Rotary Magazine June - July 2016 by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Polio in Pakistan 16 Youth Competitions 20 International Man and Woman 26 Gulwali Passarlay 36 June/July 2016 www.rotarygbi.org £2.95

The magazine of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

THE

PRINCE’S TRUST

6 FACING THE F LOODS

10 The Prince’s Trust

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REGULARS

FROM THE TOP

Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran

PRESIDENT MESSAGE

MEET & GREET

Reflecting on Rotary’s Annual Conference

A view from a dynamic new Rotarian

CONTENTS FEATURES

The Prince’s Trust Polio in Pakistan Gulwali Passarlay ROTARY IN ACTION

RI DIRECTOR AND FOUNDATION

MEMBERSHIP

Rotaract Rotary Conference KidsOut

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Being part of Rotary

ROTARY EFFECT News from clubs

IT’S GONE VIRAL

What’s trending?

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ROTARY ONLINE rotarygbi.org or follow us on Facebook: /RotaryinGBI Twitter: @RotaryGBI LinkedIn: Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

International Man and Woman of The Year

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Youth competitions Spotlight on Severn Vale Champions of Change

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Around The World

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Get in touch... Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6PB t: 01789 765 411 Got a story for us? Send it in (with a good quality picture) to editor@rotarygbi.org Managing Editor: Allan Berry e: editor@rotarygbi.org PR Officer: e: pr@rotarygbi.org Designer: Martin Tandy e: martin.tandy@rotarygbi.org

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Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or Rotary. Every effort is made to ensure that the magazine’s content is accurate. Information is published in good faith but no liability can be accepted for loss or inconvenience arising from error or omission. Advertisements are accepted at face value and no liability can be accepted for the actions of advertisers. The editors welcome contributions of articles, news items, photographs and letters but are under no obligation to publish unsolicited material. The editors reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Contributors must ensure that all material submitted is not in breach of copyright or that if such material is submitted they have obtained any necessary permission, in writing, for its reproduction. While every care will be taken with material submitted to Rotary magazine, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage.

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Talk from the top... ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT 2015/16 I KR RAVINDRAN

Making the world richer

ritish writer and Royal Air Force pilot Roald Dahl was also an avid photographer who carried his beloved Zeiss camera on his many adventures. At a time when each photograph had to be laboriously developed by hand, on film or glass plate negatives, he amassed a collection of hundreds of images. In later years, these photographs served as a visual record of his travels, a way to document his experiences and share them with others. Yet he always spoke of his memories as being far more vivid than the photographs could ever reflect. So many events and experiences, he said, were simply impossible to capture; they could not be adequately conveyed in images or words. Language may fail, and photographs fade; minds are fallible, and details are lost. But some experiences, as Dahl said, never dim; they stand out in our memories, even after decades, as a wall of flame. They rear up forever over the landscape of our past, dividing our lives into what came before and what came after. That metaphor has stayed with me throughout the past year as I have travelled the world for Rotary. For indeed, this entire year has stood, and will always stand, as a wall of flame in my mind, dividing my life into before and after. When I think back over these 12 months, I see a bright kaleidoscope of images cascading before my eyes, day after day, week after week. The anxious parents in Chandigarh, India, hovering

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at the bedside of the child recovering from lifesaving heart surgery. The bright flags of Nepal fluttering over an entire village that had been rebuilt after the devastating earthquake. The feeling of awe in St. Peter’s Square at the Jubilee of Rotarians celebrated by Pope Francis. Joyful gatherings around the world, in so many countries, in so many languages – with friends I had never before met, my brothers and sisters in Rotary. To serve as President of Rotary International is a colossal undertaking, one that cannot be truly conveyed in images or words. It is a wall of flame that will burn forever in my memory, dancing with light, shifting in shadow. A thousand images jostle together in my mind, a thousand recollections, a thousand emotions. Together, they form a great mosaic; together, they show the bright and glorious work of your hands. As this Rotary year draws to a close, I am prouder than ever to be part of this great organisation: one that makes the world not poorer, but richer; replaces despair with hope; raises up those whom fate has brought low; and is a gift to so many, while allowing each of us to Be a Gift to the World.

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KR RAVINDRAN

RI PRESIDENT

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ROTARY IN ACTION

Rotaract

Rotaract club adding a splash of colour at a local children’s nursery

A positive impact

Across the world there is a community of young people making a positive change. Here in Great Britain and Ireland Rotaract is thriving with a strengthening network of young adults aged 18 – 30 making a real difference.

oung people are often looking for an outlet to do some good in their community or the world, and Rotaract provides the perfect opportunity to support this. Rotaract clubs, much like the Rotary network, decide how to run and organise what projects they wish to carry out, all whilst having fun and making new friends. Rotaract provides opportunities for young adults to experience the world of Rotary and enhance their knowledge and skills that assists them in personal development, whilst meeting likeminded people. Rotaractors possess all the qualities of Rotarians, with the ambition to do good in the world and address the physical and social needs of their community through a framework of friendship and service. The organisation is prospering, with vibrant young people coming through with fresh ideas and demonstrating how they can make a positive impact at home and abroad. Consisting of an international network of young leaders, opportunities to become involved can be at a local level, through university groups or individuals can even set up their own group with the help of a local Rotary club. 6 // ROTARY

Rotary and Rotaract complement each other perfectly and often work on projects jointly. Both organisations worked together earlier this year to help raise awareness of how having high blood pressure can cause strokes. For Know Your Blood Pressure Day, The City of Cardiff Rotaract Club worked in partnership with the Stroke Association to hold a blood pressure testing event. The event saw 36 medical students, from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, spending six hours offering free blood pressure readings to members of the public. Their efforts attracted the attention of the national media and appeared on ITV Wales News. Rotaract has its own governing body, and Lou Moss is the Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland Chair for 2015/16. She has been a member for five years, and began her journey with Rotary in 2008 when she was sponsored by the Littlehampton Rotary Club to take part in a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards programme. She then went on to charter a club and became the founding president of INSIGHT, The Rotaract Club of Littlehampton in 2010. Lou believes her time and work through Rotaract has been invaluable for her own personal growth, and she comments, “I have

developed and grown my skill set, and built upon my confidence and communication skills which have had a positive effect both personally and professionally. I am eager to learn more through service with the aim to spread the Rotary ethos and open Rotary to a broader audience.” This year Rotaract held its conference alongside Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s in Bournemouth, with the theme of ‘#WhatNext?’ The purpose of the day was to provide opportunities to network, be inspired, develop skills, share experiences and collaborate ideas to set actions. Rotaract is also harnessing the power of social media as a tool, not only to attract new members but, also share ideas with others and promote best practice. Each month social chats are held on Twitter through #RACtalk and there are a range of videos highlighting the positive work of Rotaractors. l

For more information on Rotaract: rotaract.org.uk Twitter: @RotaractGBI Facebook: Rotaract Storify: Rotaract rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

Rotary Conference

A weekend in Bournemouth The Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland annual conference is a must for many members. We look at this year’s event through the eyes of a first time attendee.

hy did I go to the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland annual conference? Well, I’ve been to a number of conferences locally, which have been great, and I wanted to see what other Rotarians and their clubs across the country were doing and to take the opportunity of meeting with them. I wanted to learn more about Rotary and to pick up new ideas for possible projects. I did learn a lot. Rotary continues to seek out, find and recruit new and younger Rotarians. There are many young people around who want to be part of Rotary, who want to give back to society locally and around the world. They may not know it yet, we just have to engage with them and tell them about us. We need to talk to these people and tell them what Rotary will give them, not just what they can do for Rotary. Rotary provides a whole world of opportunities and learning. There is a wealth of fantastic work going on by many clubs both in service and in fundraising. They vary from the tried and tested to the innovative and wacky. There are Rotary clubs helping young people into work with mentoring sessions, CV writing and interviews, and those working on international projects in conjunction with ShelterBox and Disaster Aid UK. Also the marvellous achievements of the young people recognised in the Young Citizens Awards. A tour of the Conference Exhibition Hall opened my eyes to even more projects. My favourite was “Literacy in a Box”; this is Rotary working with schools creating awareness and working together to give Zambian children hope that through education they may have a better future. A box with materials for 25 children can be delivered for £325. Over the weekend I learned a lot about the organisation and its members. Such as

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Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls

I did learn a lot. That there are many young people around who want to be part of Rotary.” Actress Jenny Agutter

there is nothing that Rotary can’t do if it puts its mind to it – and it usually does. The world polio project started with a Rotarian that had an idea, so did ShelterBox and there are so many more. Rotary has a bright future ahead of it as it evolves and changes and continues to change people’s lives for the better. I came away from the weekend as a proud Rotarian and excited about the future, considering how we as an eClub can make a contribution to this humanitarian effort. l Steve Howe is President of a Rotary eClub and is based in Towcester. For more information visit: rotarygbi.org/what-we-do/conference rotarygbi.org

WHAT THEY SAY

The Big Interview ALLAN BERRY

Helping our young people to

a better future The Prince’s Trust is celebrating 40 years so we thought we would have a look at what has been achieved in that time and explore the years ahead. I met up with Chief Executive, Martina Milburn CBE to talk about its work in more detail.

Martina Milburn CBE

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artina Milburn CBE has been in post since 2004 and has a lot of experience working in the charity sector. She was awarded her CBE for services to charity in the 2012 New Year’s Honours list. We met up to discuss The Trust and how Rotary is helping. I began by asking Martina why The Prince’s Trust was set up and what it does now, to which she replied, “The Prince’s Trust was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1976 because he wanted to make a practical difference for young people who lacked opportunities. This year we are celebrating 40 years of supporting 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed or struggling at school. “Many of the young people we help at The Prince’s Trust are either in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or suffering from mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law. The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four

young people supported by our charity move into work, education or training.”

