CHELTENHAM ROTARY

Copyright © Paul Murphy 2021

Our President’s monthly Blogg

The ROTARY BUZZ

Rotary Club of Cheltenham

Monthly Newsletter December 2021

Monthly Speaker -Megan Wielding-Jones

Co-ordinator Vision 21 –

The aim is to make Gloucestershire more sustainable and achieving Net Carbon Zero by 2030. Vision 21 are recruiting local organisations looking to incorporate measures into their practices and to develop collaborative working opportunities between businesses and community groups. Cheltenham Rotary will be involved in sustainable projects, although it may be too late. As with our climate, are we in the last-chance saloon to halt the destructive decline in biodiversity in the UK and globally?

Oddbox – Penny Piggott

(Penny recently gave details of this project at a club meeting)

Are you concerned about food waste? Each year one billion pounds of food is thrown away before it even reaches the supermarket shelves. So, what can we  as individuals do about it? Sign up to ODDBOX. This is an online company which rescues the fruit and vegetables the supermarkets reject and pays the growers a fair price for them. Why are they rejected, too big, too small and maybe wonky. You can choose a large, medium or small box of vegetables or fruit or a mix of both. You can choose delivery once a week or once a fortnight.

The boxes are delivered between 7pm on Sunday evening and 7.00am on Monday morning. The boxes are cardboard and can be recycled. Our box costs £12.99 every two weeks. So, give Oddbox a try and do browse their website, which is a mine of information.

The Bench at Nazareth House

One of the first charities the Club supported after receiving its Charter, was to offer Christmas gifts to Nazareth House at Christmas 1921. At this time the Home was close to Century Court in Bath Road, not in Charlton Kings as it is today. The Club decided to present a Bench (to chat) as a Centenary project and one was delivered in a flatpack, ready for assembly. I asked a colleague, Ian Spelman, who is Cheltenham Rugby Club archivist, if he would help as he had recently erected three at Newlands Park. No problem, and it is now ready to be formally presented to the residents in January.

Christmas Tree erected at Gardners Lane Primary School – Paul Murphy

A kind gentleman at Bishop's Cleeve contacted us via our website to offer us a fifteen foot pine tree he needed to cut down in his garden. We decided that under the current circumstances it was inadvisable for us to use it ourselves and so Paul Clark contacted some local schools to offer the tree to them. Gardners Lane Primary School accepted the offer gladly. 1st Hatherley Scout leaders cut the tree down and helped to transport it, and the school handyman erected it. Then the children of the school helped to decorate it, and it now stands proudly in their playground looking very splendid.

Club Christmas Supper at Cotswold Hills Golf Club

The theme ‘Birds at Christmas’

Members, partners and guests enjoyed this very social occasion. We did pause for a few moments to remember Stan Mobley. There might be a wake for him at the Clubhouse in January.

Tina and I met up with Richard Mobley, Clubhouse Manager, in November to choose the menu and I said, if possible, could be have a ‘centenary’ choice as a main course, ‘what would you like’, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, he gave us a weird look!

Thanks to Tina for making all the arrangements and Charmian Sheppard for organising the Christmas Quiz, very enjoyable.

Cheltenham Rotary Tree Project – continues

Golden Jubilee trees for Cheltenham North Rotary Club

CNRC will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in April and propose to plant a further 50 trees in Cheltenham. A need to raise £15,000. Possible funding came to light as all County Councillors have a budget of £40,000 to support Community projects over the next three years, under a ‘Build Back Better’ scheme. I contacted all ten county councillors, who have constituents based in Cheltenham and nine agreed to provide a grant of £1500 (five trees), so the majority of funding almost in place.

Mile of Coins -Saturday 28th May 2022 at Montpellier Gardens.

Now gathering momentum with a Team in place consisting of David Price, Paul Murphy, Colin Prottey (Cleeve Vale) and John Phillip (Cheltenham North). Potential sponsors are being approached, this is a priority. Paul Murphy, Publicity Lead, has recently designed and launched a new website, this is the link https://www.mileofcoins.com 

Please pass any comments to Paul and names of possible sponsors. Much to be discussed at our Business Meeting in January.

Rotary Vaccine Appeal – supporting the work of GAVI/COVAX

Please look at this story .... It mentions us!

‘Hopefully you have logged off for the year and are enjoying some time off but I wanted to share this web story which went on the Gavi site yesterday and recognises the incredible fundraising efforts of the Rotary Club for the COVAX AMC. I hope you enjoy reading this positive new story’.

Molly

GAVI/COVAX

Here's the link: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-public-came-together-support-covid-19-vaccines-worlds-most-vulnerable

Programme of events in January/February 2022

Tues 4th Jan       Business Speaker Meeting with guests at Jury’s Inn

                             Sally Gillespie from Glos Young Carers and Rob Garnham

                             SHAPE    

Tues 18th Jan    Speaker Meeting. Partners and Guests invited, at Jury’s Inn

                            Mayor of Cheltenham, Cllr Steve Harvey, with Jo Harvey

Tues Feb 1st       Business Speaker Meeting at Jury’s Inn

Tues Feb 22nd    Speaker Meeting, Partners and Guests invited, at Jury’s Inn

A Happy New Year to you all

David Evans

President

Cheltenham Rotary Club

Home Tel. 01242 514519

Mobile 07970713585

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