Chatterbox 0612 - Rotary Club of Belper
Chatterbox 0612 - Rotary Club of Belper
Chatterbox 0612 - Rotary Club of Belper
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otary international district 1220<br />
www.belper-rotary.co.uk<br />
Winning <strong>Club</strong> Bulletin 2010/2011<br />
the rotary club <strong>of</strong><br />
belper &<br />
duffield<br />
World Heritage Site<br />
-a birthplace <strong>of</strong> the Industrial Revolution<br />
In this issue:<br />
Thoughts <strong>of</strong> President Martin<br />
Origami Cranes<br />
Wine Tasting Evening<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Assembly<br />
1<br />
May/June 2012<br />
CHATTERBOX
A shot <strong>of</strong> Alan Widdowson’s only winner at the <strong>Rotary</strong> sponsored<br />
Southwell Race Meeting. Report on page 15.<br />
Concentrating on making origami cranes under the supervision<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Ambassadorial scholars. Page 5.<br />
President Martin presents a cheque to Julie<br />
Hawes to help her work with the Bobby<br />
Moore Trust Fund. Page 5.<br />
2
Thoughts at the End <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Rotary</strong> Year<br />
Much against my expectations I have enjoyed my year as President. The start<br />
<strong>of</strong> the year was clouded in uncertainty. It was not clear how long it would<br />
take me to recover from my first ankle operation and the date <strong>of</strong> the second was<br />
shrouded in mystery. I was very much afraid <strong>of</strong> being a lame drake president! But<br />
with such a supportive and friendly club I need not have worried.<br />
One casualty <strong>of</strong> the uncertainty, however, was the date <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong>’s charter.<br />
With singular inaccuracy, I predicted an autumn operation and persuaded the club<br />
council to put the charter back to May. Come the dark days <strong>of</strong> November we missed<br />
our normal celebration and so had a birthday party instead, complete with cake. It<br />
was a happy and enjoyable occasion. I have never hidden my lack <strong>of</strong> enthusiasm for<br />
the formal <strong>Rotary</strong> charter dinner. I suspect that this may be an attitude shared by a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> members given the general lack <strong>of</strong> support (with a few honourable<br />
exceptions) for attendance at charters <strong>of</strong> other clubs. So with May fast approaching<br />
I took the decision to replace the charter dinner with a wine tasting evening. It was<br />
well supported by members and by U3A (but not by other clubs) and the wine was<br />
entertainingly presented and copiously poured. Those who did come (including the<br />
District Governor) hazily recall enjoying themselves.<br />
It was a good year for fellowship which, to my mind, is one <strong>of</strong> the most<br />
important aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rotary</strong>. The district conference at Scarborough was well<br />
attended with brilliant weather and good fun. We had a number <strong>of</strong> very successful<br />
outside visits – the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, the Rolls Royce<br />
Heritage Centre, the Nottingham Playhouse to see Forever Young, a pate and pud<br />
evening (with games) at the Milford Social <strong>Club</strong> and a district organised evening at<br />
Southwell races in support <strong>of</strong> the End Polio campaign. When we stayed at home we<br />
had a varied programme <strong>of</strong> speakers and other entertainment. Two occasions<br />
stand out in my mind – the Christmas celebration dinner when we were entertained<br />
by the very gifted Sam and Lily from Ilkeston and St George’s night when the ladies<br />
<strong>of</strong> Green Garters managed to get many <strong>of</strong> the mobilely unchallenged up for some<br />
English country dancing.<br />
The pleasure <strong>of</strong> our meetings has been enhanced by the generally high standard<br />
<strong>of</strong> catering and service that we’ve had from the Lion Hotel during my year <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong>fice. The staff are always pleasant and helpful and, apart from the odd hiccough,<br />
things have gone pretty well.<br />
On the sporting front the <strong>Club</strong> achieved a first. By beating Ashbourne we got<br />
through to the second round <strong>of</strong> the District ten pin bowling competition. That was<br />
Cover picture - two District Governors<br />
Gordon McGlone hands over the badge <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fice to <strong>Belper</strong> and Duffield Rotarian<br />
Dave Ashley at the District Handover Lunch. Report <strong>of</strong> the proceedings on page 16.<br />
3
the limit <strong>of</strong> our success. We were crushed by Wirksworth in the second round. The<br />
<strong>Club</strong>’s team in the bowls competition failed to repeat its success <strong>of</strong> last year. In the<br />
District quiz, the team achieved honour without the pain <strong>of</strong> getting through to the<br />
next round by coming joint sixth.<br />
The <strong>Club</strong>’s fundraising efforts were, as usual, concentrated round Christmas.<br />
Santa’s sleigh in Duffield and <strong>Belper</strong> and collections on King Street and at Morrisons<br />
raised most <strong>of</strong> the money but was helped by the Tree <strong>of</strong> Light and three concerts<br />