Many of the young people we help at The Prince’s Trust are either in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or suffering from mental health problems” I went on to ask Martina to tell me about some of the programmes and projects that help young people, “We work with schools to provide young people with the space and attention they need to develop confidence as well as to form a sense of ownership over their work and their own development. We also run a 12 week personal development course for teams of young people who need to boost their confidence and skills. “For unemployed young people, we run our ‘Get into’ programmes, which are two to six week courses that develop young people’s skills in a specific sector and support them into employment. Our ‘Enterprise’ rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

The Big Interview

programme aims at helping unemployed young people to start their own businesses through the provision of startup funding and mentoring.” The impression I have always had when dealing with The Prince’s Trust was that its main objective was to get young people into employment. She commented, “It is one of our main objectives, although it is not the only one. We also help young people re-engage or move into education and equip them to go and do further training. At The Trust, we are extremely fortunate to be able to work with fantastic partners who help us deliver our programmes and give the young people practical experience of the working world. We work with public bodies, multinational corporations and SMEs across the UK to provide the hardest to reach young people with the skills they need to move out, very often, of long term unemployment. “Over 40 years we have seen young people’s needs evolve and we try to make sure that our programmes are constantly updated to meet the requirements of the job market. We have, for example, been developing our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) agenda, from app design to stargazing, and animation to robotics, we make sure that our STEM activities are engaging and relevant, and help young people get the skills they need to progress into training, education or employment.”

Martina mentioned working with partners so I decided to dig a little deeper and ask her about those relationships, “We could not do the work that we do without the incredible support we get from our partners and, of course, the individuals who donate. Every contribution counts and helps us go on to help more young people. The scale of the problem we are tackling is such that we need as much support as possible. We are privileged to have partners who have supported us for well over a decade now, such as The Premier League, Cunard, NatWest and Accenture. But we are constantly establishing new partnerships both on a national level and in the regions across the UK. The breadth of our work is such that companies of all shapes and sizes can make a real difference, by supporting us financially and by helping us deliver our programmes, giving young people valuable hands-on experience. So it’s everyone really from HSBC to the local garage.” We then moved on to talk

about the involvement of Rotary with The Prince’s Trust since there is a great following of the Prince’s work with The Trust amongst Rotarians and clubs. I wondered how much we, as an organisation, contribute in terms of donations and hands-on support. Martina commented, “Rotary clubs are a fantastic network of people who are committed to giving back to their local communities. Through the years, Rotary clubs across the UK have made donations to The Prince’s Trust, in particular through putting on fundraising events. We are hugely grateful for donations big or small that we have received thanks to the generosity of all those involved with Rotary clubs.” I did know of several clubs who contribute ‘hands-on’ work with The Trust so I asked Martina about that, “There are a myriad of possibilities for local business owners to get involved delivering our programmes.

The Prince’s Trust was started by His Royal Highness Prince Charles

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To have the chance to honour my mum’s memory by helping others is incredible, but it wouldn’t have been possible without The Prince’s Trust,” says Faisal.

Faisal-Ahmed won Delta Airlines’ Rising Star Award

xxxWe would encourage those who want to find out more to get in touch with us through our centres across the UK or through our website princes-trust.org.uk. We would love to hear from them and explore ways of working together to help more and more young people.” Since Martina mentioned working with Rotary I sought out one club which has worked with The Prince’s Trust for a number of years. The Rotary Club of Northampton Becket has worked with The Prince’s Trust for over three years and over that time this has involved working with 10 teams from Northampton North branch. Tim Noble, from the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, told me about the work they do, “We’ve seen some amazing things from these groups of young people. We have been able to help with funding for individuals to purchase clothes and shoes for job interviews, who have nothing but what they stand up in. However the main help we give them is with their Community Project.” When talking with Tim the enthusiasm and motivation for the work with The Prince’s Trust became obvious as he excitedly told me what they are doing. “Some of the community projects that Northampton North Prince’s Trust teams and the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket have carried out include raised beds and gardens for special need schools, and fencing, paths, garden shelters and gardens for Nazareth House, a care home for elderly folk with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The latest project that I’m working on with them includes doing up a 12 // ROTARY

shop and making flower planters for a charity that helps with mentally and physically handicapped people. This team will be working with the end users on this project across three weeks.” As a result of this work Tim has invited the young people he works with to Rotary club meetings for them to present the work and talk about the help they get from The Trust. Tim explained, “They stand up and tell the members about their past and how they came to be on The Prince’s Trust course and what it means to them and their future. It also amazes me how these young people can get on their feet and tell some harrowing stories, but they realise The Prince’s Trust is about their future. The presentations they do at our club help to build their confidence up. Our members have also visited community projects the young people are working on and they talk with the guys and show them that people do care about them, as some of the group will have no one for support. This is so important and means so much more than monies being donated! As a result of the presentations to the club, opportunities have arisen for members to give them employment and they have been top class and have gone to college and gained qualifications that they thought unachievable a few months before starting The Trust course.” Tim obviously really enjoys the work he does with The Prince’s Trust teams, “I could go on and on about how fantastic these guys are on The Prince’s Trust teams, that they just haven’t been given a chance and have probably made some bad life choices in the

past. We at the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket Rotary Club try to help in all areas. Working with The Prince’s Trust teams has been one of the most rewarding things that’s happened in my life and with every new team we have new challenges and new rewards.” When talking with The Prince’s Trust there was an amazing willingness to help and put forward the young person’s viewpoint. I thought I would finish up by going back to Martina for the final word since we need to look very much to the future and asked her what are the challenges looking forward? Martina replied, “The youth unemployment rate is four times higher than the unemployment rate for adults who are 25 and over; and the proportion of young people who are “long-term unemployed” is 33%. This means that our task is by no means over. We help 100 more young people each day. We value and need the support of all those who generously give to continue saving young people’s lives. “Above and beyond helping young people move into work, education or training, we are concerned about the general well-being of the young people who join our courses. Frequently when asked how The Trust has helped them, young people will answer saying the programme they went on increased their social skills, in particular their confidence. We are constantly looking at new ways of helping more young people gain these vital skills.” l For more information visit: princes-trust.org.uk rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

KidsOut

The Big Day Out Each year Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland teams up with KidsOut to host its Big Day Out that provides disadvantaged children with positive memories that can last a lifetime

he Big Day Out began in 1990 and is a coordinated effort across the country where over 26,000 children get the opportunity to an enjoyable day out in a range of locations including theme parks, zoos, the seaside, museums and a whole host of other fun activities. Over 1,700 Rotary volunteers help make the day happen by supporting with transport, overseeing the organisation and chaperoning. KidsOut is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and it delivers a service to thousands of children nationwide. Whatever their disadvantage, KidsOut brings fun and excitement into their lives, as well as hope for a better future. They aim to help children who have escaped domestic violence, come from difficult backgrounds or disadvantaged in a number of ways. It believes that every young person has a right to happiness, and through this life-changing work KidsOut plays a key role in shaping the future members of society for the better. Gordon Moulds, KidsOut CEO, said: “For 25 years we have brought fun and happiness into the lives of children who have already experienced far too much for their young years. Whether afflicted by poverty, domestic violence or living with a learning disability, in this anniversary year KidsOut is committed to bringing excitement to even more disadvantaged children.” One child who has benefited from the work of KidsOut and took part in the Big Day Out was Ryan, aged nine, and was referred to Warwickshire Young Carers Project nearly two years ago by his local junior school in Rugby because he looks after his mum who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Ryan was having attendance

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problems at school and they were concerned that he was often getting himself to school and walking home alone. His teacher was also worried about his lack of concentration and that he had withdrawn into himself.

I do feel guilty that I can’t do the things with Ryan that other families are able to do. This way he’s not missing out.” His mum is a single parent and not only suffers from MS but also Type 2 Diabetes and relies on her manual wheelchair. Ryan

is heavily involved in looking after her and is responsible for the cooking of ready meals, cleaning, laundry, helping his mum with the shopping and doing the garden. His grandmother who lives close by was helping but suffered a stroke two months ago so Ryan also helps her out from time to time. Warwickshire Young Carers Project has helped this family to overcome some of their difficulties, and Ryan no longer has problems with his attendance at school. However, Ryan does need a break from his caring responsibilities, but as the family has very limited income his mum finds it difficult to take him out. Ryan had never heard of KidsOut or the Rotary Big Day Out until he went to Drayton Manor last year, supported by the Rotary Club of Rugby. When asked, Ryan said, “I’ve never been to a theme park before because my mum couldn’t take me. I’ve heard from friends at school how good it was and so I was really looking forward to going. School let me have a day off as they know I am a young carer. I enjoyed all the rides and made friends with more of the young carers. I really liked the Haunted House and the Goldmine as I learnt to shoot at targets. It was cool! “Thank you to KidsOut and the Rotarians for letting me go. It was good to go back to school and tell my friends all about it.” Ryan’s Mum is grateful for the all the support that Warwickshire Young Carers and KidsOut have offered, she added, “I do feel guilty that I can’t do the things with Ryan that other families are able to do. This way he’s not missing out.” l

For more information visit: kidsout.org.uk Facebook: KidsOut Twitter: @KidsOut

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The polio fight is succeeding in Pakistan Reported cases of polio are now reaching an all time low. We wanted to find out more about how close we are to total eradication so we asked someone in on the action.

otary International along with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Campaign for Disease Control (CDC), United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been fighting the polio virus for over three decades and have made great strides. There are only two endemic countries left in the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and eradicating this terrible disease in these countries is proving a challenge. I spoke with Jalpa Ratner the Deputy Chief of the UNICEF polio team in Pakistan to get a first hand appraisal of how things were progressing. 16 // ROTARY

I started by asking for an overview of the present situation and was told, “Thanks to substantial recent progress, the world has never been in a better position to eradicate polio. During the first quarter of 2016, eight polio cases were recorded in eight districts, a 65% reduction year on year. Also, the proportion of positive samples has further reduced to 13%. These outcomes have been achieved through a continued strengthening of operational performance evidenced by missed children, although that has reduced to fewer than 3% in the January and March national campaigns. Whilst these are encouraging developments, the programme remains focused on finishing the job to ensure zero cases, zero positive samples and zero missed children.”

