Welcome to the website of the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St. Peter
Come and have lunch with us one Thursday!
We welcome Rotarians and non-Rotarians to visit our lunch meeting at 12.00 for 12.30 pm on Thursdays at the Ethorpe Hotel in Gerrards Cross. (See the blue "Meeting information" tab above). You will be assured of a warm welcome.
On fifth Thursdays we usually meet somewhere different and invite our spouses, partners and guests. So, if the Thursday will be the 29th of the month or later, please contact secretary@gxrotary.org.uk for details of where or when we will be meeting.
Come to our President's Evening
To display, download or print your own invitation, click here.
Club presents 'Dictionaries for life' to local school children
Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter Rotary Club presented 'Dictionaries for Life' to schoolchildren from the Chalfont St Peter Church of England Academy. School Literacy Coordinator and Year 3 teacher Brenda Meek said "In this Internet age it is great for children to have a solid reference book, and these ones are beautifully illustrated".
Rotarian Pamela Prior, presenting the books, said "These dictionaries encourage the intelligent and self-guided use of dictionaries to explore spellings, meanings and derivations to better understand and get the most out of the English Language.
"Our local Rotary Club aims to present all year 3 pupils with a personal dictionary to use and treasure. The joy of reading, learning and understanding enhances all aspects of life; especially literacy in business and social communication."
Club supports South Bucks Riding for Disabled appeal
The Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter, a long term supporter of South Bucks RDA, responded rapidly to their fund raising drive to raise £20,000 for vital maintenance work at their premises in Stoke Poges.
The President of the Rotary Club, John Krushner, was delighted to present Mrs Di Redfern with a cheque for £1000 towards the centre's target. He congratulated the Centre on its exceptional contribution to the winning performance of the GB Equestrian team in the 2012 Paralympics He also praised the Centre for providing excellent facilities for disabled children in our area to develop confidence and self belief, and perhaps follow the example of Sophie Christianson (a student at the centre) in becoming a multiple paralympic Gold medallist.
Mrs Di Redfern thanked the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter for their continued support and stated that it was due to the generosity of their club and other contributors and volunteers that the club could provide the level of support to disabled children that it did.
Photo shows Rotary President John Krushner presenting cheque to Mrs Di Redfern, Director of the SBRDA, with volunteer Beth, and riders Katie and Alana (riding horse ‘Rotarian’).
District Conference
Thirteen members of the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter and their spouses attended the District 1090 Conference in Bournemouth from 1st to 3rd March 2013.
Plenary sessions included “Peace through Service” and “Supporting young people at home and abroad”. Participants heard presentations including from newspaper columnist Sir Max Hastings. They also heard from Paddy Hopkirk on “Wheelpower” which included a video driving a mini deemed by the Advertising Standards Authority to be too exciting and too dangerous to broadcast. An Interact club from Zambia gave a display of their local culture which received a strenuous encore.
The entertainment included a concert by Laurie Holloway and Friends and the Reading Male Voice Choir and a Masquerade Ball.
To see more pictures of the Ball, please click here.
Australian ladies decipher Bletchley Park
As part of their cultural tour of the Thames Valley, the Group Study Exchange ladies visited the Amazon distribution centre at Milton Keynes and had lunch in a proper English Pub, the Black Horse at Woburn.
After lunch they visited Bletchley Park where they learnt how the British and allies deciphered the German Enigma signals during the war, a success which Churchill claimed to have shortened the war by two years.
Here the ladies are shown in front of the rebuilt Colossus machine. Colossus is generally acknowledged as the world's first ever programmable electronic computer. It was key to deciphering the high speed Lorenz cipher used by the German high command.
Group Student Exchange visitors from Australia
On Sunday 24th February at the Memorial Centre, Gerrards Cross, the Rotary Club of GX and CSP welcomed a party of six Australian ladies on a vocational and cultural study tour of the UK. The visitors were members of a Group Student Exchange between Rotary District 9670 from around Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and District 1090, the Thames Valley in the UK. A group of six young professionals from D1090 left to visit D9670 on 9th March 2013.
The six ladies had previously visited the Rotary Clubs of Bicester and of Banbury Cherwell and arrived in Gerrards Cross from a leisurely weekend in London. Pictured here they were: Meredith Cameron (an early childhood educator), Kate Cavanagh (a science assistant), Nicole Bailey (a foster care case manager), Belinda Latimore (a social health manager), Christine Roach (a manager in a rural doctors’ network) and Samantha Wolfe (a clinical psychologist).
The visitors stayed with Club members. While here they met UK professionals in similar vocations to exchange ideas and information on their common problems and solutions. On the cultural side, Club members accompanied the ladies on visits to Amazon, Bletchley Park, the Museum of London, St Bartholomew’s Church (of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame) and had lunch in the Butchers’ Livery Hall.
After attending the District 1090 Conference in Bournemouth from 1st to 3rd March, the ladies visited the Rotary Clubs of Marlow, Marlow Thames and Reading Matins. Most have plans for private visits to other parts of the country before returning home later this month. Then they’ll need a rest!
