulins were supplied to help make the homes usable. On 24 November 2013, whilst this recovery work from the earthquake was

low draft barges and even then had to be floated carefully along very shallow water. Disaster Aid UK worked with Disaster Aid international to identify areas of most need and also the Rotary Club of Metro Iloilo to find out specifically what was required: material for nipa huts - a type of stilted bamboo house - shelter repair kits, nails, hammers, bamboo rope and tents.

Local sourcing being undertaken and some form of normality was beginning to return, super hurricane Haiyan hit the Philippines. On the island of Leyte, the city of Ormok was almost wiped out with 97% of buildings destroyed and 200,000 people displaced. There was no electricity or phones and two out of three hospitals were non operational with it being impossible to call for aid. Reviewing the overall situation, the aid team considered they were best deployed to Panay where the situation was much worse due to no aid getting through. What aid did get in was sent on small

The nipa hut kits cost ÂŁ140 and the repair kits ÂŁ84 and these are sourced locally which helps the local economy, attracts no import duty and is low cost. Disaster Aid International supplied 100 tents which last up to 3 years and 1,000 shelter repair kits. The organisation's philosophy is to work alongside local communities to enable families to stay together and remain in their community. This avoids homelessness and people becoming refugees. Ed Cox remained in the Philippines for six months whilst the other team members returned to the UK. To learn more about Disaster Aid UK go to disasteraiduk.org www.ribi.org | October 2014

THE EBOLA VIRUS

The Ebola crisis

In the 1990’s Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, broke onto the world stage as a result of civil war. Now Liberia is on the world stage again for a different reason fighting another war against the world’s most deadly disease, Ebola. Ebola broke out in Liberia in March of this year and the suspected and confirmed case count is reckoned to be 1,378 as of the 26th August according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is believed 684 people have died from the disease so far and deaths are reported daily. Liberia is now trying to contain the spread of Ebola and the fight is going to be long and difficult. Realising the plight of people in Liberia the Rotary Club of Marlow made contact with The Rotary Club of Monrovia where their fifty members have joined the fight against Ebola making this crisis their top priority and are raising funds and helping however they can. One of their members, the foundation chair, David Frankfort visited the UK and is working to gather support for the campaign. They have already raised US$20k and are working to raise over US$100k with a global campaign raising awareness of the tragedy in Liberia caused by this dreadful disease.

Clubs responding in their communities

The Rotary Club of Marlow working with other clubs in the area and Churches Together in Marlow invited David to speak at a meeting which was very informative about the present situation in the country. Everyone concerned with containing the disease in Liberia is on a very fast and steep learning curve. He stressed that he is not a clinician but a businessman and a Rotarian in a community that is in great need of help and he and his club members were doing whatever they can. Little is known about how to treat Ebola, there is no vaccine and when patients report to doctors all they can do is keep the disease and the spread under control through Practice Enhanced Precautions. Many challenges abound since if a patient does not attend a clinic or hospital at early onset the outcome is usually tragic resulting in death. Quite often patients leave attending a clinic too late through fear and thinking they may have malaria 20

www.ribi.org | October 2014

since the symptoms are similar. The death rate in the present epidemic is in the region of 60%, which is lower than previous outbreaks, it is usually over 90%.

Demand for resources rising daily

David Frankfort told the meeting that health workers were in need of very basic supplies like gloves, clothes, mattresses, bedsheets and even food. One day a clinic called at 11pm for a supply of 40 mattresses needed by 7pm the following day. David, with his colleagues, rallied to the challenge and delivered at 5pm the following evening, but were disappointed they did not arrive sooner having been held up due to travel restrictions. There are limited resources in Monrovia and one of the two hospitals is now closed due to staff and doctors treating the disease succumbing themselves. However, isolation clinics are being opened and more added as the disease takes its toll. The demand initially was for 20 beds which soon rose to 120 then 300 and now it has reached well over 500. All the international aid agencies are present in Liberia, Medecins Sans Frontieres, International Red Cross, WHO, UNICEF and the European Commission’s Humanitarian arm ECHO. They are finding it difficult to bring aid in with many of the airports closed and flights restricted. The Rotary Club of Monrovia on the ground and in the community are well placed to respond to requests for help as long as they have the funds.

Rotary clubs helping together

Brian Jonson, President of Marlow Rotary Club said.” We are trying to help, Ebola is destroying the already scant health care infrastructures and many hospitals in Liberia have closed down temporarily as doctors are dying. What is badly needed is organisation, coordination and focused leadership. Our fellow Rotarians in Monrovia have already provided 3,000 surgical gloves, 10,000 examination gloves, 100

buckets with faucets and petrol for rapid response vehicles. Rotary clubs around Marlow are also helping and we are very grateful, we want to give all the help we can to fight this devastating disease.” During the meeting neighbouring clubs made cheque presentations and a collection was taken reaching over £1,000. The Marlow club was helped by all clubs in the area with street collections in September. Meanwhile aid workers in West Africa are working flat out to contain the spread of Ebola.

Fact File Ebola virus • Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and bleeding, sometimes from the eyes and mouth. • Ebola is transferred to humans through close contact with infected animals. It is then spread from person to person through bodily fluids. • Some local customs in West Africa such as funeral rights, are thought to be increasing the spread especially when family members and religious figures prepare a body for burial. • To date, there has never been a case of Ebola transmission within Europe. • Ebola carries a 90% fatality rate, although in this outbreak the figure is more like 60% (source: WHO) • A person can be infectious for eight weeks after becoming ill • There is no cure although some drugs are under development

Pictures in this article are courtesy of Media CMG Digital, Vox and Business Insider

The Ebola virus

www.ribi.org | October 2014

DRAGON BOAT RACING

Enter the dragon Dragon boat racing is one of the fastest growing sports in Great Britain and Ireland and many Rotary clubs organise these popular annual events. They are a great day out for boat crews and spectators alike and raise thousands of pounds for local charities. These are just a few of this years many events. Kingston-Upon-Thames

The Kingston Dragon Boat Race saw 54 teams and almost 1,000 competitors battling it out over three heats to qualify for a place in the eight boat final. Also taking part was Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott, who was delighted to support the End Polio Now fundraising. There were only two seconds separating the eight teams in the final which was watched by a crowd of around 5,000. Together with the charity stalls and children’s funfair, the event is one of Kingston upon Thames’ biggest annual community activities. Teams are encouraged to raise a minimum of £1,000 but some teams raise more. When the final results are in it is hoped that with six more teams than last year, last year’s total of £50,000 will easily be beaten. 22

www.ribi.org | October 2014

Research funding One of the beneficiaries of the event is the Kidney Fund which is developing tests which can diagnose kidney disease at an early stage. The Kingston Rotary Dragon Boat Race supports research that has led to the identification of a new marker for kidney disease. As a result, a local company has applied for a patent and funding to start the first phase of producing a new test. Dr Mark Dockrell, Senior Scientist at the South West Thames Institute for Renal Research said: "We think this is a really exciting development which could help hundreds of thousands of diabetic patients. "One of the problems with kidney disease is that we’re not very good at diagnosing it early. So although we know

Kingston-Upon-Thames

that people with diabetes are one of the highest risk groups for developing kidney disease we still can’t diagnose it until they have lost about 50% of their kidney function." Another beneficiary of the Kingston race is the Richmond Homes and Lifestyle Trust (RHLT) whose mission is to connect

day was tremendous. It was great to see so many local people enjoying themselves watching the racing and taking part in the riverside activities. We look forward to continuing the Dragon Boat Challenge for years to come.” Dan Clark, Coach of the St Neots Dragon Boat Team said: “We are delighted to be working with the town council and Rotary club for a second year to bring this great sport to local people.”