Although the number of reported cases has dropped dramatically in the first few months of this year there are some still big challenges ahead to reduce even further the number of cases to zero, so we went on to discuss this. Jalpa replied, “The virus remains active in three remaining regions – the Khyber-Peshawar corridor, Karachi and the Quetta block. “The programme has successfully been executing the low season strategy, which is the road map for stopping transmission. The focus is on sustaining high-level performance across the country, with particular attention on high-risk areas; and improving community-based and environmental surveillance to make sure no virus is missed. rotarygbi.org

The programme is closer than it has ever been to reaching that target of zero cases.” “Pakistan has the highest level of commitment from all levels of leadership. At the Federal level, the programme is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Focal Point, Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq. In the provinces the Chief Secretaries are leading the way on polio eradication, while District Polio Eradication Committees (DPEC) are chaired by District Commissioners. “The project is being managed by an experienced and dedicated network of Emergency Operation Centres, at National and Provincial levels. District Polio Control Rooms play a crucial role in coordinating operations during campaigns. “Under the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP), high quality campaigns have been conducted each month until May, the end of the low season. If every child is vaccinated during every campaign, Pakistan can succeed in ending transmission of polio.” I really wanted to get to the partnership that is the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) of which Rotary International is a participant, alongside UNICEF, and I asked about the part they play in the programme. Ms Ratner replied, “Significant progress has been made in the 2015/2016 low season to track the virus in the remaining reservoirs and to find and vaccinate every child rotarygbi.org

under five, with particular focus on missed children. The programme consists of an aggressive and systematic campaign to reach all children, particularly those who have been continuously missed by vaccination. “With this approach, driven by the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) and implemented by a committed network of Emergency Operation Centres, supported by the GPEI partnership - Pakistan is building its strongest ever defence against polio with stronger surveillance, fewer unvaccinated children and fewer strains of the virus.” We then went on to talk about something called ‘The Switch’, which I understood was from the trivalent to the bivalent vaccine, “The switch requires immense coordination at global, country and local levels and is being implemented in a synchronised manner by thousands of health workers across the globe. In Pakistan the Health Department implemented the global switch from Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) to Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) on April 25th,” Jalpa told me. There is also a switch being carried out from the oral to injected vaccine, which is much more effective and I asked Jalpa to explain this for me, to which she replied, “Pakistan is the second polio-endemic country to introduce the inactivated polio vaccine into the country’s routine immunisation schedule. “While every country in the world is set to introduce inactivated polio virus (IPV), endemic countries will greatly benefit from

the boost in immunity offered to children as new evidence has clearly demonstrated that adding one dose of IPV to OPV helps the fight to end transmission of the virus. “To boost individual immunity of children in high risk districts of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and some agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has also been added to vaccination campaigns to ensure we sustain immunity in these areas.” Since the most challenging areas had been mentioned by Jalpa I asked her to go into a little more detail about the problems and her reply was quite guarded, which I suppose in the circumstances is understandable, “Since late 2014, the polio programme in Pakistan has been able to vaccinate over half a million children who were previously unreached by vaccination teams. We are now reaching children all across Pakistan. “Innovative measures like Permanent Transit Points established at railway stations, toll plazas, bus routes in districts bordering Waziristan agencies and across the country are enabling vaccinators an opportunity to engage with parents during population movement, to advocate for vaccination using OPV. “In some areas initiatives like Continuous Community Protected Vaccination (CCPV) has strengthened micro-planning and stabilised a local, overwhelmingly female workforce. This community-based workforce is ROTARY // 17

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Polio in Pakistan

using a combined IPV/OPV strategy, we must drain the last reservoir pockets, we must maintain good performance; we must make every campaign count and use every opportunity to build on our experiences from lessons already learnt in this long fight. “Any child left unvaccinated is a risk to all of us, because we are all connected and our communities are borderless. Each of us in our community has a role to play to support our health workers – and our children – succeed.”

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For more information visit: polioeradication.org endpolio.org

Health workers visit homes in Pakistan

now well motivated, trained and supervised, which is helping maintain access because they enjoy the trust of their communities.” I am aware that the task of immunising the child population below the age of five was vast in Pakistan but I did not know the numbers so I asked. “Each National Immunisation Day 36 million children are vaccinated with a workforce of approximately 200,000,” Jalpa explained. We also addressed the alarming situation with the security of health workers and the need for protection with armed officers alongside polio workers. Jalpa commented, “The hard work of the front line workers is incredible and they should be celebrated for the work they do every day to reach children with the vaccine and other health services. Vaccinators continue to strongly support the programme and volunteer to participate in campaigns to meet the demand for the vaccine from parents. “The delivery of health care, including the polio eradication programme, is a critical humanitarian service. Provincial Governments and the Pakistan Army continue to prioritise the safety of health workers as they deliver life-saving vaccines to children.” 18 // ROTARY

With the tally of cases so low we then moved on to the more positive aspect of this campaign, although Jalpa did qualify her reply with caution which I understood, “Supported by core polio partners, and led by the Government of Pakistan, the programme is closer than it’s ever been to reaching that target of zero cases. “This is the opportunity for Pakistan to take the world over the finish line for polio, but we know that we have been close before – three times in the past ten years – and each time the virus survived because it found sufficient pockets of underimmunised children. This time, Pakistan is committing to nothing less than leaving no child unvaccinated and vulnerable to this crippling virus.” I asked Jalpa what message she would want to give to Rotarians who have worked hard over the years to fund immunisation programmes and spent time administering the vaccine, “We know where the virus is today. It’s in North Sindh; in Karachi; in the Khyber-Peshawar corridor; and in the Quetta block. These are the final sanctuaries of the last surviving transmission chains of the poliovirus in Pakistan. “Through the use of every potential tool including mass vaccination of children

Blooming purple Purple dye is used on a child’s left little finger to indicate they have been immunised against polio. Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland has adopted the colour to identify its polio campaigns. The effort to eradicate polio is just as great as ever and Rotary has teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society to plant five million crocus corms across the country this autumn to provide a vibrant carpet of purple across open spaces in the spring of 2017. Packs of 5,000 corms, Crocus tommasinianus, are available at £85pp. All profits from the sale will be donated to The Rotary Foundation’s End Polio Now campaign. Packs can be ordered by going to: rotarygbi.org/what-we-do/purple4polio rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

Youth Competitions

Outstanding young citizens honoured by Rotary Buskers, video makers and purple parties, these are just some of the outstanding acts of kindness that Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s Young Citizen Awardees have displayed.

ow in its 10th year the Young Citizen Awards have honoured some of Great Britain and Ireland’s most bright and caring young people under the age of 25, who have gone to extraordinary lengths for a cause close to their heart. The judges of the Young Citizen Awards chose six overall winners, including one group award, from over 50 entries. Each awardee was invited on stage at Rotary’s 91st annual conference to receive their award from BBC TV presenter Ellie Crisell. Recipients were given a trophy at the award ceremony as well £500 towards their chosen charity. Each winner was nominated by a local Rotary club and included: Anna Swabey, aged 24 Rotary Club of Newton Aycliffe In 2015 Anna was diagnosed with a brain tumour, not to be deterred by the shocking news she was determined to help others who were suffering with the condition. So far Anna has raised £36,500 for Brain Tumour Research, and has set up a blog to help others going through the same situation. Madison Glinski, aged 11 Rotary Club of St Ives, Cornwall Madison has always been conscious of helping others from an early age, so when she heard about a funeral fund being stolen she was moved to help. She then set herself the challenge to raise money for a local children’s hospice, and has raised £52,000 through busking on the streets with her violin.

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Young Citizen winners at the Rotary Conference

Bailey Sloan, aged 8 Rotary Club of Barry Bailey is the little boy with a big heart. At just eight he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDAS) autism and Sensory Perception Disorder, and his mum wanted to set him a challenge of carrying out 100 random acts of kindness that would help him focus on a task, whilst learning about empathy. Owen Thurston, aged 17 Rotary Club of Oxted and Limpsfield Suffering from epilepsy himself Owen knows only too well the difficulties people with the condition face. He began campaigning about the illness, and has carried out talks and fundraising parties to help raise awareness of Young Epilepsy, which has supported Owen through his condition. Samantha Kinghorn, aged 20 Rotary Club of Duns, Scotland This year sees the first Rotary Young Citizen

Wheelchair Sports Award, in conjunction with WheelPower. It was awarded to Samantha, who was left paralysed from the waist down after an accident. She then discovered wheelchair racing and has qualified to represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games this summer. Tiverton High School Interact Club Rotary Club of Tiverton This year’s group award goes to Tiverton High School’s Interact Club, which has helped raise thousands of pounds for causes at home and overseas. The club, made up of 50 students, has held novel fundraising events including shows such as “Teachers got Talent” and “I’m a Teacher Get me Out of Here”. This year the Young Citizen Award also honoured Rebecca Dalgleish’s family with a posthumous award after the 18 year old sadly passed away last year. Rebecca suffered from a Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour, and during her last few months she raised money for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). l rotarygbi.org

ROTARY IN ACTION

Youth Competitions

Young Chef Winner Emma Grant

Young Chefs preparing for final judging

Serving a top dish This year’s Rotary Young Chef competition attracted hundreds of young people from across Great Britain and Ireland who showcased their culinary talents to compete for the coveted title, Rotary Young Chef 2016.