which the <strong>Club</strong> helped to organise. I very much enjoyed the concert given by<br />
Cantata in October. It was however disappointingly supported and perhaps illustrates<br />
the difficulty <strong>of</strong> a small club going it alone on a major venture. The Christmas<br />
concert at St Peter’s church with the Dalesmen, Derwent Brass and the Pottery<br />
School choir seems to be becoming an annual event with increased attendance year<br />
on year. The <strong>Club</strong> needs to help build on this.<br />
Once again the <strong>Club</strong> has been very active in its support for the community both<br />
local and international. We have met our obligations to Foundation and the End<br />
Polio campaign as well as supporting Mary’s Meals, Aquabox and contributing to<br />
the Disasters Emergency Committee’s East Africa Appeal. At home, the <strong>Club</strong> has<br />
given grants to a wide variety <strong>of</strong> local organisations. But, perhaps more importantly,<br />
we are being seen to be involved in the community. Cycle pr<strong>of</strong>iciency training is<br />
much appreciated by schools and parents, mock interviews help prepare young<br />
people for the world <strong>of</strong> work, stroke awareness helps save lives and members<br />
acting as stewards at local events help raise the <strong>Club</strong>’s pr<strong>of</strong>ile.<br />
This year the <strong>Club</strong> had a stall at the Duffield carnival. It generated some interest<br />
in <strong>Rotary</strong> but probably more in the game <strong>of</strong> golf. Membership has remained static<br />
through the year but the <strong>Club</strong> has agreed a new category <strong>of</strong> Friends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Rotary</strong><br />
<strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Belper</strong> and Duffield to enable interested people to be a part <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong> for<br />
a limited period without committing to full membership. A leaflet has been produced<br />
to give wider publicity. I wish the initiative well.<br />
Sadly, we have lost some good friends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong>. Past Presidents Peter Pym,<br />
Derrick Smith and Eric Naylor and Eric’s wife Margaret have all died over the past<br />
year. They will be missed but we take comfort from their long lives and dedicated<br />
service.<br />
In conclusion, may I give a very big thank you to all the members <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong> for<br />
the support and friendship which you have shown me over the past year. I have<br />
deliberately not named names in this inadequate reflection on my year as President<br />
because, to a greater or lesser extent, I would have to name you all. Without your<br />
help I couldn’t have survived the year, let alone enjoyed it. Finally, my best wishes<br />
to Graham for a happy and successful year as President and to David for a happy<br />
and successful year as District Governor. With the <strong>Club</strong> behind them I am sure they<br />
will achieve it.<br />
4
Meeting - 21st May<br />
A Night like no Other!<br />
This was a well attended guest evening and David Ashley introduced Chie and<br />
Jade our present ambassadorial scholars. David explained that Jade and Chie had<br />
kindly come along to help him towards his aim <strong>of</strong> presenting each club president in<br />
the district with a ‘peace crane’ during his Governorship.<br />
The origami cranes have become a symbol <strong>of</strong> peace as a result <strong>of</strong> the<br />
poignant story <strong>of</strong> a young girl from Hiroshima who dreamed <strong>of</strong> becoming a P.E.<br />
teacher but who was cruelly struck down by radiation-induced leukaemia as a result<br />
<strong>of</strong> the bomb that ended the Second World War. While she was undergoing treatment<br />
in hospital she was shown how to make these folded paper birds and introduced<br />
to the Japanese folk tale which promised a wish that would be granted after<br />
1,000 such cranes had been created. She did not wish for a cure for herself but that<br />
there should be world peace-“I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all<br />
over the world” She was helped to fulfil the task and there is now a monument to<br />
her in the Hiroshima Peace Park.<br />
David felt that his somewhat smaller objective would fit in well with next<br />
year’s <strong>Rotary</strong> International Theme-’Peace through Service’<br />
Chie comes from Hiroshima and is an excellent ‘crane tutor’ so agreed to<br />
come along and give tuition to a group who were willing but sometimes not<br />
altogether dexterous. Chie and Jade gave a demonstration with a very large piece<br />
<strong>of</strong> paper and it was discovered that there were already some crane makers scattered<br />
throughout the tables (had they been planted?) and even some ‘made earlier’<br />
examples for us to aspire to.<br />
There followed half an hour <strong>of</strong> joy, frustration, exaltation and completion,<br />
not necessarily in that order. Chie and Jade moved like ministering angels among<br />
the toiling throng, never losing patience or their sense <strong>of</strong> humor.<br />
The result? Forty three little folded birds, very nearly enough to send with<br />
our Governor on his circuit. I am sure that the Governor’s Chief Assistant and<br />
Helpmate will supply the final, perfect few and we hope to have a travel gallery <strong>of</strong><br />
Dave and his Cranes at the end <strong>of</strong> the year. David has written to the <strong>Rotary</strong><br />