Bristol Viking warrior

adults with learning disabilities with the community. RHLT provides two residential homes and supported living schemes in Richmond and runs activities to enable those with learning disabilities to lead fulfilling lives. This includes taking part in the dragon boat race and helping create opportunities for employment. Mark Albrow of RHLT said: “The Dragon Boat Race has allowed us to raise our profile and increase awareness of RHLT and its work within the local community. By giving some of our clients the opportunity to join the dragon boat crew, not only do they have an enjoyable experience, but it boosts their self esteem and confidence. It also helps to show others that people with a learning disability can play an active role in the community." The Kingston Dragon Boat Race started 14 years ago when just 17 boats competed. The event has since grown to 54 boats taking part, making it one of the largest dragon boat races in the UK.

Wakefield

Rowers had a flaming good time racing dragon boats at Pugneys Country Park

in Wakefield at the sixth annual Rotary Club Dragon Boat Race organised by Huddersfield and Wakefield Rotary Clubs. A crowd of over 3,000 watched the 34 teams who raised around £40,000 for local charities. Special guests included double Paralympic skier Sean Rose. Sean, who is also a waterskier and supporter of Wings for Life spinal cord research charity, helped row the Huddersfield Rotary Club boat. John Denham of the Rotary Club of Huddersfield said: “It is easy to understand why dragon boat racing is so popular when you see how much fun it is. The sun shone all day; the supporters roared their teams on and the rowers splashed their way to the finishing line in each race.”

St Neots

Dragon boat racing is part of St Neots’ summer festival, this year attracting 20 boat crews and more than 9,500 spectators. The teams from local organisations raised money for the disability charity Scope UK, which works to improve life for disabled people and their families. Melissa Coe, from St Neots Town Council said: “The atmosphere throughout the

Meanwhile the thirteenth Rotary Club of Bristol Breakfast Dragon Boat Challenge took place at Baltic Wharf, Bristol City Harbourside. The long boats, forty feet in length, took part to raise funds for the charity 1625 Independent People, which helps 16-25 year olds to get their lives back on track. The charity provides accommodation, job seeking advice, guidance on finance and general support to young people in the city. The event attracted 33 teams who raised funds by obtaining sponsorship of the crews. Boats, paddles, buoyancy aids and instruction were provided by the professional event organisers. Prizes were awarded for the best fancy dress and for those who raised the most sponsorship. In the thirteen years since it has been going, the event has raised over £460k for good causes. Jacqui Simpson Rotary PR Officer

www.ribi.org | October 2014

Raising

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Get set for success

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provides excellent opportunities for Rotary to form partnerships with businesses and other organisations to deliver projects which benefit the community and ultimately attract new members. This is how Rotarians in Nottingham set up and ran a successful project. Eventually it was decided to replace a decaying pond dipping platform with a new one. The platform is used by schoolchildren and youth groups to learn about wildlife. The reserve is a site of scientific interest so the work was overseen by ANR wardens who provided tools and waterproof clothing and took responsibility for acceptance of the work and final ownership.

Planning

The project team produced a plan comprising activities, resource allocation, risk assessment, transport and a fund raising programme for the ÂŁ1,700 needed to buy the new platform. The project had to be completed within three winter months to avoid disturbing the wildlife breeding season, so the team were allowed to work one day a week for the duration of the project. The dipping platform is used by schoolchildren and youth groups to learn about wildlife

The team at work at Attenborough Nature Reserve

The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire area Business Partnership is an initiative designed to help local businesses fulfil their CSR objectives by allowing employees to help with local projects during working hours. The Rotary clubs facilitate a brokerage service between businesses and good causes. Wollaton Park and Sherwood Sunrisers Rotary Clubs identified a pilot project through the contacts of its members and a 24

www.ribi.org | October 2014

team was drawn up to organise meetings, act as mentors and make regular trips to the project to monitor progress. One member works for the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, so was able to set up a meeting. A presentation was given, emphasising the benefits to the trust in achieving their CSR objectives and after further presentations and meetings, approval was given. An outline of the project was provided which met health, safety, public liability and insurance requirements and a statement of responsibility and final ownership was created. The NHS team members were made associate members of Rotary clubs in order to gain Rotary insurance cover. The hospital trust has ties with a special needs school so their young people and their mentors also joined the team. Some Rotarians volunteer at the Attenborough Nature Reserve (ANR) so were able to set up a meeting with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT).

Watching brief

Rotarians provided guidance and maintained a watching brief including photographing progress. They also brought management skills and encouragement to the project without needing to actively carry out the work. The project has been a great success. The ANR has a new dipping platform, the hospitalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trust has significantly improved its CSR and Rotary acquired new members. Employees developed their planning, management and networking skills and the special needs young people had the opportunity to use hand and power tools for the first time and benefit socially from working in a team. The NWT has a project to provide schools with access to wildlife areas to help students learn about the environment. They wish to partner with Rotary to deliver the project providing another opportunity for Rotary to network and meet potential new members. This is a partnership well on the road to success. David Pedlar Rotary Club of Wollaton

The World Pooh Sticks Championship takes place every year in Oxford

A club to aspire to When AA Milne wrote the House at Pooh Corner in 1928 and invented the game of Pooh Sticks I’m sure he never envisaged that a Rotary club in Oxford would use the game as one of their signature events. The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires holds the World Pooh Sticks Championship every year at Days Lock from Little Wittenham and Dorchester footbridges on the River Thames. The event attracts a lot of attention both nationally and internationally. The event is unique and we wanted to find out more about Oxford Spires Rotary, its members and of course the event so we went along to meet them. It was a pleasure to sit with some members and talk about the club and Rotary and experience first hand their enthusiasm, fellowship and a desire to do something worthwhile for their community.

No formalities

Their President, Steve Axell summed it up: "We have no formalities or ceremony, members don’t have to have a meal, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we get lots done and have lots of fun." The club was originally sponsored and chartered ten years ago by Oxford Isis Rotary Club and tends to appeal to younger working people. There is a wide age range of members and a good mix of young professionals, mainly working at

Pooh and Tigger

Oxford University, which is why they meet in the centre of Oxford once a fortnight. They are conscious that they need to attract new members since as they said: “If we don’t we will all stay in Rotary and grow old with the club. We need new blood to give us new ideas and refresh our enthusiasm.” The enthusiasm bit seemed almost superfluous since it was obvious all of them had it in abundance.