ver 80 people descended on Lincoln for the competition’s final, which saw eight talented youngsters compete to be crowned the winner of Rotary Young Chef 2016. Beating off stiff competition from the other competitors Emma Grant aged 17, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cumbernauld, was awarded the top prize at Lincoln College after she wowed the judges with her three-course menu. Emma comments, “The competition was an amazing experience. I was really happy to just be there, but looking at the other competitor’s dishes I thought it could be any one of us winning. Everyone did really well and I’m so happy that I won. “I got into cooking at a young age as I used to bake with my nana and then on weekends I would cook with my dad. Throughout high school I did cooking lessons but it wasn’t until my second to last year I realised I wanted to go to college to study it full time. My decision was cemented by carrying out work experience at the age of 15.” Emma won a host of prizes, donated on behalf of the competition’s sponsor Filippo Berio, which included a trip of a lifetime to the Filippo Berio olive groves in Tuscany

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where she will experience real Italian cooking and a day’s tuition at a Michelin star restaurant. Emma added: “The trip looks phenomenal, I go in October and I’m already really excited. When I finish college I hope to be able to travel or get an apprenticeship, I haven’t quite decided yet. I’d like to thank the Rotary Club of Cumbernauld and the college for their support through the competition as it will certainly help with my career.” Rotary’s Young Chef was created to give young people the chance to display their culinary talents, whilst discovering the importance of healthy eating. The competition is open to anyone aged 11-17 and entrants compete to make it through to the local and regional heats, in the hope of making it to the national final. Previously, competitors of Rotary Young Chef have gone on to further their culinary careers working with Michelin star chefs. Last year’s winner Lewis Wilson was offered an apprenticeship at the five star South Lodge Hotel, Horsham as a Sous Chef and attends Kings College Westminster in London, where he is currently studying for his Professional Chef ’s Diploma. l

This year’s runners up

Jane Rooke, aged 13 Rotary Club of South Ribble Katie Platt, aged 15 Rotary Club of Casterbridge Marcia Rowlands, aged 17 Rotary Club of Cheltenham Cleeve Vale.

Emma’s Menu Starter

Breast of quail with butternut risotto

Main

Hake with cannellini and chorizo bean stew, served with a bean puree

Dessert

Panna cotta with vanilla poached plums and granola crumble ROTARY // 21

ROTARY IN ACTION

Youth Competitions

Music to our ears

Speak up

Young talented musicians across Great Britain and Ireland travelled to Telford to compete for the prestigious title of Rotary Young Musician.

Each year youngsters from across Great Britain and Ireland demonstrate their speaking and presentation skills at Rotary’s Youth Speaks competitions.

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Isabel Irvine and Xander Croft - 2016 Young Musician Winners

ifteen talented young people aged 14 –18 came together to showcase their musical gifts in the categories of instrumental and solo vocal performance. The audience at Abraham Darby Academy were treated to an afternoon of violin, percussion and piano, amongst many other performances. In the solo instrumental category 17-year-old Xander Croft, supported by the Rotary Club of The City of St. Asaph, wowed the judges with his violin skills by performing a piece by J S Bach. Xander learned to play the violin at the age of eight and is currently in his fifth year at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, where he is a pupil of Steve Wilkie, one of the country’s leading violinists. Runners up in the category included percussionist Heledd Gwynant and pianist Anna Michels. Entered by the Rotary Clubs of Loddon Vale and Reading Maiden Erlegh, 16-year-old Isabel Irvine came first in the vocal solo category. Isabel was one of the first to perform on the day, and her passion for singing began at school and she is a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The runners up in the category included Imogen Parsley and Marcus Swietlicki. Young Musician encourages talented young people to showcase their musical abilities through competing in three stages of the competition before reaching the final. Peter Davey, President of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, commented, “The talent shown by each of the competitors was outstanding, and the standard of performances improves year on year. I’d like to congratulate Isabel and Xander for their fantastic achievements and I’m sure we’ll see lots more of them performing in the future.” l

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he competition is open to young people aged 11-17 and is designed to encourage effective communication skills, showcasing superb quality speakers. The final took place at Kirkham Grammar School, Lancashire and the judges looked at criteria such as team work, the speaker’s ability to present and develop a topic, and the chairperson’s management of the meeting. Reading Blue Coat School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Henley-on-Thames, was crowned the winner in the intermediate category, with William Peters from the school being chosen as the Best Speaker. Also from Reading Blue Coat, Ted Aplin was awarded Best Chair, while Eesha Gupta from President Kennedy School, Coventry sponsored by the Rotary Club of Coventry, was awarded Best Vote of Thanks. In the seniors round Redmaids’ High School, Bristol sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bristol, came out on top after speaking about the power of introverts in society. Peter Davey, President of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, comments: “The confidence and articulation of the young people who take part in Youth Speaks is incredibly impressive. All the teams and schools work extremely hard to get through the local and regional heats, and I’m sure they will all go far in whatever they decide to do in the future.” The competition takes place in four stages, and is designed to support and encourage the development of effective communications skills amongst young people. Entrants take part as a team in either the intermediate or senior categories. l

Senior category winners - Redmaids’ High School

For more information visit: rotarygbi.org/what-we-do/youth-competitions rotarygbi.org

What they say... VICE PRESIDENT 2015/16 I EVE CONWAY

ROTARY PRESIDENT 2015/16 I PETER DAVEY

Young People: the Future

particular, and a favourite, activity of Rotarians is giving opportunity to others, especially young people. At the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland conference this year Steve Brown received a well deserved standing ovation for his inspirational address about his early life, the accident that led to his injury and his life since, including of course, his captaincy of the Great Britain National Wheelchair Rugby team. He praised the help that he received from our partner WheelPower. Later the same day we were lucky enough to see the Young Citizen winners, and listen to their moving stories. It was an honour to hear them and I am so glad that, through this awards programme, we are able to help their stories be told to the conference and the BBC TV audience. They surely deserve the recognition, experience and opportunity. At the conference Jenny Agutter introduced young people who, despite their challenges, enacted an extract from A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a beautiful and moving performance. Through our partnership with the Shakespeare Schools Festival we are able to give thousands of youngsters the opportunity that would otherwise be far beyond their expectation, to learn and perform on professional stages. Add to these performances the dance troupe A Flock of Flamingos and the young musicians, we could all see young people really enjoying practising their skills to a new level, thanks in part, to the opportunity afforded to them by Rotary. The key to all of this is the local Rotary club. All over Great Britain and Ireland Rotary clubs are encouraging schools to take part in our competitions designed to help young speakers, chefs, writers, photographers and technologists to take up the opportunity of competing with others and, in so doing, to perform at a higher level. All participants gain valuable experience and, whether they win or not, can be proud of their performance. As I travel to different parts of Great Britain and Ireland, I see many local 24 // ROTARY

All about Eve

From Rotary Scholar to Rotary President

Paralympic hopeful Samantha Kinghorn receiving her Young Citizen Award at the Rotary Conference

examples of where Rotary has given an opportunity. An excellent example was in “Chatback” – a group of children and foster mums who, thanks to Rotary funding and encouragement from the Rotary Club of Dudley, had produced DVDs tackling head on the dangers of child grooming and sexual exploitation. Wonderful work, and if it helps just one family or one young person to avoid that dreadful life shattering experience it will be money very well spent. It isn’t just children either. Back at the conference we heard from Sidcup Rotary Club who, by working with the local job centre, has improved the employment prospects of those seeking work. Outcomes have been evaluated and it is clear that participants have benefited from the club’s support. We are so fortunate in Great Britain and Ireland. We live in peace and security, we have fresh safe water to drink, good health care and education and through Rotary we can help others. As we approach the end of the Rotary year 2015/16 I prepare to be the Immediate Past President and wish my successor Eve Conway well for the next year. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as President and I remain ready and willing to help in any way that I can as we strive together to build a stronger Rotary.

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hen I was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar studying for a Master’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism in America, I never dreamt that I would one day become President of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. I am delighted that it is in the year that we shall celebrate the Centenary of The Rotary Foundation, our Rotary charity set up to do “good in the world”, from funding global scholars and peace fellows to carrying out countless humanitarian projects around the world to ridding the world of polio. We are looking forward to a milestone in Rotary’s End Polio Now Campaign as we are so close to achieving our number one goal of eradicating this disease – an initiative that Rotary started and has spearheaded since 1985. Public health experts predict we could see the last case of polio in 2016. We need three years of no new cases to declare a polio free world and Rotary is determined to achieve this goal. In Britain and Ireland, we plan to mark this with End Polio Now initiatives, including launching a Purple4Polio campaign. Purple is the colour of the dye put on a child’s little finger to show they have been immunised against polio. To this end have agreed a partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) that will involve Rotary clubs linking with the RHS’s community-based “Bloom groups” to promote the Rotary campaign to end polio by planting around five million purple crocus corms in our local areas. Another focus during the next Rotary year will be on our youth programmes, including marking the 10th anniversary of the Rotary Young Citizen Awards. I started the awards to recognise positive young role models.

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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

International Man and Woman Awards

Rotary honours

outstanding pair This year, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland launched the Outstanding International Man and Woman Awards to recognise the incredible humanitarian effort of individuals. We find out what makes the winners stand out from the crowd.

his year, Rotary launched the Outstanding International Man and Woman Awards to recognise the difference the recipients have made helping disadvantaged people across the globe. From all the nominations across the country, Dr John Philip and Patricia Parker MBE, were chosen as the winners, being nominated by the Rotary Club of Mirfield and the Rotary Club of Dorking, respectively.