International President to tell him <strong>of</strong> his project and has received back a letter <strong>of</strong><br />
support.<br />
There was another result at the end <strong>of</strong> the evening; we all discovered what<br />
fun it can be to do something completely new - and succeed!<br />
Sheilagh Harnan<br />
There are some photographs <strong>of</strong> the evening on page 2. President Martin also<br />
took the opportunity to present a cheque to Julie Hawes who is going to Brazil in<br />
September under the auspices <strong>of</strong> the Bobby Moore Trust Fund to help build a new<br />
school.<br />
5
Not a Charter Night –<br />
a Wine Tasting Evening!<br />
Friday 25th May 2012<br />
President Martin had decided to have a Charter<br />
Night with a difference for his year in <strong>of</strong>fice and<br />
after considering several options, including a Garden<br />
Party and a Barn Dance, finally settled on a Wine<br />
Tasting Evening. Provision had been made to cater<br />
for about 70 in the Arkwright Suite but for<br />
various reasons we finished up with some fifty<br />
people, including a contingent from the local<br />
U3A.<br />
The evening was presented by Peter Clay, a<br />
local publican with a remarkably deep knowledge<br />
<strong>of</strong> wines and he passed on some <strong>of</strong> this knowledge<br />
in a most interesting and informative manner.<br />
He started with a lesson on actually tasting the wine,<br />
how to hold the glass, looking at it, smelling it and finally<br />
tasting it; the aim <strong>of</strong> the process appeared to be able to<br />
intimidate the wine waiter and impress the rest <strong>of</strong> the<br />
company. He pointed out there was a large glass on each<br />
table for us to discard any remains before proceeding to the next wine; I did not<br />
notice much use being made <strong>of</strong> them, most participants were quite prepared to<br />
quaff the lot!<br />
We progressed (staggered later in the evening) through a dozen different wines<br />
- white, red, rosé, blush, sparkling - based on a number <strong>of</strong> grape varieties and from<br />
various locations round the world. At various points in the proceedings, small<br />
snacks were served in an attempt to counter the effects <strong>of</strong> the alcohol but the ratio<br />
<strong>of</strong> food to liquor was not really sufficient and it was noticeable that inhibitions were<br />
reduced as the evening progressed<br />
A vote <strong>of</strong> thanks was made to Peter and special thanks to Hilary Surga and Alan<br />
Widdowson for organising the evening. With the realisation that we had each<br />
imbibed the equivalent <strong>of</strong> a bottle <strong>of</strong> strong wine, most guests had made the wise<br />
decision to get home by taxi or train.<br />
Photographs <strong>of</strong> the evening on page 10.<br />
6<br />
John Scotney
Meeting - 28th May<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Business Meeting<br />
We had 16 members and one guest at this Business Meeting. Following a<br />
lengthy discussion on the meaning <strong>of</strong> the word “Ebenezer”, Martin Drake<br />
reported that the Wine Tasting held on the 25th <strong>of</strong> May had been a great success<br />
although he would be discussing the poor quantity (though excellent quality) <strong>of</strong><br />
food provided for the Buffet.<br />
It was agreed, following a suggestion from John Frankland, that the meeting<br />
on the 18th June be a visit to the 20/20 cricket match at the County Ground in<br />
Derby. For those who did not wish to go, it would be a scatter night. We also agreed<br />
that on the suggestion <strong>of</strong> Sheilagh Harnan, the meeting on the 2nd July would be a<br />
visit to Derby Arbouretum.<br />
Treasurer Peter James reported that since his last report, we had paid a<br />
total <strong>of</strong> £570.40 from the <strong>Club</strong> Account for a range <strong>of</strong> things including the purchase<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Past President’s Jewel and some Hi-Viz jackets. The Charity Account had paid<br />
£600 as the second part <strong>of</strong> our payment to Foundation, £150 each to the Rainbows<br />
Hospice and Cancer Research UK, and £545 as our contribution to the Polio Eradication<br />
fund, which along with the following dates for Christmas Collections - December<br />
19th (Wednesday) at Morrisons, from 4.00pm until 9.00pm, December 20th<br />
(Thursday) at Morrisions, from 8.30am until 9.00pm and December 24th (Monday),<br />
street collection in King Street and the £105 spent on tickets for Southwell Races,<br />
means that we have now met our obligations in that area. Peter also reported that<br />
we had received a payment <strong>of</strong> £265 from the Inland Revenue by way <strong>of</strong> Gift Aid.<br />
Community & Vocational chair Gail Ashley advised John Norreys reported<br />
that he would be talking to Ecclesbourne School during the next academic year in<br />
respect <strong>of</strong> mock interviews.<br />
Graham Wright, Membership Services, advised that we have a “pitch” at<br />
Duffield Carnival. So far, the plan is to have a Putting game (to draw people to the<br />
stand) along with a demonstration Aquabox and a continually running series <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Rotary</strong> videos. Graham also outlined his plans for the meeting programme for his<br />
forthcoming year as President. In particular, giving more club time to Committee<br />
