The Parish Magazine December 2023

around the villages — 2
Canapés, cakes, café and . . .
The Parish Magazine - December 2023 27
. . . elephants
Ladies of the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh rose to the
challenge of making and serving hundreds of canapés at the Preview Evening
of the Rotary Charity Art & Craft Fair, held recently at Leighton Park School.
Club members also ran a café at the fair to raise money for The Cowshed, a
local charity which provides support to people of all backgrounds in a time of
personal crisis.
The Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh meets at Sonning Golf Club
on the third Thursday evening of the month and welcomes new members to
join in the fun, take part in activities, raise funds for charity and support the
local community. https://www.innerwheelrme.org or iwcrme@gmail.com
Rotary donations for eradicating
Polio worldwide reaches £200,000
Since it was formed in 1991, Rotary Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh has
donated over £200,000 from funds raised locally towards the Rotary
International's Polio Global Eradication programme.
Because the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation triples all Rotary donations, the
actual money contributed is much more. Some of the local Rotarians have also
travelled abroad to help administer the vaccine. In 1988, there were over 1,000
cases a day in 125 countries of Polio. 350,000 children were left paralysed. Since
then Rotary has donated over $2.1
billion and formed a partnership with
other organisations and together
they are working towards totally
eradicating Polio worldwide.
The only outbreaks this year have
been in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
and these have been in low numbers.
Africa is now free of Polio.
Over 400,000 children a year now
receive their polio vaccinations.
Reading Maiden Erlegh president,
Richard Nicholson said, ‘We are
proud that Rotary International
started the initiative and it has been
so successful. My Rotary supports
the initiative each year and we are
delighted to have played a small part
in its success’.
Sonning Art Group was delighted to
welcome back Jenny Whalley (above)
to demonstrate 'Elephants on the
move'. She brought many pictures
from her native South Africa and,
as always, gave a lively and fun
demonstration using watercolours
in a creative and loose way to create
pictures full of character. You can
find Jenny's work at jennysart.space
or on facebook.
The group usually meets in
Pearson Hall on Friday afternoons
from 12 .30 - 4pm although not
during December. Their next meeting
will be on 6 January.
All is 'splendid'
in the garden
TRHA (Twyford and Ruscombe
Horticultural Association) says it
'has made a splendid comeback after
a difficult couple of years.'
Membership increased in 2023 and
all activities, particularly the shows,
were well supported.
Planning for the 2024 shows is
well advanced. They will have a new
look but will still be 'Open' to all
exhibitors.
TRHA hopes that all gardeners
will be planning for the new season
with this in mind.
The Store, which closed for
the winter break, reopens on 4
February for members to purchase
horticultural supplies, get advice, or
just have a friendly chat.
You can apply for membership
at the Store, Loddon Hall Road,
Twyford, RG10 9JA. It opens on
Sunday mornings from 9.30am -
11.00am, or email Jenny Wager at
trhamembership@gmail.com. See:
https://www.trha.org.uk for all details.