Dr John Philip carrying water in Tanzania

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Dr John Philip

John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Mirfield for almost 25 years and has used his vocational skills as a surgeon to tackle the problem of maternal and infant mortality in areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing his efforts in Tanzania. Working with organisations here in the UK and in Tanzania, John was able to galvanise help to gather vital surgical instruments and medical supplies to support a community of over 350,000 people. Over six years John, with the help of 80 fellow Rotary volunteers and a grant from The Rotary Foundation, was able to co-ordinate the refurbishment of an operating theatre, three science classrooms at a local school, a series of vocational workshops to train carpenters, builders and electricians and a ‘waiting hostel’ for pregnant women, so they can be on site prior to labour. John comments, “My wife Chris and I had the chance in 2009 to visit a Tanzanian hospital on an island in Lake Victoria. What we saw there - intermittent power, rusted beds, operating theatre with bat droppings and kerosene burners as sterilisers - broke our hearts. Over the past few years, I have worked hard to try and make a real difference and patient care is now better, staff morale higher and the momentum for change encouraging. “International work is rewarding if we seek local solutions for local problems, accept failures, and persist. Miracles are rare, rotarygbi.org

Patricia Parker MBE with a kid for kids

short term projects are often ineffective but small amounts of money can change lives, sometimes even save lives.”

International work is rewarding if we seek local solutions for local problems, accept failures, and persist.” Patricia Parker MBE

Patricia Parker was nominated for the award as a result of setting up her Kids for Kids charity in 2001, helping transform the lives of over 350,000 people living in the remote region of Darfur in Sudan. Kids for Kids’ philosophy is about enabling villagers to help themselves, and the development model starts by working with village leaders to ensure there is accountability within the whole community. They select people suitable to be trained in basic medicine, midwifery and animal husbandry. Medical and veterinary rotarygbi.org

kits are provided together with donkeys to transport these key people. Drilling for clean water and loaning goat kids to the poorest 15%, using classic micro-financing principles for repayment follows on. The goats not only provide urgently needed milk for protein, vitamins and minerals for the children, but also a livelihood to empower their mothers. Eventually the villagers develop the skills and self-sufficiency to change their own lives forever. Other basic essentials are provided including blankets, mosquito nets, farm tools and seeds. The most advanced villages now have health centres and a kindergarten. Patricia was inspired to set up the charity after visiting her son, a diplomat based in the area. As she explains, “I went just to see how the people lived, but I still remember the shock of going across the desert in a 4x4 and seeing the distant figure of a small boy. What was he doing alone in the middle of the desert? It was spring, but drought was already taking its terrible toll. This nine-year-old boy was walking seven hours to reach water to carry back

to his family. The aid agencies were there but seemed to be doing nothing to help; someone had to. “Kids for Kids helps people develop independence, but without external resources and a robust development model that won’t happen. On that March day in 2001, who would have dared dream that through Kids for Kids, Ibrahim, the small boy walking to reach water for his family, could today be studying at university?” These are examples of the international work facilitated and supported by Rotary clubs, not only in the United Kingdom and Ireland but across the world. Rotary helps to change people’s lives for the better, wherever they are, in recognising in John and Patricia their tremendous efforts we are also recognising the work of all helpers and supporters across the world.

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For more information on John’s work go to bit.ly/OustandingIntMan For more about Patricia’s work with Kids for Kids visit: kidsforkids.org.uk ROTARY // 27

Surfers riding the Severn Bore

A bore it is not A breakfast club takes a fundraiser out for breakfast in their community and we went along to find out what happens and how the club rides the waves of the River Severn.

he Severn Bore is a natural phenomenon, which happens when a massive surge of water, caused by the incoming tide, is funnelled into a small channel and produces a large wave inland. The Rotary Club of Severn Vale had the imagination and foresight to capitalise on this event and make a fundraiser and social occasion out of it, hence the Severn Bore Breakfast came about. We wanted to find out a little more about this club so we went along to see them in action. In between barbecuing bacon and making coffee we pulled members away from various activities to have a chat with us about the club and the event. Severn Vale Rotary Club has been going for 14 years and is a breakfast club meeting on Tuesday mornings south of Gloucester at Whitminster. The club has 30 members with a good mixture of age and gender. The members come from a rural community with quite a cross section of vocations and business acumen being represented. The members we spoke with each emphasised the work they do in the local community, Martin Greaves told us, “When we first started we partnered with Wick Court, part of Farms for City Children, and did some hands-on work with them. They help children from urban environments experience country life for a week working

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When you ask them ‘do you want to know what the collection is for?’ they reply ‘no it’s Rotary’, they have the confidence their money will be put to very good use, such is their faith in the organisation.”

together on a farm. We helped build a badminton court and landscaped a garden and do jobs like painting for them.” Martin went on, “This brings members of the club together and it is fun because we enjoy the work. Things like this also help with fellowship within the club.” We then asked about the international work the Severn Vale Club does, and the members we met mentioned the refuge project for street children in Romania for which the club had a grant from The Rotary Foundation. Martin did go on to mention just some of the work the club does on other projects and when we reviewed them it was impressive. The club members help with Young Musician, Young Chef, Youth Speaks, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and participate with other clubs in the area on a fireworks display. On top of which they help with the Gloucester Bike Project with young people repairing and restoring bikes for sale as part of their work experience programme. Whilst talking with him, Martin did

make one telling statement regarding collections the club makes for certain causes, “People give willingly because they trust Rotary and when you ask them, ‘do you want to know what the collection is for?’ they reply ‘no it’s Rotary’, they have the confidence their money will be put to very good use, such is their faith in the organisation.” Over 500 people stood on a bank beside the River Severn courtesy of the Rotary Club of Severn Vale enjoying a spring morning with friends and family. They had a reason to be there and the club had brought them together for this natural phenomenon. Everyone benefited, the club had raised some money for their projects and the people visiting had a good morning out, what could be better than that? l To find out more about the Rotary Club of Severn Vale go to: severnvalerotary.org.uk Find more about the Severn Bore here: severn-bore.co.uk rotarygbi.org

Rotary around the world Rotarians across the world join with their communities to make a difference. We highlight just a few events helping to change lives for the better. Bolton Rotary gets community in Halloween spirit with Haunted Hill Run Upward of 400 minions, witches, goblins and ghouls spent their Sunday morning running in support of the Bolton Rotary Club. The Rotary Haunted Hill Fundraiser has become a bit of a staple in the town leading up to Halloween for the past five years. Race Director Tom Kitamura is responsible for bringing the Haunted Hill Walk to life five years ago, after having great experiences at similar events. “I have run the Toronto Zoo 10k and the Ottawa 10k with my kids and it was a day that you remember your whole life, and a day that your kids remember. In addition to the funds raised, we see so many parents running with their kids and groups of friends enjoying themselves. We are all volunteers and have no expenses or salaries to eat up any of the money raised so it all goes right back into the community,” he said. To date there has been more than $130,000 raised by the run and this year Kitamura expects that the run will bring in an additional $30,000. The local service club has contributed items to the community like the Peace Park in Dick’s Dam and the Caledon Animal Shelter.

USA

Lots of mice and not a trap in sight Whether it was Stormy Night, Big Money, Golden Moldy or a number of other competitors, spectators chanted words of encouragement as their favorite mouse bolted down the track during St. Francois County Rotary Club’s Sixth Annual Mouse Race. Club President Chris Morrison said, “The money we raise at the mouse races will go to a general fund which helps us with our community projects.” The event pairs six mice against each other in 10 different heats. Participants 30 // ROTARY

CANADA

Bolton Rotary Canada

were able to purchase chips and bet on their favorite tiny racer. Chaired by former Rotary club president Curtis Turner, the event has been a big success every year partially because of its uniqueness. “When I was the president we wanted to have something to help us raise money, I went to a mouse race and thought this would be a great idea for us. I have never seen anyone walk out who did not have fun,” Turner said. He added, “People get to come and hang out with friends and acquaintances, scream and cheer for their favourite mouse and just have a good time.”

INDIA

Helping newborns and young children Rotary Eves and Rotary International donated a neonatal gastroscope to the Department of Paediatrics at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), Pondicherry, that allows surgeons to perform endoscopic procedures on newborns and young children. On average, Jipmer’s paediatric gastroenterology division performs anywhere from 650 to 720 endoscopic procedures every year and the numbers are rising due to increasing referral and good outcomes. The bulk of these services benefit patients

from underprivileged families in the city and adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu such as Villupuram, Cuddalore and Tiruvannamalai. However, the limitations in the infrastructure of paediatric endoscopic services in Jipmer were partly because of the size of the available endoscope. The donation of a neonatal gastroscope from Rotary facilitates extending for newborns and young children endoscopy for diarrhoea or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. S.C. Parija, director, Jipmer, received the equipment from Judith Henderson, Project Primary Contact, Australia, and president of Rotary Pondicherry Eves.

NIGERIA

Rotary Club helps pupils in Surulere on career choice It was a day of empowerment for students of Jubril Martins Secondary School, Issa Williams Memorial School and Iponri Grammar School, in Surulere, Lagos, when the Rotary Club of Surulere-South engaged the pupils by offering career counseling on what it takes to be a lawyer. The project tagged: “Career counselling talk and donation of educational items to schools within Surulere,” took place at Jubril Martins Secondary School, where the students, in addition to the career talk, also went home with exercise books and writing materials. The President of the Rotary Club of Surulere-South, Nkem Okafor, hinged the project on one of the six areas of focus of Rotary International, which is basic education and literacy. “We are here to assist the students in the area of career counselling and have chosen law as a core subject because we have discovered that most students do not really know what the course entails.” The guest speaker, Greg Okafor, advised the students to be a voracious reader if they want to be a good lawyer.

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Meet&Greet For this edition we spoke with a member of a Scottish club about her experiences within Rotary.

FACT FILE Name: Nicola Jayne Harrison (Nikki), 40 Club: The Rotary Club of East Sutherland Rotary Member since: November 2015 Occupation: Development Officer/Shop Owner

What were your perceptions of Rotary before you joined? Before I joined Rotary, I thought that it was a club specifically for retired people. I didn’t realise that it was open to anyone until I went along to do a talk at the local Interact club about the work I do with my Pets As Therapy (PAT) dog Bess.

How did you find out about the organisation? I found out about the organisation via Interact at Golspie High School, Sutherland. I thought that what the group was aiming to do was fantastic and felt that it was something I wanted to be part of.