They take their work with their chosen charities seriously and generally support local organisations, especially those for people with disabilities and an organisation helping young unemployed people called Aspire. Further afield they have helped with projects in Uganda and Tanzania. Oxford Spires Rotary also does a fair amount of work with other clubs such as helping with the Oxford Foodbank, Abingdon Dragon Boats and the Truck Festival. With their can do attitude and friendly and warming culture there is no doubt that in future they will be attracting new members. In doing so the World Pooh Sticks Championships will grow bigger and better and AA Milne would be proud of what he started. Allan Berry Editor www.ribi.org | October 2014

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

Will polio ever be defeated? Addressing the issues is Dr Bruce Aylward from the World Health Organisation who also heads the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

Cases for this year compared to the same time last year, show an improvement of approximately 25%, can this be maintained? The year 2014 is one of good news. In all likelihood, the second of the three types of wild polio virus (type 3) is gone, type 2 has been gone since 1999. Nigeria has record low numbers of cases in Somalia, just two cases this year even the Middle East outbreak is waning, with no cases since April. The big outliers are Pakistan and Cameroon. In Pakistan, polio is sheltering in three specific areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Karachi, Peshawar and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the North West. Many children remain unimmunised in these areas. Cameroon is a new twist in the challenge to make Africa polio free, with five cases this year.

The situation in Nigeria is good not only because the numbers are low, but more importantly because immunity is high â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more and more children are being vaccinated. What is needed is to sustain this ever shrinking immunity gap. This progress is due to the establishment of Emergency Operations Centres and the renewed and strengthened engagement of political and religious leaders at all levels. Rotary in Nigeria has played a critical role in mobilising communities and engaging with political and religious leaders. Nigeria can be the next country to become polio free. Some of these tactics are transferable to Pakistan. The emergency operations approach, surge support, ownership by local leaders all these are necessary to turn things around there.

Does the GPEI have the funds to run all the vaccination campaigns? If not, how much is short? The GPEI has a five year plan in place to secure a lasting polio free world, budgeted at $5.5 billion. Over $5 billion has been pledged and challenge is now to convert those pledges into cash and to meet the needs for the approximately $ 500 million remaining. Rotary, as a reliable donor to polio eradication, has always rapidly met its pledges. Rotarians play a critical role in ensuring other donors do the same.

In Pakistan, they have all sorts of challenges to deal with. How much is it logistics and how much is it political and religious? It is a combination of operational and political/security challenges. In the infected areas of Pakistan, operations need to be improved to ensure that all children are reached during immunisation campaigns. This will happen by ensuring a surge in support to those areas, ensuring that local leaders are accountable for activities, and by setting up effective emergency operations centres.

Nigeria has only six cases so far compared to 43 last year. The biggest issue there was in the North of the country with weak immunisation systems compounded by religious and political challenges. How was this tackled and can this be emulated in Pakistan?

There are now cases in conflict affected countries in the Middle East, notably Syria and Iraq. Do you have people there administering vaccines and if so, how much danger are they in? Populations in countries affected by conflict are particularly at risk of diseases such as

www.ribi.org | October 2014

polio. Health systems tend to deteriorate, vaccination coverage declines and children are left more vulnerable to infections. Running outbreak response in such settings is complicated and dangerous. However, the countries are using innovative solutions and putting in place a huge effort to ensure all children are vaccinated, with hundreds of thousands of vaccination teams operating in both countries. Syria has reported one case this year and Iraq two cases. No cases have been reported in this outbreak since April. Some European countries are designated as being at intermediate risk of polio, why is this? People forget that polio is only a plane ride away from any place on earth. We must also remember that it is not just countries where immunisation systems have been weakened, such as Syria, Iraq or Ukraine, which are at risk. Polio has a dangerous ability to find any unimmunised children, no matter where they live. In 1992/1993, poliovirus was imported into the Netherlands, causing an outbreak that led to 71 children being paralysed in an unimmunised religious community. This underscores that no matter where you live, as long as polio is anywhere in the world, children everywhere are at risk.

It has been predicted that the world will be polio free by 2018. How realistic is this? This is completely realistic. Africa is on track to stop polio by the end of this year and Afghanistan is again back on track. The signs are positive in the Middle East and Somalia outbreaks. This is the goal the countries set themselves in 2013 and though we are not naive about the challenges, there is a strong momentum to achieve this goal. Pakistan is not on track and the outbreak in Cameroon threatens Africa’s progress. What these two countries do over the next 12 months will determine if the 2018 goal remains realistic. Rotarians have been supporting this campaign for many years and some are sceptical of the outcome. What would you say to those Rotarians so we maintain the momentum? I would say three things. The first is thank you. This is truly Rotary’s programme, and it could not have started or been sustained to such a degree without Rotarians around the world. The second thing is that this can definitely be done. Rotary has already proven this in all but three countries of the world. While we aim for case zero, we must also look at the incredible successes.

Child receiving polio vaccine

Incidence of the disease has been slashed by 99%, from 350,000 cases every year, to 149 cases this year. More than 10 million people are today walking, who would otherwise have been paralysed by the disease. Over 1.5 million childhood deaths have been prevented. All of these achievements are thanks to Rotary’s engagement. The third thing I would say is that this cannot be done without Rotary. If you meet

a sceptical Rotarian, challenge them with this question. Can we really not reach every child? Is it ok to walk away? No Rotarian believes that is ok. If we do not finish the job, polio will come roaring back. Within ten years, we will see 200,000 children paralysed every single year. The good news is that achieving success is possible and achievable with Rotary.

www.ribi.org | October 2014

AROUND THE CLUBS

We're for

Communities Catching up with Rotary clubs around Great Britain and Ireland It is in the home village of Om, who is one of the club's members and is a retired Gurkha. He lives in Nuneaton along with around 90 other Gurkha families. The club’s commitment to Nepal recognises the value placed on the Gurkhas in the local community. Gary Dancer of Nuneaton Rotary club said: We are now finalising a grant application to install solar powered pumps which will provide water to the school and maternity unit. This will allow children to spend more time at school each day as well as improving healthcare.”

Dictionaries for Life

The turtle bus

HEART OF ENGLAND

Turtle Bus delight The Rotary Club of Wolverhampton St Georges presented Penn Hall School for children with special needs with a new mode of transport – a Turtle Bus. A Turtle Bus is an easy to push six seater bus, rather like an over sized buggy, which enables staff to transport younger toddlers easily and in safety around the grounds to visit activity sites and the woodland walk. Just under £1,200 was raised at the club’s charity golf day sufficient to buy the bus in time for the school’s 40th anniversary fete. There are 84 students aged between three and 19, all of whom have a physical disability, associated sensory difficulty or complex additional needs. Head Teacher Dave Parry said: “During its 40 years the school has been fortunate to receive charitable funding from a number of sources including the five Rotary Clubs of Wolverhampton. Without their support the range of activities and opportunities the school offers would not be available. This buggy means that we can 28

www.ribi.org | October 2014

move the children around the school with ease, and what’s more, they love the buggy trips.”

Commitment to Nepal Stimulating an interest in reading in Wylde Green

Nuneaton Rotarians on their visit to Nepal

Nuneaton Rotary Club visited Nepal to see a project that was started ten years ago by Rotarian Don Jacques who gained a grant for furniture at a school. Since then the Rotarians have contributed to building a maternity unit in the village, made improvements to the school and established a trekking lodge.

For the seventh year running the Rotary Club of Wylde Green supported the Dictionary For Life project by gifting dictionaries to pupils in local schools. This year the club donated over 200 dictionaries at four local primary schools. Arthur Law of Wylde Green Rotary Club said: “Rotary is all about supporting communities and we recognise that today’s young people are the leaders of the future. So we are pleased to be donating dictionaries again this year. This has only been made possible thanks to the generosity of local people in our collections throughout the year. The project seeks to encourage independent learning and stimulate an interest in language, books and reading.