activities as well as Scatter Nights and “Away Days” where the club will hold it’s<br />
meetings at venues out in our catchment area.<br />
International & Foundation chair David Soul told us the Polio Eradication<br />
programme would be changing to provide a different vaccination regime, tailored<br />
to the needs <strong>of</strong> each Country, and that in future, <strong>Rotary</strong> support would be in<br />
response to WHO initiatives and would be determined by the <strong>Rotary</strong> District/<strong>Club</strong>s.<br />
He also advised that the capitation fee would be rising by £2 to £45.<br />
7<br />
Nick Blurton
Meeting - 11th June<br />
The Slenderella Story<br />
by Gary Spendlove<br />
At our meeting on 11th June we welcomed Gary and Gaynor Spendlove as<br />
guests <strong>of</strong> Vernon Barnes. Gary had previously addressed the <strong>Club</strong> at a<br />
meeting some years ago and so Vernon invited Gary to briefly retrace the<br />
history <strong>of</strong> Brettles, the well known hosiery, socks and knitted goods manufacturer<br />
and give an account <strong>of</strong> the Slenderella story to date.<br />
Gary gave a brief account <strong>of</strong> the growth <strong>of</strong> Brettles from a partnership<br />
formed in 1803 between George Brettle and John and William Ward up to 1973<br />
when he joined the company, by which time it was owned by Courtaulds.<br />
During the next 24 years the company’s fortunes declined culminating in Gary’s<br />
redundancy, as Sales Director, in 1997 following the takeover by Chilprufe, a<br />
major Leicester underwear producer.<br />
Another company, Slenderella, had been founded in the East End <strong>of</strong><br />
London in the 1920’s and due to factors arising from the second world war<br />
moved to South Shields where it grew to become a recognised national brand<br />
and a major supplier to Marks and Spencer. Slenderella ceased trading in 1984<br />
but the brand was retained by S Newman.<br />
Shortly before leaving Brettles, Gary, together with five other managers<br />
made a bid to buy Brettles but the parent company accepted the bid from<br />
Chilprufe. As part <strong>of</strong> his redundancy deal Gary was able to purchase the <strong>Belper</strong><br />
factory shop and, shortly after that, acquired the Slenderella brand to form a<br />
new company, Slenderella Wholesale. In 2002 Chilprufe was put into receivership<br />
and the new company was able to acquire the Brettles brand and bring it<br />
back to <strong>Belper</strong>.<br />
Slenderella now own the established brand names Brettle, Chilprufe,<br />
Kayser, Vedonis and some contrived ones; Slenders and Gaspe (derived from<br />
Gary Spendlove). No manufacturing takes place in <strong>Belper</strong> but some takes place<br />
in the East Midlands. The company is growing steadily and about 22% is exported.<br />
Gary brought to the meeting some examples <strong>of</strong> the company’s products<br />
which range through nightwear, hosiery, slips, thermal underwear, lingerie,<br />
briefs, dressing gowns and bed jackets.<br />
The talk was well received and a vote <strong>of</strong> thanks was given by a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the club.<br />
8<br />
David Henson
Meeting - 18th June<br />
Visit to the<br />
County Cricket<br />
Ground, Derby<br />
I t was good to do something different<br />
for a <strong>Club</strong> meeting and visit the<br />
county ground to see Derbyshire play<br />
Yorkshire in their Friends Life t20 match.<br />
The Derby Falcons were unbeaten in the<br />
competition and lead the county championship<br />
table but things did not go too well on a<br />
fine but cool evening.<br />
We had a wonderful view <strong>of</strong> the play<br />
on the new stand at the racecourse end <strong>of</strong> the<br />
ground and there was a good atmosphere in<br />
the ground and expectations were high. Yorkshire<br />
went in to bat and made a par score <strong>of</strong> 150<br />
with some good contributions from Gale, Root and<br />
Ballance who was at one time an Academy player at<br />
Derby. The ex Yorkshire bowler Wainwright was the<br />
pick <strong>of</strong> the Derbyshire bowlers taking two wickets for<br />
14 runs without a boundary being scored <strong>of</strong>f him.<br />
Derbyshire made a good start to their innings with Durston and Khawaja<br />
adding 43 for the first wicket in just 5.4 overs and seemed to be cruising to victory<br />
but then wickets fell in quick succession with no Derbyshire batsman being able to<br />
make a winning contribution. The Yorkshire bowling held the Derbyshire Falcons in<br />
a tight grip and they could not break clear and disappointingly fell 41 runs short <strong>of</strong><br />
the Yorkshire total.<br />
Thirteen members and guests attended the evening and all appeared to<br />
enjoy the occasion and a big thank you to John Frankland for organising the evening<br />
and getting us all together in the stand so that we could chat together during the<br />
play.<br />
Hopefully during this scatter week for the <strong>Club</strong>, members were able to<br />
visit other <strong>Club</strong>s and give our best wishes.<br />
David Harris<br />
9
Peter Clay instucting the Norreys into the finer points <strong>of</strong> wine appreciation at the Wine<br />
Tasting Evening. Report on page 6.<br />
The aftermath <strong>of</strong> the Wine Tasting Evening - a good time was had by all!<br />
10
DG Gordon shows his appreciation<br />
for a fine vintage at our ‘Charter<br />
