crosstalk - rotary nw england & iom...with a long history of community service. grace had, of...
TRANSCRIPT
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE
ROTARY CLUB OF SANDBACH MAY/JUNE 2016
CROSSTALK
WHAT’S INSIDE?
Only here for the beer p.2
Demise of special agent p.3
Secret from a certified location p.5
Hovey family “By Appointment” p.6
Spotlight on young people p.9
Life amidst the daffodils p.9
Caffeine raises awareness p.11
CLUB CONTACTS
President: Richard Hovey
01270 762302 Secretary: Tim Bramwell
01270 766638 Membership: Phil Niddrie
Communications/Public Relations/
Crosstalk editor: John Higgins 01270 763037
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE
www.sandbach-rotary.org.uk
for more stories, reports, pictures and information about our club
Webmaster: Bal Unnithan
Rotary Club of Sandbach Chartered 1945
District 1285 RI 6140
RIBI 5546
Next edition 13th July
Items for inclusion to [email protected]
Grace receives Citizen of the Year award.
Comment …
from President Richard Hovey
Rotary relies on the printed word to
publicise its activities and gain support for
projects and fundraising. Seventy years
ago when our club started up the local
newspapers would have been printed using
physical type, with photographs a
rarity. As our President Elect told us in one
of his job talks, the world of typesetting has
moved on. The local press can accept
electronic press releases from local
organisations together with colour
photographs without a word being changed,
though reporters and subeditors usually
feel the need to rework most reports.
Ten years ago a Club website would be a
novelty, now it is an established part of the
club, with the regular emails from Bal with
links to the various new pages, reporting
club trips, cheque presentations, events
and activities. This all promotes openness
about our organisation and activities.
Information published on the internet is
accessible around the world and can be
read in multiple languages at the click of a
mouse. It can also be enlarged or
converted to speech to assist those with
poor eyesight.
2
Calendar
Wednesday meetings
May
4th May: Speaker (John Middleton)
11th May: Speaker (Phil Niddrie)
18th May: Business meeting
25th May: Club Assembly
June is Rotary Fellowship month
1st June: Speaker (Max Leese)
8th June: Fellowship
15th June: Speaker (Bill Whittaker)
22nd June: Speaker (Rosemary Twidale)
29th June: Business meeting
Looking ahead
7th May: District Assembly
13/14th May: Swimathon
26th June: District Brunch
6th July: Club President Handover
Birthdays
Stuart Blackwell (3rd May)
Keith Ludlam (7th May)
Dave Lewis (14th May)
Cyril Martlew (18th May)
Bill Coupe (23rd May)
Andy Wilkie (29th May)
Keith Merry (30th May)
Paddy Paddock (16th June)
Wedding anniversaries
Gaurang and Ila Dave (6th May)
Dave and Ginny Lewis (29th May)
Bill and Marie Whittaker (23rd May)
John and Margaret Middleton (12th June –
Diamond Wedding Anniversary)
Photographs in this edition were supplied
by Bal Unnithan, Grace Milner,
Nicola Bramwell, Lynn Treadway
and John Higgins
Where will the newspaper industry be in
another 10 years’ time? Will we be able to
afford news printed on paper or will it all be
delivered to our screens? Who will control
the archive of the news? At present anyone
can keep news cuttings on paper - will that
still be possible in an electronic world?
Whatever happens I suspect they will still
have the power to change my surname
from Hovey to Povey!
Can I thank our communications and
publicity team for their work over the
years, and everyone who is able to submit
reports towards the production of Crosstalk.
Richard
Call yourselves a business?
Steve Davies, owner of the Beer Emporium
in Sandbach, was our speaker in March.
Steve said that in 2007 he decided that he
had had enough of working in social
housing and planned to take on a pub or to
open a bottle shop.
He settled on the latter and after looking
for a suitable location – there were no
empty shops in Sandbach in 2007 – opened
a shop in Burslem. He said that the location
was wrong and later moved to the former
butcher’s shop in Welles Street.