NORTH WEST ENGLAND

Selling raffle tickets at CarFest North

CarFest North raises £22K

Scouts stop off at the Billy Fury statue in Liverpool

NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND

Sunderland music and dance spectacular

Children helping Children More than 350 Wearside youngsters showcased their talents at the Sunderland Empire Theatre to an audience of over 900 people. The youngsters aged eight to 18, were not only performing their music, song, dance and drama skills but also raising cash for Sunderland based charities, Hope4kids and Young Carers, under the mantra, Children helping Children. The Rotary Youth Musical Spectacular has been staged at the Empire since 1997 and every show has been produced by Ron Monaghan of the Rotary Club of Washington Forge. Some performers have gone on to careers in performing and teaching, whilst others who appeared in the early shows are now parents of today's youngsters.

These days the shows are organised by members of Houghton, Seaburn, Sunderland, Washington Forge and Wearside with Seaham Rotary Clubs. Organiser, Tony Wortman said: “We are delighted to give young performers an opportunity to be seen on a professional stage whilst the audience enjoy a great night of entertainment and support local charities at the same time.”

Rotary clubs in the Cheshire area joined Chris Evans to help with CarFest North, raising £22k for BBC Children in Need. The team was led by David Williams, racing enthusiast and race chief marshaller from Altrincham Rotary Club, who along with friends and relatives sold hundreds of raffle tickets for prizes including cars and motorbikes. David says he was overwhelmed by the generosity of the fans and it was great meeting Chris Evans who is also a car fanatic.

SOUTH EAST

NORTH WALES, MERSEYSIDE & SURROUNDING AREA

Scavenger hunt

Scouts in the North West held a scavenger hunt in Liverpool to raise awareness of ShelterBox with tents erected in St James’ Gardens, St John’s Gardens and at the Pier Head in the city. 80 clues were prepared for the scouts to find and special challenges set up to solve. Each site was manned by scout leaders and members of the Rotary Clubs of Liverpool Garston, City of Liverpool, West Derby, Liverpool Exchange, Southport Sunrise and West Wirral. Thirty teams from Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria took part, each carrying an empty ShelterBox and following the clues and grid references on their maps. The event was such a success that plans are already in place to hold a similar event next year. Donations from the teams resulted in two ShelterBoxes to help families made homeless by disaster.

SALTY and St Mary’s students with the £500 cheque and Bexhill Rotarian John Cooper

Boost for special school St Mary’s Special School and College in Bexhill have received £500 from Bexhill Rotary Club towards refurbishment of the schools’ boarding residences. St Mary’s was founded 90 years ago and coupled with the Talking Trust, is a nonprofit organisation which has been set up to raise the profile of communication disability in children and young people and to provide services to meet their needs. St Mary’s 127 students who’s ages range from seven to 19 come from far and wide with some www.ribi.org | October 2014

AROUND THE CLUBS

coming from overseas. Fundraising is vital so that the school can continue to improve the lives of youngsters with communication disabilities. Bexhill Rotary Publicity Officer Roger Batey said: “It was great to be shown around St Mary’s and meet some of the staff and the school mascot, SALTY (Speech And Language Therapy for You) and to see where the money will be spent.”

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND

SOUTH WALES

Prostate Cymru gets a boost Men in Wales will receive 21st century treatment for prostate cancer after receiving a donation of £25,000 raised at a barn dance held by the Rotary Club of Haverfordwest. Tina Tew from Prostate Cymru commented: “It will enable us to establish state of the art treatments for prostate cancer and facilitate the training of surgical and nursing staff in Welsh Hospitals to perform new techniques in its treatment. We are delighted with this donation.” The star act at the barn dance were the Wurzels who entertained close to 1,000 people. Derek Lloyd from Haverfordwest Rotary Club was joined by sporting legends including the Wales rugby team manger. Derek said: “It was a great evening and our club was delighted we could help in this way. If our contribution means faster diagnosis and treatment that has got to be worth all the hard work that went into the evening.” Prostate Cymru raises awareness of the risks and signs of prostate cancer amongst the Welsh population to promote understanding of the disease.

SUSSEX AND SURREY

High performer Young local sporting talent was recognised by Caterham Rotary Club at the annual Rotary Sporting Excellence Awards. The winner was 15 year old Sam Talbot, who received a cheque for £250. Sam impressed the judges with his outstanding sporting achievements, which include having been a member of the England Lambs rugby team for two years, a of the Exeter Chiefs U16’s elite development squad and Surrey County rugby team. Sam has also represented England Schools at international level 30

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Rotary shop

Rotary Shop sails to success

High performer - Sam is now the UK’s National Combined Events U17 Champion

and has a host of UK awards including pentathlon, long jump and hurdles. He also managed to fit in cricket last year as a wicket keeper and batsman for Devon. The runners up were Isabella Berlin and Holly Castle who received cheques for £125. Isabella’s award recognised her outstanding performance in the swimming pool where she trains twice a day. She is ranked second in the UK for breast stroke in her age group and has been selected for the England talent squad. Holly’s sporting excellence is in hockey, netball and athletics where she is a member of the Surrey County U15 (a year above her age) hockey squad and is undertaking trials for the county netball team as well as representing East Surrey at the Surrey Schools Athletics Championships. Chairman of the judges, Geraint Jenkins said: “The standard of applicants this year was extremely high so it was a difficult task to shortlist and select a winner". Since the award ceremony Sam has taken part in the National Under 17 Combined Events competition in Bedford and is now the UK under 17’s Champion.

The Rotary Clubs of Mounts Bay and Penzance have got together to open a Rotary Shop in the town. The former pharmacy opened its doors for business on June 19 and has had a steady flow of customers. Selling donated items such as clothes, toys, books and bric a brac has produced a healthy revenue and is a good example of Rotary working in the community. They have had some unusual donations of items such as a set of Missionary Magazines dating from 1850’s. One of the first beneficiaries was the Sea Cadet unit in Penzance who received £1,500 towards the cost of a Topper Sailing Dinghy for training and racing. Rob James the officer in charge said: “We are really grateful to the Rotary club for helping in this way. They have provided an opportunity for youngsters in the area to hone their sailing skills and gain confidence on the water.”

STAFFORDSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE & THE BLACK COUNTRY

V Festival delivers 5,000 items Members of the 39 Rotary clubs who helped clear up the aftermath of this year’s V Festival collected over 5,000 items of camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags, chairs and wellingtons. Over 330 Rotarians joined 180 other volunteers at the site for the two day clear up loading five transit vans with camping chairs alone. All the equipment was loaded onto lorries and sent to the International Aid Trust, in Preston which is run by Rotary member, Bernard Crocker. Here it is sorted, cleaned and stored in readiness

Abandoned tents can be reused

for wordwide distribution to people in desparate need. Keith Gater of the Brewood and District Rotary Club said: “It is hard work but very rewarding knowing that the equipment will be sent to people who need it rather than being thrown away. It is amazing what gets lost or left behind. We found many Ipads, debit cards, wallets and phones, most of which we reunited with their owners. We also found hundreds of items of footwear, including every type of wellington imaginable, hats and hot water bottles.”