Celebration’<br />
The <strong>Rotary</strong> stall all ready to receive customers at the Duffield Carnival. We had great<br />
difficulty keeping these guys away from the golf clubs and the Putt and Pot game!<br />
Report on page 16.<br />
11
Meeting - 25th June<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Assembly<br />
There was a good turn out <strong>of</strong> members to this special meeting, along with two<br />
guests who are potential members and AG Chris Elkin. President Martin was in<br />
the chair for the first part <strong>of</strong> the evening and after the meal, he reported on the<br />
previous week’s visit to watch the 20/20 cricket at the Derbyshire County Ground<br />
and thanked John Frankland for organising it. He also reminded members <strong>of</strong> his<br />
‘Curry Handover Lunch’ on Sunday 8th July to be held at David and Carole Soul’s –<br />
this would be his last <strong>of</strong>ficial function before the Installation <strong>of</strong> the new President<br />
on 9th July. We also had a report <strong>of</strong> the Duffield Carnival held on the previous<br />
Saturday; the weather kept fine, there were plenty <strong>of</strong> people trying the ‘Put & Pot’<br />
and we raised £40 for our charities.<br />
President Martin then invited SVP Graham Wright to lead the club through the<br />
Assembly. A booklet <strong>of</strong> the various speeches and reports to be presented had been<br />
prepared and distributed to the members prior to the meeting and full details <strong>of</strong><br />
the proceedings can be found therein; there was the opportunity for members to<br />
raise questions with the incoming <strong>of</strong>ficers. Graham’s address - ‘The Year <strong>of</strong> the DG’<br />
follows:<br />
The coming twelve months are going to be very different for the <strong>Rotary</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Belper</strong><br />
and Duffield. For the first time since 1935-7, when the Rev A Forbes Fletcher was DG <strong>of</strong><br />
District 107, we have one <strong>of</strong> our members, David Ashley, taking over the role <strong>of</strong> District<br />
Governor. This appointment is a major honour for our <strong>Club</strong> and it will bring some exciting<br />
opportunities but also some real challenges.<br />
During his year David will be visiting all the clubs in the District along with their associated<br />
Charters. Paul Taylor has taken on the responsibility <strong>of</strong> arranging transport and drivers for<br />
the majority <strong>of</strong> these visits and he is doing a splendid job; clubs are making his job more<br />
difficult with changes to their diaries. This in itself represents a major commitment by the club<br />
members and we have to be very realistic, bearing in mind the relatively small number <strong>of</strong><br />
members that we have, regarding projects for the year. The <strong>Club</strong> will also be out in force for<br />
the District Conference at Southport.<br />
The two areas that I would like to concentrate on this year are firstly to begin to make<br />
the <strong>Club</strong> more a part <strong>of</strong> District 1220, especially with the Erewash <strong>Club</strong>s and secondly to try<br />
and move the <strong>Club</strong> to a position where we are more attractive to potential members and in<br />
turn keep our own members stimulated.<br />
The fact that David will be DG this year will help enormously with the first part as the<br />
majority <strong>of</strong> our members will be visiting other clubs in the district. We will also be including<br />
at least two Scatter nights in our programme when I hope our members will take the<br />
opportunity <strong>of</strong> visiting other <strong>Club</strong>s, in particular those in the Erewash Group. Hopefully we will<br />
be able to have this year’s GSE team visiting the <strong>Club</strong> giving us the opportunity <strong>of</strong> inviting the<br />
other Erewash <strong>Club</strong>s to join us for the evening. We will take the opportunity to have more<br />
joint meetings when possible. A programme with more variation is planned along with an<br />
experiment <strong>of</strong> taking the meetings out to other venues within our catchment area. These<br />
12
meetings will be held in places like Ambergate, Kilburn, Heage, Horsley and, <strong>of</strong> course,<br />
Duffield. Any suggestions as to suitable venues will be welcome. Our intention is to publicise<br />
the meeting beforehand and hope that people will be interested to come along and participate.<br />
This will hopefully lead to an increase in membership. I also intend to move to round<br />
tables for most meeting nights and do away with the traditional top table format. One <strong>of</strong> the<br />
main aims is to make the <strong>Club</strong> more attractive to new members and fellow members alike.<br />
As stated earlier we need to be realistic this year and not take too much on in terms <strong>of</strong><br />
large projects as a great deal <strong>of</strong> time and effort will be taken up with supporting David Ashley.<br />
The main fund raising efforts will be centred on the Christmas collections. I would however<br />
like to continue and build on our relationships with local organisations.<br />
To get us through this busy year we have a great team in place. I am really looking<br />
forward to working with Hilary Surga, our SVP. I am delighted to report that two very recent<br />
members, Alan Widdowson and Stuart Limb will be taking on roles as Committee Chairs for<br />