He said that Cheshire has 26 breweries,
including Haslington and Arclid, and there
are about 1600 breweries in the country.
Contrasted with that is the fact that 15
pubs are closed every week. He said that
the beer shops, now increasing in number,
are filling the gap.
He explained how tastes are changing.
The traditional bitters don’t sell but hoppy
pale ales are very popular and hops can
now be grown with fruity flavours. Steve
said that he stocks 585 different beers.
He made the decision not to sell cans in
the shop and when a young man came in
and complained saying, “Call yourselves an
off-licence? You’ll never stay in business”,
he almost printed the comment and put it
in the window, so far was it from the truth.
He said his success had been to create a
niche business: somewhere between the
pubs and the supermarkets.
Sandbach was an ideal place for the
business, he said. There is free parking,
many small shops and it has so much going
for it.
Steve ended by saying that two months
ago he and his wife decided to retire and
the business has been sold – to someone
who they think will carry on and develop
their ideas.
3
A Life in Books In March, John Higgins spoke about how
some books featured at different times of
his life.
He said that the family home in which he
grew up only had a Bible - no other books -
but he now lives with over 1,500 books in
his 'library'!
One book he remembers being purchased
was 'Enquire Within' - a book of general
information – and he read the entry from
the medical section on rheumatic fever.
John contracted this disease at the age of 8
and was confined to 9 months of bed rest –
to lessen the chance of damage to the
heart - and a year off school without
education.
During this time he was an avid listener to
the radio and said he heard the first
broadcast of 'The Archers' in 1950 but was
annoyed that it replaced Dick Barton
(Special Agent).
When he returned to school, he helped
himself to the 'book box' - a kind of
lending library - and soon became addicted
to reading.
Later, a homework assignment on
'Treasure Island' taught him a life-long
lesson about not wasting resources. With
an interest in electronics 'The Boy
Electrician' was a book on constant loan
from the local library.
He studied Anthony Trollope's 'The
Warden' as the set text for “O” level English
Literature at Wolstanton Grammar School
but only came to appreciate that book
many years later - he firmly believes that
there is a right time in one's life for a
certain book as one undergoes experience
of life. At that time he was also not ready
for what else he had to study - Keats'
poems and Shakespeare’s The Tempest!
St Mark and St John College Chapel, 1841
John attended the College of St Mark and
St John, University of London, to train as a
teacher and enjoyed living in Chelsea. He
found some of the lectures uninspiring and
showed a Psychology text book which had
been written in the 1920s. In the first term
he substituted several visits to the Classic
Cinema on the Kings Road for lectures.
Although studying Physical Sciences his
extra-mural interests were in music and he
sang in the College Chapel choir and
enjoyed the opportunity to sing in a
number of interesting venues including St
Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall.
In 1962 he applied to Alsager School for a
Science-teaching post but found himself, in
his first year, teaching maths and some
music. Piano players were much in demand
in schools! Later he became Head of
Science and had a book entitled 'Handbook
of Suggestions for Teachers', from that
time, which looked to me remarkably thin
for such a momentous subject!
A year at the University of Keele, studying
counselling was followed by eight years as
a School Counsellor at Holden Lane High
School in Stoke. After this he became
Deputy Head for three years at Henbury
High School, Macclesfield. Next, he joined
the brand-new Holmes Chapel
Comprehensive in its inaugural year as a
Deputy Head, and followed the first intake
of pupils all the way through school.
His last post was as Head of Sir Thomas
Boteler High School, Warrington, housed in
a listed Art Deco building. It was while
working here, in 1993, that the Warrington
IRA bombs exploded, killing two young
boys. Together with the Head of Great
Sankey School, John formed links with Irish
schools, worked with the Institute of Irish
Studies at Liverpool University and became
involved in the setting up of the Warrington
Peace Centre with Colin Parry.
33 down, 6 to go!
During the later years of his career John
had to read many reports relating to the
National Curriculum and he said that in any
spare time he had he tended to read
vintage crime and espionage. He revealed
that he collects copies of Buchan’s 'The 39
Steps' and now has 33 different editions.