Give us your tools

useful life. Rotarian Alan Bramley said: “We are very grateful to the generous people of Shrewsbury for their magnificent response to our appeal for old tools. We did not anticipate such a response and in the event filled a van to take all the tools away to the charity’s HQ. The collection included more than 20 sewing machines all destined to help someone to work for themselves. Even the few tools that may not be able to be refurbished were useful, as the scrap value helps to pay for the cost of shipping to Africa.”

Tesco induction Rugeley Rotary Club has become one of the first clubs in the area to induct a corporate member by inducting Tesco Stores of Rugeley. Tesco has already supported the club by holding an End of Polio Now day as well as providing volunteers and prizes for fundraising events for local charities at the Rugeley Charter Fair. The store was inducted at a special presentation to the Tesco Customer Services Manager when they were introduced to the Community Service Officer.

THAMES VALLEY

Getting snookered in Banbury

Snooker for schools

Relying on tools in Shrewsbury

When the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury collected unwanted tools at the Radbrook Centre they were amazed at the response from the public. The club were collecting for the charity Tools for Self Reliance which refurbishes old tools and sends them to Africa where they can have a further

a chalkless snooker tip with proceeds from sales of the tip being used to buy snooker and pool tables. Jason Ferguson said: “Something like this is critical for development of the sport in young children so if we can get tables into schools, children can play and learn at the same time.” Jason gave a talk to Rotarians on how snooker originated during the monsoon season at a military station in India in 1875. It was the brainchild of an Army Officer called Neville Chamberlain. There are currently over 90 registered National Billiards and Snooker Governing Bodies with 120+ million participants worldwide.

Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association accompanied members of the Rotary Club of Banbury to a local primary school to present a free snooker table as part of the Cue Games For Schools project. The project was founded to provide snooker and pool tables free of charge to as many schools as possible in order to give youngsters the opportunity to learn the game and develop their skills at a young age. Founder Peter Williams has developed

Cross country

Riding for charity The Waddesdon is a popular riders only cross country horse event organised by the Rotary Club of Haddenham and supported by the Rotary Clubs of Thame and Bicester and the Waddesdon Estate. The 11 mile course features optional jumps of varying degrees of difficulty and is an exclusive opportunity for riders of all abilities to enjoy the superb farmland venue. Commemorative rosettes are awarded to each rider who completes the course, by the Rotary club President, John Brown CBE. John said: “The success of the event is seen in the smiles on the faces of the riders as they complete the course and we very much appreciate being given access to the estate.” The event raised over £6,500 in sponsorship and funds go to the Florence Nightingale and Sobell House Hospices.

www.ribi.org | October 2014

SCHOOLS COMPETITION

A winning garden

Twelve primary schools took part in the Rotary Club of Billingshurst’s annual Butterfly Garden Competition. Each school was provided with a tyre, a folder courtesy of Staples and money to send off for a caterpillar kit containing ten painted lady caterpillars. They also received packets of seeds for flowers that attract butterflies and insects along with a set of rules. The prize is a shield donated by a local nursery, a £100 book token for the winner and vouchers for £50 and £25 for second place and runners up.

as the judges arrived. Rotary President Peter King accompanied local Rotarians to the winning school in Shipley where they were greeted by the children who had made butterfly cakes and other refreshments. The garden was very imaginative and a yellow bicycle was featured as a tribute to the Tour de France. Judges said that the use of the tyre, extra flowers and the trail of butterfly information leading from the bug garden at the front of the school were some of the features that made this garden a winner. Winning garden included a tribute to the Tour de France

WINNING GARDEN

Saving lives in the air A local air ambulance benefited to the tune of £5,000 when The Rotary Club of Kingham and the Wychwoods held an open gardens day centred at Wychwood Manor gardens. The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance covering Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire costs around £5m a year to keep in the air and they fly three or four missions a day.

Great enthusiasm

At Ingfield Manor School the children were so enthusiastic in getting the raised bed ready, working on the project folder and releasing the butterflies, that they purchased a second kit which produced more painted ladies, which were released

www.ribi.org | October 2014

Flying hospital

Recently they have added a doctor to the service and can also do blood transfusions on site. It is almost a flying hospital and helps to save thousands of lives. Robert Downham of the air ambulance service commented said: “The open gardens scheme brings in £60k per annum and is a great way to let people know that the air ambulance is a charity. We are grateful to the Rotary club who worked so hard on the day and raised the funds.” Rotarian Paul Jackson said: “The gardens supplied tea and cakes as well as other stalls and helped raise money on what was a very enjoyable day.” Air ambulances across the country are usually charities and are funded by the public. In the Thames Valley and Chiltern area, fifteen Rotary clubs have raised funds to maintain this life saving service.

YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER

Young Photographer Rotary Today apologises to the Rotary Clubs of Andover and Peterhead for confusion that arose over their respective young photographer winners. The photo attributed to Intermediate Winner Theo Youds was in fact the third place Senior Category Winning photo taken by Emma Morgan sponsored by the Rotary Club of Peterhead. We now publish Theo's winning photograph and wish Emma and Theo every success in the future.

INTERMEDIATE WINNER

Theo Youds Rotary Club of Andover

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INTERNATIONAL

SUNDERLAND

WHITEHAVEN

140 MIL

Coasting for the corps

an infection which I thought might put paid to the whole thing. With assistance from Doctor Nick Cunningham who was accompanying me on the challenge, I was able to soldier on at a much steadier pace.

Martin Kettrick of the Rotary Club of Blythe Bridge & District cycled coast to coast from Whitehaven to Sunderland to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines Association. Martin, 56 who is confined Support and encouragement The first day was gruelling as I felt unwell to a wheelchair as a result of an abseiling accident whilst serving in the but with the support and encouragement Royal Marines, covered a distance of 140 miles over three days. of the other cyclists I was able to complete organisation which approaches things in a holistic way. It looks at underlying issues in order to empower people to take charge of their own lives with the support of the Corps family and service charities.

Dealing with challenges

I was inspired to do the Coast to Coast (C2C) because I had some health issues which curtailed some of my fundraising and Rotary activities. As part of the recovery process and to help regain my fitness, I decided to do something challenging. The 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines gave me an incentive to do something positive for the Corps family, ex Royal Marines and their families. The Royal Marines Association is a progressive 34

www.ribi.org | October 2014

I met two marines who were involved in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) incidents in Afghanistan. Mark Ormrod was the first surviving triple amputee and Baz Barratt lost his right leg and suffered many other blast injuries. Since then the subject has been very close to my heart, so doing the C2C was an easy decision and will hopefully inspire others to think positively about how they can best deal with the challenges life throws at us. I had no real problems motivating myself because of the cause and goodwill I received from family, friends and Rotarians who have been tremendous. However, it was difficult to get the balance right in order not to over stress my already brittle body and too ensure I could make it. There were a few issues, notably on the day before the start when I contracted

the day in reasonable shape. The following days were equally difficult but the support en route was magnificent and gave me a tremendous lift. I met David Quainton of Keswick Rotary Club, who presented a cheque for ÂŁ100. I was supported by ex marines along the top of Hartside, one of the highest and most challenging climbs of the ride. Tyneside Royal Marines Association set up a huge flag and they walked the last mile up the hill alongside me. Members of the public gave donations towards the cause, it was fantastic.