New Generations and Community; I am sure they will continue the excellent work <strong>of</strong> their<br />
predecessors. This year I would like to give a clearer definition to International and Foundation<br />
and to assist in this David Harris will take over as Chair <strong>of</strong> International with David Soul<br />
continuing in his role as Foundation Chair. To assist the work <strong>of</strong> the Committees, and as<br />
another experiment, we will dedicate a Monday night prior to the Business Meeting as a<br />
“Committee Night” to allow the Committees more time to discuss their projects and responsibilities.<br />
I am very pleased that Peter James will continue in the role <strong>of</strong> Treasurer while David<br />
Henson continues his role working on the finances <strong>of</strong> the District Conference. Other members<br />
carrying on in their current roles are John Scotney, PR Officer and <strong>Chatterbox</strong> Editor, Paul<br />
Taylor as Donations Co-ordinator and Sheilagh Harnan co-ordinating <strong>Club</strong> Projects. I am also<br />
delighted to have Nick Blurton as <strong>Club</strong> Secretary, this is such an important role in any <strong>Club</strong><br />
and having someone like Nick will make my job a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, at present,<br />
we do not have a Health & Safety Officer, so if anybody is prepared to take on this role, then<br />
please let me know. he role <strong>of</strong> Junior Vice at present unfortunately is vacant for this year but<br />
I am confident that we will have a Senior Vice President in place for Hilary’s year.<br />
I would like to thank Martin Drake who, despite some real difficulties with mobility has<br />
done a sterling job for the <strong>Club</strong>. Finally, on behalf <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong>, I would like to wish David Ashley<br />
all the very best for his coming year.<br />
Bringing the <strong>Club</strong> Assembly to a close, AG Chris Elkin <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Rotary</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> West<br />
Ashfield congratulated Graham and the members for having plans in place for the<br />
next <strong>Rotary</strong> year and he wished the club all the best in their various endeavours.<br />
He reminded us <strong>of</strong> the Theme ‘Peace through Service’ but also that there is a social<br />
side to <strong>Rotary</strong> which we should enjoy.<br />
We then reverted to a normal meeting and Sergeant at Arms John Norreys<br />
wielded the pig with enthusiasm on his final session, particularly targeting those<br />
members not in appropriate dress for such a formal occasion!<br />
13<br />
John Scotney
MISCELLANY<br />
St John’s Primary School Fayre<br />
On Saturday 16th June Dave and Gail Ashley re-connected with <strong>Belper</strong> St John’s<br />
School by having a <strong>Rotary</strong> stall at their annual Summer Fayre. You may recall<br />
that last year Dave helped them out teaching the younger children gardening for<br />
which the club made a small donation for some gardening equipment.<br />
At the Fayre the stall held various <strong>Rotary</strong> literature and there was a working<br />
Aquabox on display. In addition they made good use <strong>of</strong> Peter Davies’s “Pitch &<br />
Putt” game, which proved to be very popular with young and old alike, almost to<br />
the extent that one or two people seemed to be addicted to it.<br />
Despite poor weather, the end result was that after deducting expenses<br />
for prizes we were able to make a donation <strong>of</strong> £27 to the school Parents, Teachers<br />
and Friends Association. I understand that on the day the total raised was in excess<br />
<strong>of</strong> £2,500.<br />
Involvement with community groups such as this can do us nothing but<br />
good. Several people expressed interest in what <strong>Rotary</strong> does and one person has<br />
since been in touch <strong>of</strong>fering to be a speaker at one <strong>of</strong> our meetings.<br />
Cycle Pr<strong>of</strong>iciency Training<br />
After a gap <strong>of</strong> one year we were once again invited by The Pottery Primary School<br />
to assist them by giving Cycle Pr<strong>of</strong>iciency Training. During May and June therefore<br />
a small but dedicated team <strong>of</strong> trainers and helpers went in on half a dozen<br />
occasions to train about 35 children in safer riding on their cycles. Many thanks to<br />
everyone involved.<br />
As always the training was very well received by the school and the children<br />
themselves. (Maybe it is something to do with having an hour or so out <strong>of</strong><br />
school!) As part <strong>of</strong> the deal to go in and do the training Dave Ashley was also invited<br />
in to speak to the whole school at two Assemblies. Dave chose to talk about<br />
Aquabox and after the two Assemblies he was presented with a cheque for £100<br />
that the school asked be forwarded to Aquabox.<br />
Once again this demonstrates the value <strong>of</strong> our involvement with schools;<br />
not only does it perform a wonderful service to the children involved, it also spreads<br />
the word <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rotary</strong> and assists us with our charitable endeavours. The other schools<br />
in the area receiving Cycle Pr<strong>of</strong>iciency Training are the William Gilbert Endowed<br />
Primary School in Duffield and the Herbert Strutt Primary School in <strong>Belper</strong>.<br />