As usual, John told his story with humour
and as well as it being of interest to fellow
members, we all thoroughly enjoyed his
talk.
Rosemary Twidale
4
Citizen Grace
The award of Citizen of the Year 2016 was
given to Grace Milner, President of the
Sandbach Interact Club.
In giving the citation Rtn Rosemary
Twidale said that in the past, the Citizen of
the Year award had been given to people
with a long history of community service.
Grace had, of course, not got this long
history, but what she had done in a short
space of time had been remarkable.
She was the prime mover-and-shaker
behind the setting up of the Interact Club
based at Sandbach High School and was
voted in as President by the other
members.
Grace receives the award watched by her
mum with Mayor Gill Merry and Rosemary.
The club, under her leadership, had taken
part in our Rotary Swimathon to raise
money for WaterAid and St Luke's Hospice.
Members worked hard for this, and all
improved their swimming! They also helped
entertain visitors to the Rotary
International Summer Camp at Petty Pool
Outdoor Centre. Grace has given
presentations about the Interact Club to
District Council meetings and also at the
annual 1285 District Conference in
Southport last October - which can't have
been easy, said Rosemary.
She attended a Rotary Youth Exchange
Summer camp in Austria where the aims
were to learn some German language, gain
an idea of Austrian culture and enjoy a
range of outdoor activities. This was a trip
which she really enjoyed and she
appreciated meeting and befriending young
people from other countries.
The Interact Club has taken part in many
community activities in Sandbach, working
with the Tidy Town Group litter-picking,
weeding, planting bulbs, painting railings,
and also redecorating Sandbach Station.
Grace, together with Ramina, attended the
Community Pride Awards last year,
representing Interact.
In September the group took part in
Sandbach Today to promote the work of
Interact to the public. They helped at the
Halloween Fun event in Elworth Park by
leading the procession around the park and
by judging pumpkins which had been
carved by the children. They also helped
clear up afterwards.
They have raised money for other
charities in different ways. A car wash
raised £75 for Cancer Research UK and
they are also fundraising for Mary's Meals
and Sandbach Animal Rescue. Members
visit St Stephen's Care Home and plan to
provide company and entertainment for the
residents.
Rosemary concluded by saying that Grace,
as President of Sandbach Interact, had
represented her club (and in so-doing, our
Rotary Club), her school, her town and her
country and had proved to be a brilliant
ambassador for young people. She said, “I
think she's enjoyed herself too and we wish
her well for the future. With her positive
mental attitude she should do well in
whatever she plans and hopefully other
young people will learn from her excellent
example.”
In receiving the award from President
Richard, Grace thanked the Rotary Club
members for the support they had given to
her and to the foundation of the Interact
Club. She also paid tribute to the members
of Sandbach Interact Club – now 30-strong
– who were always enthusiastic and keen to
be involved.
Not yet begun to fight
John Paul Jones 1747 – 1792
Our caravanning activities these days are
limited but, when we do venture out, we
look for small sites – the Caravan Club’s
Certified Locations that are not allowed to
take more than five caravans.
Our handbook details such a site at
Kirkbean on the Solway coast, about 15
miles south of Dumfries. It is described as
being at the John Paul Jones Museum. We
found this to be a typical crofter’s cottage
with an adjoining rose garden, donated and
maintained by an American Rotary Club.
On the wall of the cottage is a bronze
plaque inscribed “To our hero John Paul
Jones from the daughters of the American
Revolution” – a national ladies social
5
organisation – and a small film unit arrived
there one morning.
The museum was closed for the period of
our stay there but our enquiries revealed
that Jones was a Scotsman who went to
sea at the age of 12 and at 21 became the
ship’s master with the newly-formed
American navy.
In 1776 (2 years after the beginning of
the American Revolution) he sailed his ship,
the Providence, along the Atlantic coast
capturing British ships and sinking eight
more. He then made a spectacular cruise
through the Irish Sea where he captured
several more. Having been assigned to a
large American vessel, he intercepted a
merchant fleet and, although out-gunned
by an escort vessel, he forced its surrender
after a fierce battle, answering its challenge
to surrender with, “I have not yet begun to
fight.” His ship sank soon after and he
sailed two British prizes to the Netherlands.