Emotionally drained

I finished tired and emotionally drained by all the support and kindness I received from Rotary clubs along the way. I also felt an enormous sense of achievement. Having been a Rotarian for over 20 years I've done a great deal of fundraising but never for the Royal Marines specifically, so it was inspiring to receive so much support from fellow Rotarians. I have raised ÂŁ4,500 so far and I am still receiving donations. Martin Kettrick Rotary Club of Blythe Bridge & District

TRUSSELL TRUST

Three million meals A collaboration between The Trussell Trust, Tesco and Rotary has set up foodbanks to help people in desperate need. Rotarians throughout Great Britain and Ireland are helping out.

Holly and daughter Pheobe

Holly is a single mum who lives in Chichester with her four year old daughter, Phoebe. Following a series of incidents in her life Holly had to resort to using a foodbank. She moved out of her council flat to be nearer her parents who helped her pay the new rent. Holly was also working part time to pay the bills.

Empty cupboards

When Phoebe was taken into hospital for several weeks, Holly had to be with her daughter and when she was discharged they went home to empty cupboards and mounting bills. Not wanting to

ask her parents for more money, Holly went to the Citizens Advice Bureau who gave her vouchers to get food from her local foodbank. Holly said: “The people at the foodbank were wonderful, they understood and the help they gave us really saved the day.” Holly’s story is typical of what is happening in communities across the country, hence the vast number of community groups and other agencies which are now involved with foodbanks. Recently many Rotarians rallied to support The Trussell Trust foodbank network at the National Tesco Neighbourhood Food Collection event. The food collected was weighed and Tesco added 30% of the value by weight. Enough items were collected to feed three million people.

Helping prevent hunger

David McAuley, Chief Executive of the Trussell Trust said: “Thanks to the generosity of Tesco their shoppers and the support of Rotary, our foodbanks across the UK will be able to prevent many more families from facing hunger. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Rotary members

The three day Tesco National Neighbourhood Food Collection

for giving their time to help collect food donations at Tesco. Your support makes a big difference.” John Hammond of Baldock Rotary Club commented: “Rotarians were in action throughout the three days. We all enjoyed it and felt we were doing something useful. The shopping public in the Baldock Tesco Extra store were very generous, with some people bringing carrier bags full of items to donate.” In Epping the event was supported by clubs from North London and the Home Counties. Rotarian Raz Zoers said: “Staff at the Epping Tesco Superstore were delighted with our help, well done for your fabulous support and thanks to everyone who contributed.” The next Tesco Neighbourhood Food Collection is on Thursday to Saturday 4-6 December. For more information visit trusselltrust. org or email rotary@trusselltrust.org

Fact File How a Foodbank works

Around thirteen million people live below the poverty line in the UK. Every day people go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill. Foodbanks provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis. The Trussell Trust partners with churches and communities to open new foodbanks nationwide The goal of the Trussell Trust is to create a nation where no one has to go hungry.

How a Trussell Trust foodbank works

• Non perishable food is donated by the public • Volunteers sort and pack food into emergency food parcels • Frontline care professionals such as doctors and social workers give foodbank vouchers to people in crisis • Foodbank vouchers are exchanged for three days worth of food

www.ribi.org | October 2014

YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Creating future leaders When schools all over Great Britain and Ireland finish for the summer holidays a group of young people get ready to attend a Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) course. Some will be really looking forward to the experience whilst others may be a little concerned at what lies ahead of them. The youngsters who are aged between 16 and 25 - although the age range is flexible - are selected and sponsored by their local Rotary club. Each candidate on a course is paid for by the club and the costs can be in excess of £500. Some Rotary club members attend local schools to talk about the course and ask for applications from teachers. Other candidates are selected from scout and guide groups and other community organisations. Courses are run in locations such as The Forest of Dean Field Studies Centre in Gloucestershire and Rhos-y-Gawliau in the Snowdonia National Park.

Bringing out the best

Every course is designed and run by professionals specialising in bringing out leadership skills in youngsters. On some courses Rotarians attend to help the instructors. For a week, the participants are given challenging tasks to perform either solo or in a team, solving problems, building their communication skills and developing their confidence. Each course is tailored to the needs of the clubs but usually include some or all of the following: orienteering, rock climbing, abseiling, sailing and some exploration. Every challenge is designed to expose them to leadership skills, discover their potential and develop skills needed to lead in their community, career and future life. Participants develop their confidence to the extent that they can go along to their sponsoring club afterwards to give a talk about their experience of RYLA, something which some would not have had the confidence to do prior to the course.

Feedback

Ryan has just completed his A Levels and is now a Rotaract member sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bourne End and Cookham. Ryan said: “I thoroughly enjoyed RYLA. The week was different to anything I have ever done before because of the types of activities. I learnt a lot and my confidence 36

www.ribi.org | October 2014

The course helps with team work

grew as I had to lead and communicate with complete strangers in order to accomplish the tasks.” Kate, a Royal Berkshire Hospital Clinical Research Trials Assistant, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Reading and Erlegh said: “I feel privileged to have both experienced and witnessed the growth of confidence and competence of the group.” Maddie, an A level student about to start university, sponsored by The Rotary Club of Worcester Vigornia, said: “It has helped me realise I can do things if I put my mind to it and it has helped me communicate with others and lead more comfortably.”

International RYLA

This youth programme is so successful that it is replicated on an international level attended by young people who have already made a difference in some way within their community. All of them attend realising that there is even more they can accomplish. To find out more about RYLA go to ribi.org or rotary.org.

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PAGE 42.indd 1

www.ribi.org | October 2014

11/09/2014 11:52

, FRED.S FAVOURITE FJORDS Our new 2015 Norwegian Fjords cruises feature scenic cruising like no other with thirteen cruises to choose from. Our smaller ships can take you to the heart of some of the fjordland’s most maginificent scenery, past spectacular rock formations such as Preikestolen and Kjerag, along waterways so narrow that the massive mega-ships can’t navigate them, and past cascading waterfalls, so close you can almost feel the spray. The journey is as rewarding as the destination.

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01/09/2014 11/09/2014 15:00 11:53

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1612 Regent rotary.indd 1

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PAGE 47.indd 1

11/09/2014 12:59

Holidays All Areas

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www.R-O-D.org Great Choice of Apartments, Villas, Chalets, Gites, Condos for Holiday Rental or Holiday Exchange.