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Sale <strong>of</strong> Books<br />
We have just received a small donation, just £15, into our charity account from<br />
the sale <strong>of</strong> second hand books at Carsington Fields Caravan Site. Peter and<br />
Judy who own the site agreed that we could place a small <strong>Rotary</strong> bookcase in their<br />
reception <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong>fering books for sale at 50 pence each. We initially stocked it with<br />
books, but have not needed to replenish the stocks as people have been replacing<br />
the books when they have finished with them. Once again it spreads the name <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Rotary</strong> <strong>Club</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Belper</strong> and Duffield to a wide audience. It is not going to make<br />
us a lot <strong>of</strong> money, but for no effort the end results are most worthwhile.<br />
Southwell Race Evening<br />
About 20 members and friends attended the special <strong>Rotary</strong> sponsored Race<br />
Meeting at Southwell on Tuesday 15th May when some £9000 was raised for<br />
Polio Eradication. The early arrival <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the party allowed them to have a<br />
leisurely fish and chip supper; thereafter there were long queues at all <strong>of</strong> the<br />
refreshment facilities .<br />
The more seasoned punters were soon putting on their bets and the novices<br />
amongst us had the odd flutter. Nobody made any real money out <strong>of</strong> the evening<br />
and Dave Ashley was disgusted that the horse he had put his life savings on fell at a<br />
fence and had to be put down!<br />
Our staff photographer was there and captured a shot <strong>of</strong> his winning mount<br />
along with a backcloth <strong>of</strong> blue sky to show that we had good weather after all the<br />
hail and showers earlier in the day over Derbyshire.<br />
Photograph on page 2.<br />
Stroke Awareness Day<br />
D uring the morning <strong>of</strong> Saturday 19th May we carried out blood testing at The<br />
Strutt <strong>Club</strong> on Campbell Street as part <strong>of</strong> the Stroke Awareness campaign.<br />
Despite it being a really cold and miserable morning with very few people about in<br />
the town centre we managed to test in the region <strong>of</strong> thirty people with a number<br />
<strong>of</strong> people being referred back to their own GP<br />
The tests were carried out by a friend <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong>, Liz Parkes from a doctor’s<br />
surgery in Riddings with one <strong>of</strong> her colleagues; Liz has been helping us with this<br />
event for a few years. Gail presented a flower arrangement to each <strong>of</strong> the nurses<br />
for their assistance. Thanks to Dave Ashley, Hilary Surga, Alan Widdowson,<br />
Elizabeth Wright and Janice Cooney (a neighbour <strong>of</strong> Gail's) for their invaluable<br />
assistance on the morning; we are grateful also to the management <strong>of</strong> the Strutt<br />
<strong>Club</strong> for allowing the use <strong>of</strong> their premises.<br />
Gail Ashley<br />
15
Duffield Carnival<br />
Saturday 23rd June<br />
Several members <strong>of</strong> the club met up at Eyes meadow about 11.30 and spent the<br />
next hour erecting Nick Blurton’s gazebo in case it rained, which it didn’t! I think<br />
there is some pressure on the club now to invest in a fool pro<strong>of</strong> gazebo.<br />
We had a working Aquabox, a TV showing <strong>Rotary</strong> promotional videos and a<br />
comprehensive collection <strong>of</strong> leaflets, magazines and other material explaining what<br />
we do as Rotarians. There were some enquiries and two people showing considerable<br />
interest in coming along to a meeting to see what we get up to.<br />
The item that was the biggest attraction was the Golf Put and Pot game we had<br />
set up in front <strong>of</strong> the stall. Our seasoned golfers did not do very well and it was left<br />
to a schoolboy to get the highest score and collect the price.<br />
We finished up making a surplus <strong>of</strong> £40 on the golf game which will go to our<br />
Charity Fund and a few more local people know a bit more about <strong>Rotary</strong> International.<br />
A worthwhile afternoon!<br />
Photograph on page 11.<br />
District Handover Lunch<br />
Sunday 1st July 2012<br />
There was a good turn out <strong>of</strong> club members to this special event at the Novotel,<br />
Long Eaton to support Dave and Gail Ashley as Dave takes up the position <strong>of</strong><br />
District Governor for 2012/13.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the last duties <strong>of</strong> the outgoing DG, Gordon McGlone, was to present the<br />
Trophies and Awards. We did not retain the <strong>Club</strong> Bulletin Trophy this time but it was<br />
good to hear all the projects and activities being carried out around the District<br />
getting recognition. Interestingly, many <strong>of</strong> the awards were to clubs whose projects<br />
had been described in the current edition <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rotary</strong> Review - so you read it there<br />
first!<br />
The actual handover is very similar to the Presidential Installation we will be<br />
holding on 9th July and the event closed with new DG Dave talking briefly about the<br />
theme for the year, Peace through Service, and the significance <strong>of</strong> the crane. We<br />
