April 2016 Edition of Clarion (1)

Four Seasons Day Centre
On 4th April, John Miles spoke about what our club has
been doing at the Four Seasons Day Centre in Kettering.
John was accompanied by Lee Price, the Day Centre
Manager
Lee told us that the Centre opens Monday to Friday for use by clients over the age of 55 with varying degrees
of disabilities. It operates much like a club for older people and is very family oriented, being almost like a
second home for many of the 100 clients. One of the crucial factors is the contribution made by voluntary staff,
of which there are 20 and upon which the Centre's continued success largely depends.
The project in which our club was involved was to refurbish the main dayroom, which is quite a large room,
being approximately 20metres by 8 metres. The room was badly in need of a facelift because there was
plaster falling off the walls and it was generally in a poor state of decoration.
The work was initiated by Lee contacting Tresham college to try and organise some labour which would be
needed. She managed to get the project added to the College's apprentice scheme, giving the college a
practical project for its students and providing Lee with the labour needed to undertake the project. We then
organised and supplied the materials thanks to a grant obtained through Rotary District.
John told the story of the refurbishment and
the various problems and delays
experienced along the way.
In the end, as a result of dogged patience,
the various materials were sourced from
local suppliers and the grant was eventually
obtained. There followed a sequence of
carefully planned stages of the project,
involving the application of special plaster
to the walls and two days of painting by the team of apprentices, described by John as "a wonderful bunch".
Philip Hollobone kindly came along to formally open the refurbished room (seen
here presenting a certificate to Lee).
A few other rooms are now in need of refurbishment as part of the project. Lee's
office is still to be done and we may need to be involved in the repainting of the
reception area as well as refurbishment of the bathroom.
One expensive item will be replacement of the reception area carpet, which has
been down for 30 years and is showing serious signs of wear.
We do have enough in the remaining budget to replace the damaged tiling. and
enough paint to complete the remaining painting - assuming our Tresham student
friends will be able to help with the work. However, we are currently looking to put
in a grant application for money towards a replacement carpet.
Last Night of the Rotary Proms
A small group of music enthusiasts travelled to Birmingham on Saturday 9th
April to enjoy a great evening of classical favourites from the City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Inglis, and the
Morriston Orpheus Male Choir, conducted by Joy
Amman Davies in the fantastic acoustics of the
Symphony Hall.
The night culminated in a spectacular finale –
Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with cannon and
indoor fireworks.