Q: After your first club meeting what

impressions of Rotary did you take away with you? After the first meeting, I felt that the club was friendly and the charity work that it aimed to do, specifically in the local community, was admirable.

Have you got involved in a club event and how did you find the experience? I have only really been involved with the local Interact group, although I did attend The Gavel Competition*, which was quite good fun. Unfortunately I can’t attend all the meetings on a regular basis due to work and volunteering commitments.

What do you personally get out of being a member? I enjoy sharing and working with the young people I work with. They really try to make

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a difference in the community and I feel that what they do deserves to be publicised. It is also nice meeting other people to see what they are doing and also keeping up to date with what is happening in the club.

Have you asked someone to join you at a meeting and if so what did you tell them to get them along? I have asked a couple of people to attend the next meeting. They are younger than most members of the club and I told them that it would be a good opportunity to be part of a club that will support them in the work that they do in the community.

How do you think we should project the plus things about Rotary especially some of the things you enjoy about it? I think that Rotary could do with being advertised more to the younger age group. Many people my age already volunteer and I feel that they would benefit from joining Rotary. Perhaps more advertising in the community – Rotarians go to the people sort of thing.

If you could change something in the organisation, that you think would be for the better, what would it be? The expectation that you have to meet every week. Ideally this would be wonderful, however, working, volunteering and running a family takes up a lot of time. It can be quite often off-putting and add a lot of pressure if you are expected to meet every single week. If you are actively doing things for Rotary then it’s important that this is taken into account.

How do you find the time to fit in Rotary with other hobbies and interests? I just try to fit it in. I attend monthly if I can – I can’t attend all the events that the club holds and it is unrealistic for me to even try. I simply do what I can, to the best that I can.

If we asked you to sum up the organisation and your enjoyment of it in a few words what would you say? It’s a lovely organisation to be involved with and I would encourage more young people to get involved. * The Gavel Competition is a series of pub games between Rotary clubs. l

To find a club near you visit: rotarygbi.org/club-finder

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Awardees on the Terrace of the House of Lords with the host for the evening Lord Inglewood, the Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson and Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s President Peter Davey

Champions of Change Rotary’s unsung heroes were on song and on show at the House of Lords recently. The Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, presented this year’s 12 Champions of Change, representing the get-up-and-go brigade of Rotary.

he third annual event was hosted by Lord Inglewood of Hutton in the Forest in Cumbria, William Fletcher-Vane who welcomed everyone on behalf of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland. This year’s Champions following in the tradition of the awards represented inspirational work, both by individuals and in clusters, at home and abroad. But this year’s event had among its heroes a special daredevil example of Rotary in action in the form of 93-yearold Rotarian Harold Robson. Harold from Newcastle-upon-Tyne Rotary Club received his award for an achievement carried out just days before the ceremony, when he zip wired across the River Tyne, raising in the process over £5,000 for the Alzeimer’s Society in memory of his late wife. Harold said: “I have not achieved the distinction of entering into the Guinness

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Book of Records as that goes to a 97-yearold American, but I am the oldest in the UK and I intend to do it again when I’m 100 to make my mark.” In welcoming the guests Lord Inglewood, an honorary member of Penrith Rotary Club, described the event as, “a great initiative in promoting the values of Rotary not only among our Lords and Leaders, but also within the Rotary world.” Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland President Peter Davey said: “We are celebrating the achievements of our 12 awardees, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. In all Rotary clubs throughout the land there are people giving wonderful service. I never cease to be amazed at how much commitment they give — and we mustn’t forget they all enjoy themselves doing it.” He concluded the evening saying he hoped that all Rotarians would be

sufficiently inspired by the awardees to say “I can do that!” Mr Wilson prior to presenting the Awards spoke of the “humanitarian service of Rotarians, which transformed lives” and commented that, “As politicians we have a lot to learn and admire from your incredible work. I feel very humbled as a politician to hear of the number of activities you have been involved in.” He spoke of the generosity of the British people in giving both money to charity and time to volunteering, adding: “We need more organisations like Rotary driving change and reform.” l

For more information on all 12 winners of this year’s Champions of Change awards visit: rotarygbi.org/its-just-champion rotarygbi.org

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WHAT THEY SAY

The Big Interview ALLAN BERRY

From Kabul to Manchester There are millions of refugees in Europe and thousands in this country. I met with one young man from Afghanistan who relayed to me his experiences.

n our TV screens, in newspapers, on social media or wherever we get our news from we see images of refugees fleeing their war torn country or fleeing because their lives, and those of their family, are in danger from insurgents, barbarous regimes or terrorism in some shape or form. I wondered what it would be like to be in a position where I had to leave my home, relatives and friends to find, not just a better life, but also a life away from fear of persecution and death. What makes anyone risk their own life to find a better one? Gulwali Passarlay did not want to leave his family in Afghanistan but his mother sent him, at the age of 10 together with his older brother, in search of a better life in the United Kingdom. Gulwali has come on a long journey across continents from Afghanistan through the refugee route and ended up in Manchester after almost two years of fleeing various countries and people smugglers. Gulwali is studying at Manchester University now and was in the final weeks of his degree course in politics and peace studies when I spoke with him. He wants to get the message across about refugees and I started by asking him what we could do to help people in the position he was in. “We can do so much and I think one thing we should focus on is compassion, love and humanity. Those 36 // ROTARY

people who are fleeing are people like us faced with extraordinary circumstances who have made some very difficult decisions. They have risked their lives for safety and the least we can do is welcome them. There is tremendous support for welcoming unaccompanied child refugees into this country and that is a beautiful thing,” Gulwali told me.

Those people who are fleeing are people like us faced with extraordinary circumstances who have made some very difficult decisions. They have risked their lives for safety and the least we can do is welcome them.” However I wanted to clear up the point of refugees and economic migrants and when I asked him about that, he replied, “Most of the people fleeing their country are doing so for a better life for themselves and their families and in my experience 95% of the people are refugees not economic migrants and in any case we should not label them in this way. They are just people seeking to live in a country away from wars and fear for the safety of their families.” It was apparent that the more I asked questions the more excited and

wound up I was making Gulwali since he does keep very informed on the subject and was most vociferous as we got deeper into the discussion. I asked about the choice these people and their families have, to wait to be killed and maimed in their own country or risk everything and flee for a better life in a place they do not know. I put it to him that the people have a choice, Gulwali went on, “These people don’t have a choice. If I had a choice I would have stayed, but then I’d be made to fight for the Taliban and probably be killed - if I refused I would have been killed anyway, it’s no choice. People have moved around to get away from bombs and terrorism in Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine and the Yemen. There are four million from Syria and in Lebanon one in four of the population rotarygbi.org

Gulwali Passarlay as a young boy in Afghanistan

are refugees and Jordan is very similar.” He has been in the UK and Manchester for a number of years and in talking with people in a similar situation to Gulwali I know how much their family means to them, so I asked him if he had been back to Afghanistan to see his family. “I have not seen my family for 10 years and my little sister passed away a couple of years ago and also my grandmother who I was very close to.” When asked why he could not go back, he replied, “It is because I have refugee status and it is not safe for me to return. It is the sacrifice we make. We are here and we have had to prove ourselves and there are millions of refugees just like myself. I am very grateful for the help and opportunities that have been given to me but we have to keep explaining ourselves about why we are here and I want to explain to people what has happened to people like myself.” It is obvious that Gulwali Passarlay has built a life in the United Kingdom along with his brother and I had to ask him what he wanted to do after he finished his degree. “I want to be educated and informed and then help to make the world a better place. That might be an overstatement but I’d like to do everything I can to work with people to inspire and empower them to help find solutions to youth unemployment, poverty and social justice. My main objective is to work with UN refugees using my experience in education.” This young man has come a long way, not just in his life journey here but overall, spending two years making his way from Afghanistan essentially alone. He is exciting to speak with and the enthusiasm in his deliverance is electric. He is representative of millions of refugees across the world. We wish him well in his endeavours.

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The Lightless Sky, by Gulwali Passarlay with Nadene Ghouri, is published by Atlantic. rotarygbi.org

Gulwali Passarlay carrying the olympic torch

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What they say... RI FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN 2015/16 I RAY KLINGINSMITH

RI DIRECTOR 2015-17 I PETER OFFER

A report from the RI Director for Great Britain and Ireland

his year RI President Ravi Ravindran and Foundation Chair Ray Klinginsmith held five presidential conferences around the world. The first was in Ontario, on Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution; followed by Disease Prevention and Treatment in Cannes, France, Economic Development in Cape Town, South Africa, Literacy and WASH in schools, in Kolkata, India and lastly WASH in schools in Manila, Philippines. I was only able to attend two, firstly the peace conference in Ontario, which was a great experience well attended with some 160 speakers for the plenary and breakout sessions. The second was the conference in Cape Town; here over 22 countries were represented with good speakers and very well run breakout sessions, the overall theme centred on how Rotary could help people in these third world countries to start up their own businesses. As reported before, following Rotary being affiliated to The Commonwealth, President Ravi was invited to address the Commonwealth Leaders at their conference in Malta. Following that I was invited to represent President Ravi at a reception at Marlborough House in London with Judith Diment. The reception was attended by HM Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and Judith and I had the chance to meet with many of the High Commissioners including the newly appointed one from India, we also met with the Prime Minister of Malta, and both the outgoing and incoming Secretary General of the Commonwealth. During our time there we had the chance to discuss with those attending, Rotary International and Polio. It is very pleasing for Rotary to be recognised in this way and my thanks to Judith for making this possible. This year we have been fortunate to have President Ravi joining us for our conference, his honest and forthright approach was appreciated by all that attended, as a car enthusiast he also enjoyed 38 // ROTARY

his visit to Rolls Royce thanks to the Rotarians in Chichester. We also had President-elect John Germ with us for the Rotary Assembly, coming a day early we were delighted that the Lord Mayor of Coventry put on a special banquet in the historic St Mary’s Hall and invited local Rotarians to attend. Both President Ravi and President-elect John spoke of the need for Rotary to change and be more flexible, this has been proved to be the will of most Rotarians as came across at the Council on Legislation (Rotary’s Parliament) in Chicago when the 500 plus delegates from all the world’s Rotary Districts agreed to an enactment, which allows Rotary clubs to run their own affairs, choosing how often they meet (as long as it is at least twice a month) what times they meet, what form the meeting will take (a meal or not), all this with the hope that we can attract new members and bring down the average age of many of our clubs. Your Board of Directors who put these proposals forward are delighted that these changes have been agreed, and remember it is now the club’s choice, if you wish to stay as you are that is fine, but if you need to make these changes to keep up with the ever changing world in which we live we hope this will help you to strengthen your club to help you do even more good where help is needed.