did get a mention with the latter and the production line we had set up at the Lion!<br />
Photographs on front cover and page 19.<br />
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District Governor’s June Newsletter<br />
There are just a couple <strong>of</strong> weeks <strong>of</strong> this <strong>Rotary</strong> year left and this will be my last<br />
Newsletter as your District Governor, so I would therefore like to thank all the<br />
members <strong>of</strong> the District for giving me this amazing opportunity.<br />
I have heard and seen much <strong>of</strong> the wonderful work carried out by the <strong>Club</strong>s in<br />
this District as well as throughout RIBI and indeed the rest <strong>of</strong> the world, and there<br />
is no doubt that <strong>Rotary</strong> is changing the World.<br />
This time last year I asked <strong>Club</strong>s to look at giving extra help to local communities<br />
as we continue to go through difficult times and you have responded with great<br />
enthusiasm and as a result we have not just served them but also created more<br />
awareness <strong>of</strong> our organisation which I am sure will help us for the future.<br />
Of course we are part <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rotary</strong> International and <strong>Club</strong>s have worked hard to<br />
support many International Projects and top <strong>of</strong> that list must be the Bill Gates<br />
Challenge for Polio Eradication. This is the final year <strong>of</strong> the three year challenge and<br />
we have not only achieved our target but this District is one <strong>of</strong> the highest achievers<br />
throughout RIBI. On behalf <strong>of</strong> our RI President Kalyan Banerjee I thank you all for<br />
this wonderful result. It is only right that I give a special thanks to Rtn Keith<br />
Hammond who has lead this Challenge and encouraged us over the past three years.<br />
Whilst the challenge is complete, Keith will still continue to promote Polio Eradication<br />
within the District.<br />
I would now like to thank all the 2011/12 <strong>Club</strong> Presidents for all the work they<br />
have done within their <strong>Club</strong>s as well as the support they have given me. I am also<br />
most grateful to them for making me and Lorraine so welcome at <strong>Club</strong> meetings<br />
and Charters. This year may soon be over but I have memories that will last for a<br />
lifetime. I have been privileged to share this year with 28 other District Governors<br />
<strong>of</strong> RIBI. We have worked hard as a team to bring about the much needed changes<br />
to RIBI. It is now up to next year’s team together with the RIBI management to work<br />
on the final detail ready for implementation in 2013/14.<br />
My chosen Charity for this year is the British Heart Foundation and I am<br />
pleased to report that I will have sent them nearly £3000 to be used for research<br />
into Heart disease. District Governors come and go, but the work <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rotary</strong> goes on<br />
year after year. As my year comes to an end I ask you to continue your support for<br />
David Ashley in the year ahead, when we work together to bring<br />
PEACE THROUGH SERVICE.<br />
Continue to look on the bright side <strong>of</strong> life,<br />
17<br />
DG Gordon
2012 Organiser Reporter Cash Fraternal<br />
July<br />
2 S Harnan J Moore G Ashley<br />
9 Installation J Norreys R Giffin V Barnes<br />
16 D Harris D Partridge S Harnan J Brazier<br />
23 Committee Night D Henson J Scotney D Harris D Collard<br />
30 Business Meeting P Shepherd D Henson P Davies<br />
August<br />
6 Photo Night D Soul P Shepherd M Drake<br />
13 Away Day* J Norreys H Surga P James J Frankland<br />
20 P James P Taylor S Limb R Giffin<br />
27 Bank Holiday<br />
September<br />
DUTY OFFICERS<br />
3 D Partridge A Widdowson J Lowe S Harnan<br />
10 Visit by RI President G Ashley J Norreys D Harris<br />
17 Committee Night D Partridge D Henson<br />
24 Business Meeting V Barnes J Scotney J Horwood<br />
DIARY<br />
The latest information about meetings can be found in the weekly Bulletin Boards<br />
and on the <strong>Club</strong> web site:<br />
www.belper-rotary.co.uk<br />
July/August CHATTERBOX: Publication - 24th September<br />
Editor - John Scotney 01773 823678 Photographer - Alan Widdowson<br />
18
Members <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Club</strong> at the District Handover Lunch. Report on page 16.<br />
Dave and Gail at the Top Table<br />
19<br />
A relaxed President Martin looking<br />
forward to his own Handover Meeting!
The <strong>Rotary</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Belper</strong> and Duffield<br />
Founded 1930<br />
President Martin Drake<br />
Senior Vice-President Graham Wright<br />
Junior Vice-President Hilary Surga<br />
Treasurer Peter James<br />
Secretary Nick Blurton<br />
The <strong>Club</strong> meets every week on Monday at 7.30pm.<br />
The Lion Hotel, Bridge Street, <strong>Belper</strong> (01773 824033)<br />
<strong>Rotary</strong> is a service organisation which exists to help those in need and to provide<br />
fellowship and support to its members, whilst maintaining high ethical standards. If you<br />
are interested in visiting the <strong>Club</strong> and learning more about <strong>Rotary</strong>, please contact the<br />
Secretary, Nick Blurton:<br />
01773 824607 nickblurton@yahoo.co.uk<br />
Website: www.belper-rotary.co.uk<br />
20