In 1790 he retired, in ill health, to France
and died there at the tender age of 45
having been awarded the Croix de Guerre
by the French who were delighted at his
exploits against their sworn enemies. He
was also decorated by Catherine of Russia
for his assistance in Russia’s struggle
against Turkey. He received no such
decoration from the British!
As a British subject, Scotland having been
united with England by the Act of Union
1707, he would have been tried for treason
(if they had been able to catch him) and
suffered a very nasty death.
The TV programme “Coast” recently
featured a small US detachment coming
ashore at Whitehaven – an annual event to
commemorate Jones’s efforts to burn the
British fleet, the ships being tied together in
the harbour. On this occasion, however,
Jones failed in his attempt as heavy rain
prevented him from getting a fire going!
No doubt you will agree that his whole
career is stranger than fiction!
Incidentally, my daughter and her
husband are now taking bookings for their
holiday let in Jones’s home area – a
recently acquired former church hall,
beautifully converted and extended,
sleeping 6 in luxurious accommodation. You
can view Old Church Hall, New Abbey at
www.cottages4you.co.uk
Cyril Martlew
Water ways
Mark Barker, representing WaterAid, made
a return visit to the club in April to receive
a cheque for £600 from Past President
Gaurang. WaterAid was one of Gaurang’s
nominated charities last year and the
money was raised at the Swimathon.
Mark said that Rotary had supported
WaterAid for 30 years and had contributed
about £100,000 per year. For 20 years
projects had been carried out in Tanzania
and for the last 3 years in Zambia.
Gaurang hands over the cheque to Mark.
He explained that in September 2015 the
UN General Assembly agreed 17 Global
Goals to replace the Millennium Goals set
by world leaders in 2000. They cover issues
including hunger, health, education and
gender equality. Access to clean water and
safe toilets can improve every aspect of a
person’s life, said Mark, from their health
and wellbeing to their education,
employment opportunities and family life.
Mark said that monitoring bodies have
been set up so that governments and
leaders can be held to account. The
commitment is for everyone to have access
to clean water and sanitation by 2030.
6
70 years of service
The Club’s 70th Charter Celebration Dinner
was held at the Masonic Hall, Sandbach on
1st April. The Toastmaster was Rtn. Tim
Bramwell.
President Richard introduced Assistant DG
Patrick Tyrell and welcomed Rotarians from
other clubs, members of 2 Inner Wheel
Clubs and other guests.
After the meal the loyal toast was made
followed by a surprise item: a rendition of
the national anthem with Stuart (Liberace)
Blackwell tinkling the ivories. The Club
Charter – 11th December 1945 – was read
by Rtn John Middleton.
Assistant Governor Patrick Tyrrel and
President Richard enjoy the puddings
Rtn Ray Stafford, President of our “mother
club”, Crewe, spoke about the work being
done by our club and proposed the toast to
Rotary International. AG Patrick Tyrell
responded and began by presenting a
special pin to our newest member, Dennis
Bell. Patrick went on to talk about the
amazing commitment made by Rotarians
towards overcoming polio in the world
which started with the idea of one Rotarian
in 1979. He also congratulated the Club on
70 years of service to the community: local,
national and international.
In proposing the toast to guests, President
Richard looked back to 1945 when his
grandfather, R Baldwin Hovey, became the
founder President of the Club. Early
meetings were held in the Market Tavern
and the charter was presented in the
Masonic Hall. Richard’s father, Graham was
elected President in 1979. Richard said that
he was proud to be the third generation of
the family to hold the office and how much
he enjoyed Rotary.
The response was given by Rtn. John
Clewlow, a member of the RC Biddulph and
a retired veterinary surgeon. John
entertained the audience with amusing
tales and jokes prompted by his many
years working as a vet on Biddulph Moor.
He said that when someone erected a sign
at the entrance to the village with the word
“Potatoes” some wit had written below:
“Twinned with Pommes de Terre”.