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RI President visiting Rolls Royce Motor Cars

At the end of the movie – the cowboy rides

away

estern movies were the most popular film genre for several decades and they were well known around the world. In many of them, after a victorious battle between the good guys and the bad guys, the hero would accept the appreciation of his friends and supporters – and then ride off alone into the sunset. I won’t be alone, due to my Rotary friends, but I will be riding into the Rotary sunset on 30th June, and I can’t avoid the comparison, because my life has been much like a movie for more than 50 years. From the time I was selected as a Rotary Scholar in 1959, good things started happening for me, and they have continued in much the same way as they did in the heartwarming movies of yesteryear. Due to my Rotary Foundation scholarship to study in South Africa, my life has been an amazing adventure. I never dreamed when I was sailing from New Orleans to Cape Town on a Lykes Lines freighter ship in 1961 that I would be the presiding officer at the 2011 Rotary Convention in that same port city of New Orleans exactly 50 years later. But it happened, and I truly have a deep appreciation and passion for The Rotary Foundation. I also am fortunate that I found a way to utilise my farm heritage with the music and lyrics of “Cowboy Logic” and the wisdom of the Code of the West as recited in the book Cowboy Ethics. It has been a signal honour to play a role in the fantastic story of Rotary as it has emerged onto the world stage. But above all else, I am proud to acknowledge that I am a living, breathing product of The Rotary Foundation – because I was a Rotary Scholar.

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Membership of Rotary is fun and rewarding. Here’s what recent members say and the ways of belonging to Rotary “I always say the same thing, get involved in the local community and join an amazing organisation.” Tricia Bell, Rotary Club of Washington “The turning point for me was when I was awarded a Scholarship by Rotary for my medical studies and that day I promised myself that I must return this wonderful gesture.” Dr. Nischal Pandey, Rotary eClub based in Delhi

Membership options:

Full Membership | Associate Membership | Satellite Clubs Corporate Membership | Membership of an eClub JOIN LEADERS, EXCHANGE IDEAS, TAKE ACTION IN YOUR COMMUNITY To find out more about Rotary go to: rotarygbi.org

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Turn your community purple Help Rotary and the The Royal Horticultural Society plant five million crocuses to End Polio Now. Visit rotarygbi.org to get involved.

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Special feature

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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Special feature

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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Special feature

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Special feature

ON BOARD What happens when Rotary’s directors meet? Pull up a chair and find out by KEVIN COOK Photography by ALYCE HENSON

hey came from Denmark and Spain, Thailand, the U.S., and other points around the globe. Last fall, the Rotary International Board of Directors gathered again in Evanston, Ill., not far from the office where Paul Harris hosted the first Rotary club meeting. One hundred eleven years later, Rotary’s Board spent three days addressing dozens of issues that boiled down to one: how will the organisation Harris founded thrive in its second century? They met on the top floor of Rotary’s world headquarters, an 18-storey tower with commanding views of broad-shouldered Chicago in the distance. Fifteen men and four women convened for the second of four scheduled Board meetings.

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1 PRESIDENT K.R . RAVINDRAN, Rotary Club of Colombo, Sri Lanka | 2 KAREN K. WENTZ, Rotary Club of Maryville-Alcoa, Tenn., USA | 3 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR SAFAK ALPAY, Rotary Club of Istanbul-Sisli, Turkey | 4 MANOJ D. DESA I , Rotary Club of Baroda Metro, India | 5 VICE PRESIDENT GREG E . PODD, Rotary Club of Evergreen, Colo., USA | 6 HSIU-MING “FREDERICK” LIN, Rotary Club of Taipei Tungteh, Taiwan | 7 PETER L. OFFER, Rotary Club of Coventry Jubilee, England | 8 SAOWALAK RATTANAVICH, Rotary Club of Bangrak, Thailand | 9 GIUSEPPE VIALE; Rotary Club of Genova, Italy | 10 BRADFORD R. HOWARD, Rotary Club of Oakland Sunrise, Calif., USA | 11 EDUARDO SAN MARTÍN CARREÑO, Rotary Club of Majadahonda, Spain | 12 JOSÉ UBIRACY SILVA, Rotary Club of Recife, Brazil | 13 PRESIDENT-ELECT JOHN F. GERM, Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tenn., USA | 14 JENNIFER E. JONES, Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ont., Canada | 15 TAKANORI SUGITANI, Rotary Club of Tamana, Japan | 16 TREASURER PER HØYEN, Rotary Club of Aarup, Denmark | 17 PRESIDENT-NOMINEE IAN RISELEY, Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia | 18 GUILLER E. TUMANGAN, Rotary Club of Makati West, Philippines | 19 JULIA D. PHELPS, Rotary Club of Malden, Mass., USA | 20 GENERAL SECRETARY JOHN HEWKO, Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine | 21 ROBERT L. HALL, Rotary Club of Dunwoody, Ga., USA

At 5:00pm on the third day of full on meetings Rotary International President Ravindran announced that he was pleased with the Board’s performance. At 5:05, the directors gave Ravindran a round of applause. “Well done, ” he said. “See you at the International Assembly in San Diego.”

This is an edited version of a complete article appearing in the Rotarian April and Rotary on line edition. To read the full version go to: rotarygbi.org/about-us/ rotary-magazine After every Board meeting, members can find decision highlights and meeting minutes at: rotary.org/learning-reference/ about-rotary/board-decisions

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ROTARY NEWS

Regional

The Rotary Effect Catching up with all the news from Rotary Clubs

Getting arty in Ashby

Bridge building in Barrow

tudents had their engineering skills put to the test at the Rotary BAE Systems’ Technology Tournament hosted by the Rotary Club of Barrow-in-Furness. Participants work in teams to plan, construct and test a fiendish engineering challenge, which at this event was based around bridge building. The groups taking part are split into sections; Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced with more challenging tasks set for the older students, which included assembling bridges to allow large boats to pass beneath and splitting in two, in a fashion mimicking that of London’s Tower Bridge. The Furness area organiser, Ted Fenton,

said, “It struck me as being a rather difficult project, but there was a buzz in the room as they set about the challenge. There was an air of fun about it and the ingenuity of some of the youngsters really astounded me.” The test stage provides the most excitement and trepidation to see if the students’ creations stand up to the test. Groups were given scores out of 100 based on their planning, design and testing. The tournaments are designed to give young people a chance to develop both their team working and communication skills. The tournament’s winners were St. Bernard’s Catholic High School, John Ruskin School and a team of apprentices from BAE Systems.

record 536 school pupils aged 4 to 14 from Ashby entered the Rotary Club of Ashby-De-La-Zouch’s 2016 Young Artist competition. This year’s competition theme was ‘The World is Beautiful’, with entrants challenged to produce a painting that captured the vibrancy and splendour of an environment, landscape or location of their choosing. The judges were set the huge task of picking a winner from the hundreds of entries from ten local schools, and eventually selected the work of 11-year-old Darci Hunt, a pupil from Ivanhoe College. Darci’s painting, entitled ‘Sunset Through Time’ was judged to have elegantly and poignantly captured this year’s theme. Club member Norman Ripley commented, “We always wonder how our youth opportunities projects and competitions are going to be received by the Ashby community, but really we shouldn’t worry! The co-operation we received from parents, teachers and the children themselves show how much these Rotary initiatives are welcomed.” Darci, along with the top three entrants from each school received passes to the Conkers Activity Centre.

Concert mobilises charity

anterbury Cathedral was the setting for a performance from the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, organised by the Canterbury Forest of Blean Rotary Club to help supply a charity for the terminally ill with essential medical equipment. Hope for Tomorrow, based in East Kent, has used some of the £10,000 raised from the event to fund a fully equipped mobile chemotherapy unit, which will mean the charity can continue to provide cancer treatment closer to patients’ homes. These units often have high running costs, which are not covered by the NHS but are vital in helping to provide more convenient and essential treatment to the

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terminally ill. President of the club Bryan Collings commented, “We are very grateful to all the members of The London Welsh Male Voice Choir for the wonderful concert that they gave. The whole event was truly memorable from the quality of the singing, the wonderful programme and the ambiance of the cathedral setting.” The choir treated guests to a mix of Welsh favourites and other popular arrangements. Bryan continued, “We are thrilled that the financial success of the evening will enable us to provide much needed funds for Hope for Tomorrow, Canterbury Cathedral and other local charities.”