Balearics

MALLORCA - Newly refurbished frontline 2 bedroom apartment with magnificent sea views. En-suite bathroom, shower room, TV, fully fitted kitchen, terrace and pool. Within easy reach of the elegant city of Palma. From £400 pw. Call Brian Harrison 01275 373992 or Email: harrisonbl@ talktalk.net MALLORCA Puerto Pollensa. Two modern 3 bedroom apartments. Central position close to shops, restaurants, beach, marina. Air conditioned. Satellite TV. (One a luxury apartment with a shared pool). Tel: 07773 228631 www. holidaypuertopollensa.com PUERTO POLLENSA, MALLORCA Rotarian’s comfortable air conditioned residential apartments, accommodating 2, 4, or 6 persons. Kitchen, dining/lounge, 2 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 gallery bedroom + roof terrace and bar-b-que. Central location, beach 100m, private parking. Flights, insurance, car hire, taxis arranged. Rtn Graham Wiseman Tel: 0121 453 2433 or 0121 460 1402 or graham@pollensapines.com

Canaries

LANZAROTE Costa Teguise. Fantastic, one bedroom flat. Large south facing balcony overlooking large pool and gardens. Close to beach, good restaurants and all facilities. Contact Rtn Derek Wright Tel 01733 234552 E-Mail: derek@churchlanewaterville. fsnet.co.uk

Canaries-Tenerife

TENERIFE SOUTH Sale also considered, please phone

Club Atlantis, Playa de Las Americas Rotarian’s exclusive 1- bedroom apartment in 4-star luxury hotel with sea view and 3 swimming pools. English television. Sandy beach, restaurants and shopping centre only 100m. Tel: 01932 874303 grahame.leon-smith@rotarystaines.org.uk

TENERIFE - LOS CRISTIANOS. Rotarian’s 2 bedroom penthouse apt. in well run complex. Quiet end of town. 2 balconies and large terrace. Adjacent beach, restaurants, supermarkets. All mod cons. Mob: 00353 872871067 Email: richardsgreene@hotmail.com TENERIFE SOUTH Parque Don Jose, Costa Del Silencio. One & two bedroom apartments. Microwave, cooker, washing machine, TV, video. From £210 per week. Call Carol Doggett 0118 971 0140.

Tenerife South

Luxury air con two bedroom duplex apartment in Palm Mar, a quiet and tranquil corner of South Tenerife. Offers stunning terrace sea views in secluded gated complex with pool. Twenty mins from airport, with shops and restaurants close by and access to Los Christianos for shopping, restaurants and entertainment. Further details on www.dnjchapman.co.uk

Contact David Chapman 01903 237474 email: david.pc@ntlworld.com

TENERIFE SOUTH Callao Salvaje. Rotarian’s quiet 2 bed/2 bath villa on quiet complex with 2 pools. Ideal for 2/4 people. Lower rates for 2 people. English TV, lots of sun terracing. Ring 01942 673734.

France

SAINTE CECILLE - situated between Boulogne & Le Touquet. Two/Three bedroom house, fully equipped. Close to beach, shops and restaurants. Discounts for Rotarians. Phone 020 8642 0642 email lesterk@hotmail.co.uk

Great B&I-Devon DARTMOUTH & THE RIVER DART’S LUXURY 5* B&B

• Rotarian’s newly-built, interior-designed Luxury 5* B&B • Located in Stoke Gabriel village - “The Jewel on the Dart” • Stunning views overlooking village and River Dart • Warm, Cosy & Welcoming. Afternoon Cream Tea on arrival • Three Ensuite luxury Bedrooms with balconies. Open All Year • Guest Lounge and Guest Conservatory. Flat screen TVs • Free WiFi. Local Fishing, Boating, Sailing & Walking • Near to Agatha Christie’s home – Greenway House

WWW.STOKEGABRIELLODGINGS.COM Brochure: 01803 782003 (David or Helen)

SALCOMBE Rotarian’s spacious, wellequipped apartment near, overlooking harbour. Large balcony, large living room, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Sleeps 2 - 8 Tel 01837 82203 www. charboroughhouse.co.uk

Great B&I-Yorkshire 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.

Italy

For sale in the Italian Riviera Bed Sitter Flat in Perinaldo, a medieval village north of Bordighera with scenic views. Large room with bathroom, kitchenette, and balcony. £35,000 For more information contact 01243 543701

Portugal

ALGARVE Carvoeiro 3-bed 2-bath villa with own heated pool in 1 acre garden. Close to many beaches; shops and restaurants in walking distance. Sky TV and maid service. Rtn Howard Broomby 01539 561143 howard@broomby.com

ALGARVE, CARVOEIRO

Luxury two bedroom, two bathroom villa. Pool. Golf nearby. Long lets by negotiation.

DISCOUNT FOR ROTARIANS For details visit our website www.windmill-leisure.com

Call +44 (0)7956 109395 to discuss PRAIA DA LUZ Western Algarve. Rotarian’s fully equipped 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa set in quiet established development. Own pool. Daily maid service. Sea view. Restaurants, village & beach 5 mins drive. 4 golf courses 10/20mins by car. Tennis 5 min walk. Tel: 01268 752308 or 07860 869737. ALGARVE ALVOR. Luxury apartment located in the sub-tropical gardens of the Alto Golf & Country Club. Within walking distance of beautiful sandy beach & charming Alvor town. Facilities include indoor & outdoor pools, gym, sauna, a la carte restaurant & bar with outdoor terrace dining, tennis courts, 18 hole championship golf course. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, air conditioning, sun terrace, Wi-Fi and satellite TV. Tel: 01202 875392 or e-mail: geoff.partington@btinternet. com

Spain JAVEA Rotarian family’s luxury 2 bed/2 bath apt in beautiful Old Port area. Delightful pool 4 minutes walk from seafront. www.puertoreal.co.uk or tel: 020 8892 2603

THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE

CALPE, COSTA BLANCA

Luxury “all year round” villa in spacious grounds with large pool and magnificent views. Furnished to a high standard throughout. Sleeps 8/10 comfortably. Tranquil and very private. Easy reach of town, beaches, golf, tennis, and much more.

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VILLA OLEANdER

Marbella, Spain Luxurious Villa. Sleeps 10 in 5 En Suite Bedrooms, in a private one acre garden, 16 metre pool (heating optional), children’s play area. Use of tennis court. Lift to all floors. Wi-Fi throughout, Satellite TV. Sitting room, Fully equipped kitchen, octagonal dining area. Spectacular En Suite Master Bedroom, Four Twin Bedded En Suite Rooms. Air Conditioning at NO Extra Charge. Maid service included at NO extra charge. Ideal for large family celebrations and weddings.

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Mobile 07770 834 050 telephone 01386 553 374 MORAIRA – LUXURY VILLA OVERLOOKING THE MED

• Rotarian’s luxury 5-bedroom Villa sleeping up to 12 • Located on promontory above El Portet, Moraira, Costa Blanca • Stunning views of the sea and coastline to front and rear • Central Heating for year-round occupancy • Air-conditioned bedrooms. Flat screen TV • Large private pool – kidney shaped. Tranquil • Lovely beaches, Golf, Tennis and prestigious infrastructure • No hotels, no campsites just one of the nicest spots in Spain • Professional management. Rental from £250 to £895 pw

WWW.PUERTOLLANO51.CO.UK Brochure: 01803 782003 (David or Helen)

DEQUESA Rotarian’s family luxury 2 bed/bath apartment. Ground floor with large patio/garden. Near delightful port. All amenities. Tel 01773 827911.

www.ribi.org | October 2014

PAGE 48 & 49.indd 1

11/09/2014 13:16

LA QUINTA CLUB AT La Manga Club. One two-bed/two-bath and one three-bed/three-bath villa/apartment to rent during November 2014 to March 2015 in the luxury La Quinta Club (http://www.laquintaclub.com). Fully equipped. Concessionary golf, tennis and bowls within the resort. Easy access from Alicante and Murcia airports. £350/400 per week. Email: RtnGeorgeChapman@laquintaclub. com

Switzerland

SWITZERLAND - GSTAAD. Situated in the small village of Rougement, our luxury 3 bed 2 bath apartment sleeping 6/8 is ideal for summer/winter holidays. Set in spectacular scenery & walking country, the village is part of the Gstaad super ski region, with summer skiing available on nearby glacier. Regret no children under 10 years. For further details: 0115 925 5838 or fax: 0115 9683133.