Before drawing the raffle (which raised
£230 for Rotary Foundation) and proposing
the final toast President Richard thanked
everyone for attending and making the 70th
Charter Celebration a memorable evening.
A plumber’s life
Dennis Bell, who joined the Club in 2015,
gave his job talk in April.
He had attended Sandbach Council School
where, he said modestly, “they made a
good job without the best material”. He left
at the age of 14 and took up a 7-year
apprenticeship in plumbing with Johnson
and Johnson.
In 1953 he was called up for National
Service and joined the RAF. He did his basic
training at Wilmslow and was selected as a
wireless telegraphist spending eighteen
weeks at Compton Basset and achieving 18
words per minute in morse code. He was
then transferred to RAF Withnall near
Birmingham where he worked as an
interceptor and had to sign the Official
Secrets Act.
When he was demobilised he returned to
plumbing but felt that he was being put
upon and left to work at Benger’s in Holmes
Chapel. Whilst there, a friend suggested
becoming a fireman and in 1956 he became
a part-time fire officer at the Sandbach
Station.
After other plumbing jobs he decided to
work for himself. He placed an
advertisement in the Chronicle and received
just one reply – from Stan Furber, a local
farmer. Dennis had no transport at the time
– his car had a broken spring – and Mr
Furber offered him the use of his Morris
van: a real act of kindness, said Dennis.
He continued to work as a fireman,
becoming leading fireman in 1962 and
station commander in 1965. He retired
from that position in 1987 after serving 31
years.
Dennis has never really retired from
plumbing and said that he is still employed
at Sandbach School, a contract he obtained
in 1962.
7
Stairway to heaven
On one Friday morning at the beginning of
April Community Chairman, Bill Whittaker,
enlisted the help of Keith Merry and Keith
Ludlam to paint the hand rails leading up to
St Mary’s Church entrance.
The rails were in a poor state and a long-
standing member of the church said that
they were last painted, quite some time
ago, by a working party from Styal
Women’s Prison.
The team return for a bit of touching-up.
Two members of the Interact Club,
Jonathan Vu and Steffen Iruthayanathan,
gave valuable assistance by rubbing down
and preparing the railings to be painted.
The Vicar, Rev Thomas Shepherd,
expressed his delight with the finished
result.
Scarborough fair
Bal Unnithan, in giving a slide presentation
to the club in March, said that he had
visited Australia on seven occasions since
1996.
Bal showed a map which demonstrated
how the state of Western Australia occupies
one third of the whole country. Most of the
population of 2.6 million inhabitants live in
the south west of the state. Perth is the
capital city and is set on the Swan River
and Bal showed a view of the city taken
from Kings Park.
On their last visit, Bal and Lalita took a
trip to Margaret River, south of Perth. The
area is renowned for its wine production
and a visit to a winery was part of the
itinerary.
There are many caves near Margaret
River, some of them open to the public, and
Bal showed the interior of one with gigantic
stalactites.
The modernistic clock tower at
Scarborough was sponsored by the RC of
Scarborough to mark the 150th anniversary
of the state of Western Australia and the
75th anniversary of RI.
The RC of Scarborough meets every
Thursday morning at 6.45 am at Lake
Karrinyup Country Club. Bal said that they
stress the importance of the Four-Way
Test: Is it the truth?/ Is it fair to all
concerned?/ Will it build goodwill and better
friendships?/ Will it be beneficial to all
concerned?
The club organisation is very casual, said
Bal. They have 50 members and currently
have four presidents – each serving for 3
months.
Their major fundraising activity is
“Swapmart” – a kind of car boot sale which
they organise weekly. In 2014/15 they
raised the equivalent of £87,000
Their major service project is
“Wheelchairs for Kids” – making
wheelchairs for impoverished, disabled
children in developing countries. The
project began in 1998 and to date 27,000
wheelchairs have been given to children in
66 different countries. A pack – put
together by Inner Wheel and Friends of
Rotary – goes with each chair and contains
rugs, toys, etc.