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ROTARY NEWS

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Melton goes quackers for KidsOut

Goals galore in Cardiff

ocal school pupils were put through their paces at a series of sporting tournaments as part of The Rotary Club of Cardiff City of Llandaff’s annual Junior Sports Days, designed to give local school children the chance to get active with their friends and have fun. This year the event hosted both a 7-a-side netball and 5-a-side football competition with a total of 22 teams taking part in both competitions. The winning teams in both events came from Danescourt Primary School, who received team trophies as well as individual medals for all team members. Melany Rees of Danescourt Primary

School said, “This has been a fantastic competition played with great team spirit. It was wonderful that both of the netball and football events had teams of both genders. We simply cannot wait for next year’s event.” For the second year, the club have partnered with Sport Cardiff, an organisation initially established as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games legacy and aims to provide young people an opportunity to get involved with sport, as well as providing teaching and training schemes for coaches and referees through projects such as this.

ocal school children and their carers will be experiencing a day of fun and adventure thanks to an annual duck race, organised by the Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray. The Great Melton Duck Race saw over 1,000 ducks released into the waters at Twinlakes amusement park. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of ducks by members of the local community, a total of over £2,500 was raised, which will be put towards KidsOut, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary and continues to provide fun days out for disadvantaged children. There were prizes for those whose sponsored ducks finished amongst the first three. The spectators eagerly awaited the race’s climax to see if their duck was victorious in battling the wind and the current. Children from Birch Wood School which caters for students who may be described as having moderate or severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties and their carers will return to Twinlakes later in the year as part of their KidsOut experience. Adrienne Holland, one of the event’s organisers, commented, “It was an excellent day and a great turnout from visitors, with thanks to members of Melton Aurora Rotary Club giving us a hand.”

Take a look at our tuk-tuk

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or children in Sri Lanka, attending school can be difficult, for those who are poor, disabled or live in remote and rural areas of the country. The Rotary Club of Bognor Hotham is tackling this issue by fostering a long-term partnership with Extra Cover, a charity in nearby Chichester that helps to make education more accessible, enjoyable and fulfilling for Sri Lankan children. The club has helped to fund a tuk-tuk, a three wheeled vehicle which will transport children to school, meaning they won’t miss out on essential learning, as access to education is a vital element to help communities escape poverty. The excitement of a tuk-tuk ride often serves as further encouragement to children to attend school and negates the knock-on

effect children not attending school can have on other members of their family who may not be able to work as they have to childmind. The club is hopeful that the partnership can continue and plans to assist in the funding and building of a pre-school in Angulugaha in the south of the country for three to five-year-olds.

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ROTARY NEWS

Regional

Yellow Submarine Café

ellow Submarine is an Oxfordshire-based charity that believes everyone deserves to live life to the full and recognises that many people with learning disabilities leave school with limited life skills and as a result, poor life chances. The charity starts working with young people in community settings from the age of 11 onwards, to build their social skills, confidence, independence and ultimately their employability. They have been helped along by a donation from the Rotary Club of Witney. Yellow Submarine opened a now award winning social enterprise, where employed staff mentor the young people with learning disabilities in a wide range of activities associated with catering. Currently 144 people are receiving support, and those who show capability moving on to take part in a formal 18-month apprenticeship, which provides a Level 2 Certificate in Customer Service. The President of the Rotary Club of Witney, Ashley Farmer commented, “We are delighted to be able to help with this worthwhile project within our community and wish to thank everyone involved.” The club raised £1,500, which will be matched by a grant from Rotary in Thames Valley in order to provide the charity’s social enterprise café with kitchen equipment to expand its menu and continue to facilitate the personal growth of its volunteers.

A dam good night

local youth group and an international agricultural project in Kenya were the beneficiaries of an exciting evening of entertainment hosted by Huntingdon Cromwell Rotary Club. The Vaudeville-style evening featured a huge variety of acts from music to dance, comedy and magic. Former competitor in the Rotary Young Musician saxophone player, Robert Burton and local students from the Generations Dance Academy performed. The event raised £1,400 that will be divided between two projects, including the Huntingdon Youth Club’s Fusion project, which, in partnership with organisations such as Drinksense and Druglink, seeks to reduce anti-social behaviour amongst young people. The project is having a positive impact on participants, with a number of youngsters completing five week summer projects to build their leadership skills, as well as the local

community, as cases of anti-social behaviour is falling in the area. The remaining funds will be distributed to Sand Dams, a project which minimises the impact of drought in Kenya. Sand Dams has already had wide support from Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland, with 31 dams being commissioned, each providing greater prosperity to localities of up to 1,000 people whose farming yield and all round community health is improving.

Grantham in bloom

fter months of waiting through the winter, the Grantham Sunrise Rotary Club’s planting for polio has brightened up gardens and parks across the town. The purple crocus, which has become synonymous with Rotary’s campaign to eradicate polio is highly significant, as Lez Jones, incoming President of the club, explained, “After each child is immunised they put a mark on the child’s left little finger, the purple mark being the colour of the crocus.” Ian Brodie, the current Vice President of the club, was recently a member of a party of over 100 Rotarians who travelled to India as

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part of National Immunisation Day, where over 172 million children under the age of five were vaccinated against the disease. Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland plant crocuses not only to brighten up local communities when spring arrives, but also to raise awareness of the fight against the disease, as Lez continued, “We decided to plant crocus corms to highlight the wonderful work that is being done by Rotary. Within the next decade polio could be totally eradicated, which will be a huge testament to the financial commitment and humanitarian programme of clubs worldwide.”

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ROTARY NEWS

Regional

A gift from East to West

All sewn up

set of vintage Singer sewing machines will be making their way to southeast Africa, thanks to the efforts of Tom Yuille, a member of the Rotary Club of The City of St. Asaph. The 67 machines will be fully restored by the Tools for Self Reliance Group, based in Edinburgh. When shipped out to communities in Malawi, they will be a key resource as local adults undertake year long training helping to enable them to start their own tailoring business.

Tom commented, “Our club is always looking for international projects we can support. The machines are being refurbished by volunteers - many of whom have learning difficulties.” This means the project provides a benefit both at home and overseas, as Tom explained, “In addition to providing help to disadvantaged people in Malawi, the restoration of machines is also contributing to meaningful employment for some with learning difficulties in Edinburgh.”

rom Eastern Scotland to West Bengal, the Rotary Club of Monifieth and District have partnered with the Rotary Club of Calcutta (Kolkata) to deliver a life changing water and sanitation project to Duttapukur, Nityanagar, Krishnagar and Kanaidagar in India. The lack of clean water facilities had been having an adverse effect on the community, with girls not attending school due to lack of privacy at the previous toilet facilities. Another factor was the prevalence of waterborne disease impacting on residents’ ability to regularly maintain an agricultural yield. Over £30,000 was raised for the project, helped by a Rotary International Foundation grant, which has funded the essential provision of 134 toilets and 18 tube wells to the four remote villages and a school. Nick Day and Hugh Begg, members of the Rotary Club of Monifieth and District, recently visited the villages and were delighted to see the project’s progress and taken aback by the extraordinary difference it is making to the lives of the residents. Nick commented, “We had a rewarding but humbling experience seeing how much the wells and toilets are needed in these remote villages and the gratitude of the villagers was inspirational.” Both Nick and Hugh expressed the necessity for such partnerships and projects as they have the power to transform lives.

Café thriving in Thurrock

local park and community hub in Essex have been reinvigorated with a helping hand from the Rotary Club of Thurrock Gateway. President of the club Frank Claydon explained, “We are always looking to assist the progress of worthwhile local community projects such as the Friends of Hardie Park in Stanford-le-Hope. We have watched the development of the area and when we were approached we were delighted to be able to assist.” The club has donated tables and chairs for the park’s café, which is run entirely by volunteers for the benefit of the park’s visitors. The café has become a prominent feature amongst the area’s redevelopment and has given the previously neglected part of the community a new lease of life. Frank continued, “The way that the

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community at large has rallied around this development is a credit to them and has shown the local desire for such family and community orientated facility. When the plans they have for the park come to fruition then the area will have a truly home grown community centre.”

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SOCIAL MEDIA

It’s gone viral! What is being watched, posted, liked, shared and tweeted around Rotary in the world of social media. Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn

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Portrait of a Prince

To mark 40 years of The Prince’s Trust, Dame Joan Collins and Gemma Arterton presented HRH The Prince of Wales with a portrait, comprised of thousands of pictures of young people, fundraisers and committed volunteers whose lives have been changed through The Trust’s work. Check out the portrait for yourself on Twitter at bit.ly/PortraitofaPrince

Know Your Blood Pressure Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland were out in force to support Know Your Blood Pressure Day on Saturday 23rd April, in partnership with the Stroke Association. The event publicity reached over 9.5 million people, together with social media coverage from Rotary clubs and the Stroke Association, with many clubs taking to Twitter to share their activities using the hashtag #KYBP at bit.ly/BloodPressureDay

An event run by young Rotaract members in Cardiff hit the news, covered by ITV Wales at bit.ly/ITVWales, and took the readings of hundreds of people in the Welsh capital. The BBC South Today Facebook page also shared a video from a Rotary blood pressure testing event in Reading. This focused on the story of Mike, who suffered a stroke whilst on a trans-Atlantic flight and is on the road to recovery. bit.ly/BBCSouthToday

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Purple Pinkies and Polio Protection On Twitter, @EndPolioNow tells the history of polio immunisation since the vaccine was declared safe in 1961 in a handy infographic. Join with millions to take a look on Twitter here bit.ly/EndPolioTimeline, and learn about the remarkable journey the fight against polio has taken.

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@UNICEF also gave a snapshot of the countless children who are being protected against polio every day across the world, tweeting the story of 10-year-old Omar from Yemen, who brought his younger sister Asrar to be vaccinated and have her pinkie coloured purple. bit.ly/UnicefOmar

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It’s Just Champion The outstanding humanitarian work of 12 members of Rotary was celebrated by naming them Champions of Change. Their local MP joined them, many of whom tweeted to congratulate their constituent on this prestigious award. The news of the Rotary Champions of Change reached over 2.5 million Twitter users through the hashtag #RotaryCofC. Check out the Twitter coverage at bit.ly/RotaryCofC FOLLOW US Visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/ RotaryinGBI or follow us on Twitter: @RotaryGBI and LinkedIn: Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland for the latest news and activity from Rotary and our clubs.

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