USA

FLORIDA - DISNEY AREA. Familyowned, 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

Signs and Plaques

FLORIDA Super recently built Villa in gated community (Windsor Hills) 2 miles from Disney. 6 bedrooms 4 bathrooms, pool, playroom. Really special rates for Rotarians. Anne Bonandrini Email: annebonandrini@hotmail.com FLORIDA - Kissimmee. Rotarian’s luxury 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa overlooking lake in gated community. Large heated pool, spa and deck. 15 mins Disney, golf and other attractions. Tel 01382 566125. www.firstfloridavilla.co.uk GULF COAST AT FLORIDA Tara golf & country club. Sarasota/Bradenton. Luxury air-conditioned, fully equipped 2 bed/2 bath 1st floor condominium overlooking golf course, sleeps 2-6. Facilities include 18-hole championship golf, heated swimming pools, tennis, gymnasium. Close to beaches, 45 minutes from Tampa International Airport. From £350 pw Tel: 0131 446 0890. www.florida-golf-holidays.com MARCO ISLAND Nr Naples, Florida. Sea view overlooking the 10,000 Islands, beautiful 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment. Tel: Bruce Young 01793 521436 or e-mail: danger3303@aol.com

If you would like to advertise in Rotary Today please call 01522 513515

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www.ribi.org | October 2014

PAGE 48 & 49.indd 2

11/09/2014 13:18

HAVE YOUR SAY

Your Letters Published letters do not reflect the views of the editor or the officers of Rotary International. The opinions of writers may include errors of fact. Letters for publication should include the name of your Rotary club, a daytime telephone number and be addressed to editor@ribi.org

A ribbon for everyone

I read with interest the excellent articles in the August issue of Rotary Today, but feel that I need to write to correct one error in the report of the RI Convention in Sydney. The article talks about ribbons for various categories of Rotarians and adds that there was 'even a ribbon for nobodies who just liked ribbons'. This cannot be true. There are no 'nobodies' to give ribbons to. The Rotary ethos reminds us that all people are somebody; more than that, somebody important, whether club president, Interactor, a child on a kids out day, an unknown child whom we are determined will not contract polio or whoever. I realise what the writer meant and do not wish to be critical of a slip of the pen that gave me this opportunity to say my piece about what Rotary is at heart. Alan F. Hickman Keighley Rotary club

An urban view of Rotary

Rotary is getting smaller and less influential and our saving grace is that we are still considered as honest and having integrity. No one outside Rotary understands what we do and if we are to recruit new members, people must want to join. We are organised into districts too remote to be of any real use to the clubs, yet not big enough to influence the wider world. At the heart of Rotary is the club and the purpose of the management structure is to support the clubs. Clubs need professional training for club officers. These services should no longer be provided by well meaning amateurs, whose turn it is this year. The role that assistant district governors play 50

www.ribi.org | October 2014

in developing cooperation between local clubs needs expanding. Closer cooperation enables Rotary to hold larger events, raising its profile locally. Currently we have a top heavy administration with too many layers and empires. Rotary needs to continue with an elected president and governing body of district governors and must have a full time secretariat, whose chief executive has real power. Josh Fish Rotary Club of Roding

Service Before Self

We are all aware that a major goal for all Rotarians is Service Before Self and perhaps many think the inspiration was developed by Paul Harris. However, this wisdom has stood the test of time and is at least 2,500 years old as this quotation from Tao Te Ching in The Book of How Things Work by Lao Tzu, from the version translated by John Heider, The Tao of Leadership shows: “The wise leader keeps egocentricity in check and by doing so becomes even more effective. Enlightened leadership is service not selfishness. The leader grows more and lasts longer by placing the wellbeing of all above the wellbeing of self alone. Paradox: by being selfless, the leader enhances self.”

Win a luxury Cross pen with Rotary Toditteanyletter, The author of the best wr l receive as judged by the Editor, wil £55. a luxury Cross pen worth y writing Cross is the maker of qualit ge of instruments and has a ran ories. distinctive lifestyle access www.cross.com.

and been disappointed to see that all of the recipients were male without exception and dare I say, of a certain age. Whilst I am in no way advocating positive discrimination within Rotary, surely there must have been some female and/or younger Rotarians or possibly Interact or Rotaract members within Rotary worthy of such an award? This would help publicise the true modern image of Rotary to which I hope we all aspire, rather than perpetuate the sadly lingering public perception that Rotary is only for men of a certain age. Thank heavens at least, for Nan McCreadie front and centre. Simon Edmands Leatherhead Rotary Club Editor’s reply: The membership of Rotary within Great Britain and Ireland consists of 15% female members and it is therefore inevitable that the selection of candidates for Champions of Change would be predominantly male.

Tony Strong President, Rotary Club of Hitchin Priory

Thank heavens for Nan

Whilst I was delighted to read in the latest issue of Rotary Today of the recent Champions of Change Awards presentation in Whitehall and wholeheartedly congratulate all of the awardees, I’m sure I cannot be the only person to have noticed

YOUR LETTERS

We are always interested to hear your views and comments. Email your letters to editor@ribi.org

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INCLUDING FULL-BOARD VOYAGE, FLIGHTS & SCENIC RAIL JOURNEY

11 or 13 NIGHT ITINERARY

8-DAY FULL BOARD VOYAGE INCLUDING FLIGHTS from £1295pp

NORTHERN LIGHTS Classic Round Voyage

INCLUDES NORTHERN LIGHTS PROMISE!† FREE voyage if Northern Lights don’t appear!

The Classic Round Voyage explores the links between Norway’s rich heritage and the sea and allows you to experience the full majesty and culture of Norway’s coastline. Keep an eye on the skies for the magical Aurora Borealis. A great choice of exciting optional excursions are also available.

Norwegian Discovery Voyage

from £1927pp

The Norwegian Discovery Voyage combines many highlights of the Classic Round Voyage and includes a 10-night voyage on the ship, a scenic rail journey from Trondheim to Oslo, and either one night B&B in the capital city for the 11-night itinerary (including Norwegian Day in beautiful Ålesund); or two night’s B&B and Norwegian Day celebrations in Oslo for the 13-night itinerary. Please call for more information.

INCLUDES TWO FREE EXCURSIONS WITH LUNCH! Flying direct to the northern university town of Bodø, you’ll sail north to Kirkenes and back to Svolvær where you’ll enjoy two nights in this charming town including an excursion to explore the area’s Viking heritage. This 8-day package is a must for all serious Northern Lights-seekers.

To book call Northumbria Travel on 01670 829922 Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email us at info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 5AB *Special prices are incorporated in the prices advertised. Northern Lights Classic Round Voyage: Based on an I Grade inside cabin, twin share, including return flights from London. Regional departure airports available at a supplement. Norwegian Discovery Voyage: Based on an I Grade inside cabin, twin share, including the rail journey, return flights from London. Regional departure airports available at a supplement. Arctic Explorer Voyage: Prices based on an I Grade inside cabin, twin share. Hurtigruten’s full terms and conditions apply. **£100 on board credit is per cabin based on a twin share. £50 on board credit for single travellers. On board credit applies to new bookings only.†Hurtigruten’s terms and conditions apply.

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