Message from Max
Club Secretary, Tim Bramwell, recently
received this message for Club members
from Rtn Max Leese.
I just wanted to let you know that I was
discharged from the Macmillan Cancer
Centre at Leighton Hospital yesterday. My
scan proved the treatment I have been
having has done its job and I am now clear.
Long may it last.
Thank you all for the support and
kindness you have continued to show, it
has really helped me to overcome a most
daunting experience.
My very kind regards and thanks,
Max
We are all very pleased to hear this news
and wish Max well for the future. - Ed
8
Just checking
St Mary’s Church Hall had been tastefully
decorated with flags, tablecloths and
pictures when Bill Whittaker and team
turned up to organise the Stroke Awareness
Day. It turned out that the decorations
were not there as a tribute to Rotary but to
Her Majesty the Queen on her 90th
birthday.
Members of the public queued to enter the
inner sanctum, offering their outstretched
arms to retired local GP Dr Mike Olver and
retired nursing officer Rtn Val Atkinson, and
emerged later with a small piece of paper.
Two coffees? That will be £2.20
With 45 people availing themselves of the
offer of a free blood pressure test –
including our own President Richard – the
event was judged to be a success. As a
result of the check Richard was advised by
Dr Olver to book an appointment with his
GP. This he did, by which time his blood
pressure had returned to an acceptable
level.
Was it the excitement of the decorations,
Richard?
Incidentally, in a year when we remember
the third generation of the Hovey family,
Richard says that Dr Olver has been his GP
since birth and that he also looked after his
father and grandfather – three generations
of Rotary presidents. - Ed.
Stick Man
Geoff Williams came to a meeting of the
club in April armed with a large collection of
staffs and walking sticks. This was not
because he thought we all need one but
because stick-making had been his hobby
for many years.
He said that in earlier times a good, stout
staff, was vital and many references can be
found in history. Psalm 23 says, “Thy rod
and Thy staff, they comfort me.” Not so
many are in evidence today but Black Rod
is a familiar office in parliament and bishops
are always seen in church with a crozier.
Geoff then proceeded to show a whole
range of spectacular sticks. They included
an architect’s stick (one side was a straight
edge); one that houses a sword blade;
another which converted to a fishing rod
and a “Sabbath stick” which adapted to a
golf club and allowed the owner to practice
a bit of putting whilst out for a walk on the
holy day of the week.
Geoff said that hazel was the most
popular wood for stick-making. He obtains
his supplied from the National Trust at
Wenlock Edge. Hazel grows with different
colours in different parts of the country:
dark brown in the Midlands and
golden/silver in the Lake District. On the
west coast lichen attach themselves to the
shoots which can be retained as a
decorative feature.
He said that he doesn’t varnish his sticks
but treats them with linseed oil to which a
synthetic hardener has been added –
obtained from the US.
Sticks don’t grow straight, said Geoff, and
he demonstrated how he heats and bends
them, using a pulley wheel, into a straight
form.
He said that besides hazel, blackthorn,
holly, rowan and honeysuckle can be used.
Geoff concluded his talk by demonstrating
how he made all the wide range of handles
– some from rams horn.
Sandbach Primary Academy RotaKids Club
Sandbach Primary Academy continues to
offer children in key stage 2 the opportunity
to choose to join our RotaKids after school
club each term. Our group meets each
Monday to work together to make a
difference to our school and local
communities.
Over the last term our team have been
busy carrying out tasks relating to its
chosen projects for this year. Following a
group discussion on wanting to raise money
to help a charity, RotaKids set about
researching charities they would like to
raise funds for. One of our members
highlighted the locally based charity
Railway Children as a possible worthy
9
cause. At the end of February, the charity’s
founder, David Maidment OBE, gave a
thought-provoking talk to the group.
Everyone agreed they wanted to regularly
hold fundraising events presenting funds to
Railway Children at the end of the school
year.
Daffodil- spotting.
The first event involved spending a
RotaKids meeting making chocolate crispy
cakes which were then sold to the rest of
the school. £22 was raised. A team has
also committed to taking part in Rotary’s
2016 Swimathon and a proportion of our
sponsorship money will be given to the
charity. Other events are in the planning.
Earlier in the year Rotakids planted
daffodils in our grounds as part of a
Sandbach-wide project. Rotakids can
report that the bulbs have flowered and
made the school’s outdoor classroom a
great place to be.
Grab that litter!
Rotakids have proudly taken part in the
Keep Britain Tidy Clean for the Queen
initiative. The initiative aimed to improve
the local environment as part of the
Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. The
group conducted local litter picks during our
normal Monday meetings. We targeted
Newall Avenue Park and Union Street as we
felt our work would be appreciated by a
range of local residents both old and young.
Helping to make music
The Club was pleased to hand over a
cheque for £425 at a meeting in April as a
sponsor for the Young Musician of the Year
award. A donation from the Club had been
matched by a Rotary District Simplified
Grant.
Sandbach Concert Series began in 2010
and organises 8 concerts per year in St
Mary’s Church Hall, featuring nationally-
and internationally-known musicians. Each
concert is preceded by a 30-minute
Spotlight Concert celebrating the talent of
young musicians from the local community.
In April, individuals aged 19 and under
who have performed at one of the Spotlight
Concerts over the year have the
opportunity to compete for the Young
Musician of the Year award.
In presenting the cheque, President
Richard said that members valued the work
of the Concert Series in bringing acclaimed
musicians to Sandbach and the Club was
delighted to be able to support the work
done in working with talented young
musicians from the local community.
Richard hands over the cheque to Lauren.
In accepting the cheque Lauren Scott,
chair of the Concert Series, thanked the
Rotarians and said that sponsorship was
vital in organising the Young Musician of
the Year competition. Andy Scott, artistic
director, spoke about the importance of
providing music tuition and opportunities at
a time of financial cutbacks.
The concerts are held on the last
Wednesday of the month. The Young
Musician of the Year competition was held
on Saturday 16th April as part of the Transport Festival. The winners were: 1st - Laura Edwards (Voice)
2nd - Meredydd McGuiness (Harp)
3rd - Nathanial Baker (Saxophone)
Bramwell Tovey Prize:
Francesca Fairhurst (Saxophone)
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The editor has received the following
message from Lauren and Any Scott.
Hi John,
We just wanted to drop you a line to say a
huge thank you to you and The Rotary Club
of Sandbach for your support and generous
sponsorship of the Young Musician
Competition at the weekend. Please pass
on our thanks to your Club President,
Richard and all your members.
The standard of musicianship was superb
which made the Judges' job a very difficult
one. We are very lucky to have such
talented and confident young performers in
Sandbach as the 'Spotlight' feature of the
monthly concerts continues to prove.
Again, many thanks and we look forward
to doing it all again next year!
Best wishes,
Lauren and Andy
For Concert Series information please see
www.sandbach-concert-series.co.ukAGM
Another year, another meeting
The AGM took place at the lunchtime
meeting on 27th April with committee
chairmen reporting on activities over the
last year.
Phil Niddrie (Membership) said he was
pleased that two new members had joined
the club but saddened by the passing of
Dianne Wilson.
Whittling is obviously a core requirement
for the chairman of Community Services.
He said he had managed to reduce 32
projects to 16 for the purpose of reporting
and included Stroke Awareness Day; bench,
rails and fence painting; marshalling;
planting daffodils and no fewer than 32
visits to the community garden. Bill also
thanked Stuart Blackwell for the
organisation of the Citizen of the Year
award.
Eric Cowcill (Youth) said that RotaKids at
Sandbach Primary Academy goes from
strength to strength, as does Interact –
now up to 30 members. Work with St
John’s and Wheelock primary schools will
continue in the next Rotary year.
Under International, Keith Merry reported
that a cheque for £348 had been given to
the Guildford Eye Project and members had
helped with fundraising at the bag-packing
event and the LYB concert. Keith Ludlam
(Foundation) reported that both district
grant applications had been successful,
sponsoring Young Musician of the Year and
St John’s School visit to Petty Pool.
Under Communications John Higgins said
that 10 reports had appeared in the
Chronicle and Crosstalk had been produced
bi-monthly with between 8 and 12 pages,
including reports by Inner Wheel, Interact
and RotaKids. He thanked Bal and Richard
for the website and Facebook as well as all
those who submitted photos and reports for
the newsletter.
Bill Coupe stressed the importance of
fellowship and thanked everyone for being
involved in activities. He mentioned the
visits to Media City and the Churnet Valley
Railway and the mystery trips organised by
Stuart. The two snooker matches with RC
Holmes Chapel had been particularly
enjoyable, he said. Visits to Port Sunlight
and Styal prison are yet to come.
Rosemary Twidale said that frequent
contact had been made with Friends of
Rotary and there had been a number of
activities, including the barbecue, the
Christmas lunch and various outings, where
Friends had joined in. There had been
frequent visits by honorary members to
lunchtime meetings.
Officers for 2016/17 were confirmed:
Dave Lewis (President); Alan Dodd
(President-elect); Andy Wilkie (President-
nominee). Club Secretary and Treasurer
remained the same as did committee
chairmen except for membership which will
pass to Andy Wilkie.
It was agreed to elect current honorary
members for a further year but the offer to
the next Sandbach Mayor will be left in
abeyance due to the uncertainty
surrounding the post-holder.
Wheels within Wheels
News from the Inner Wheel Club
of Sandbach
Our Spring Coffee Morning was a great
success and raised a substantial sum for
our charities.
In March, following a brief business
meeting, Dennis Fricker from the
Parkinson’s Support Group, who had first-
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hand knowledge of the condition, told us
about the onset of Parkinson’s - symptoms
such as tremor, stiffness, loss of saliva -
and said it gets worse as one gets older.
Medications have to be consumed in large
quantities: as many as 17 tablets a day! It
is not infectious, it is not hereditary and
there is no cure. There are currently 9
million people with Parkinson’s condition in
England. The Parkinson’s Society wishes to
raise awareness amongst people about its
work.
Coffee or a raffle ticket, ladies?
Inner Wheel member Joan Thornhill, who
had family members with Parkinson’s, held
a coffee morning in aid of the charity on 6th
April at her house. It was a lovely morning
for friends and family with a raffle, a lucky
dip and cake stalls and lots of spring plants
on sale and children of the family playing
their part. The money raised will be
donated to the charity. It was a great way
of raising awareness.
Who’s for tea?
At the April meeting, President Ginny
welcomed husbands and Rotarians for a
joint meeting. The guest speaker was Revd.
Michael Leyden, Vicar of All Saints Church,
Weston with St. Marks Church, Shavington.
A graduate of theology and philosophy, he
lectures at the University of Liverpool to
doctors and Lawyers on Ethics. A pleasant
young vicar, he gave us a glimpse of his
native Liverpool and family. His family did
not have a tradition of church-going and his
calling for the ministry came after
witnessing the many services provided by
the church to the needy and vulnerable in
the community. Serving others, he said,
was the real meaning to life. A light-
hearted and humorous talk was enjoyed by
all.
Birthdays
Margaret Leech (10th June)
Anniversaries
Congratulations to Margaret and John
Middleton on their Diamond wedding
anniversary (12th June)
Lalita Unnithan, Club Correspondent
Interaction
News from the Interact Club
of Sandbach
Since our last report, the Interact Club of
Sandbach has partnered with the local
Cancer Research UK Committee to raise
funds for the charity through a collection in
Aldi; this was very successful and resulted
in over £1133 being collected!
Our club has also been busy recently with
organising our most recent project: the
Backpack Project, created by Mary’s Meals.
All donations gratefully received.
The project has grown from a small idea
supported by the members in our club to a
whole-school project, with staff and
students alike donating items to be added
to the backpacks. In addition, we are
looking forward to once again taking part in
the annual Swimathon to raise money for
worthy causes.
Grace Milner, Interact President