To see more pictures of the welcome tea party, please click here.
To see the press release and another photograph, please click here.
Waitrose presents £810 to Rotary Club
Shoppers in Waitrose's store in Station Road, Gerrards Cross, selected the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter to benefit to the tune of £810 from Waitrose's Community Matters fund.
Presenting the cheque on Thursday 28th February, Fiona Pike, Waitrose's Personnel Manager, said: "I am delighted to be able to present this to Rotary. I know that it will benefit needy people across Rotary's wide range of good services." She went on to explain that shoppers in all Waitrose's stores are given a token with which to select their choice of charity to benefit from the store's Community Matters fund.
Accepting the cheque, Club President John Krushner thanked the people of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter for choosing Rotary to benefit. "Community Matters is a truly brilliant scheme," he said. "It really allows people to show where their heart is."
Club presents £500 to Chalfont St Peter Youth Centre
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At its weekly meeting on 14th February, John Krushner, President of the Rotary Club of Gerrarrds Cross and Chalfont St Peter, presented a cheque for £500 to Paul Morris of the Chalfont St Peter Youth Club.
St Mary's School wins three "Youth Speaks" prizes
The local heat of Rotary's annual "Youth Speaks" competition was held at St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross, on Friday 25th January.
Rotarian Peter Shephard, who organised the event, said “The standard and originality of the speeches were remarkably impressive and helped make for a most enjoyable evening”. Teams from St Mary's School won all three prizes, the intermediate, senior and best individual speaker.
Below are the collective teams from St Mary's School and the judges with the organiser, Rtn Peter Shephard.
Click here to see a slideshow of all the teams. Click hereto see a report of the event
Three new members inducted
The club exceeded its previous best when it inducted three new members on the same day on Thursday 17th January 2013. In the past it has inducted two members on the same day but, as far as is known, never before three at a time. The three (pictured) were:
· Roger Wilson a retired film editor with several well known TV dramas to his credit, who lives in Chalfont St Peter. Roger has joined the Club’s Community and Vocational committee.
· Valerie Shiman, a lawyer with Parchment Law Group, who practises at 13-19 Station Road, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8ES. Valerie has joined the Club’s Fund Raising committee.
· Knut Paul, a retired Director of a Computer manufacturer and works now part-time at the Epilepsy Centre in Chalfont St Peter and who lives in Gerrards Cross. Knut has joined the Club’s New Generations committee.
Welcoming them to the Club, President John Krushner reminded all members present of Rotary’s objectives, based on fellowship and service, and hoped that the new members would enjoy being members of the Club.
“Cinderella” panto wows pensioners
A cast of just two actors had senior citizens from Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter laughing and singing and shaking themselves about at a pantomime at the Memorial Centre on Friday 28th December.
The pantomime was “Cinderella” and Rebecca played the heroine as a maid of all work, at the ball and as a bride. Josh played all the other roles including an ugly sister, Buttons, the fairy godmother and Prince Charming. Together the two had the audience of sixty OAPs (which included visitors from Canada) singing songs from the fifties and sixties, waving their arms and playing follow-my-leader.
The event was organised by the Rotary Club of GX and CSP. It included snacks of hot sausages and mince pies. Our thanks particularly go to David Darby and his team of helpers and to Phil Larman and her Guides.
To see a slideshow of the audience and the performers, please click here.
Macmillan Cancer Support doubles its money
The charity got more than it bargained for when Support Worker Kathie Keizner came to lunch with the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter in December to collect the proceeds of a concert in October. 
The concert organised by Rotarian Reg Cane had raised over £350 but when the Club handed over the cheque to Ms Keizner, it had doubled the amount to £750. The concert on 13th October had featured the Chesham Germains Male Voice Choir (pictured) and west end professional singers and entertainers.
Expressing her committee's heartfelt thanks, she assured Club members that the donation would be used wisely.
Junior chef wins overall title
Joanna Freeman from Beaconsfield High School, winner of the junior section also won the overall title in the competition for the Young Chef of the Year. The competition was organised by the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter. It was held on Thursday 8th November at the Chalfonts Community College, thanks to Sue Tanner, the Principal.
We also thank Nana Akuffo, Head Chef at the Greyhound Inn, Chalfont St Peter, for judging the entries. Congratulating the winners, he said, "Some of the entries were so good that I could serve them at the Greyhound Inn". Joanna now has the right to go on to the Rotary District level competition in the New Year.
Click here to see more pictures of the winners and their cooking.
Bites, booze, bingo and buddies
Twenty nine of our elderly friends enjoyed an evening of food, drink, bingo and companionship at Winkers Farm Club on Tuesday 6th November. Our thanks go to all who made the evening possible, especially to Bob and Penny Maynard, to Phil Larman and to the Guides.
Click here to see the slide show of pictures and more information.
Chalfont St Peter student wins top engineer award
Charlie Williams, a student at the Chalfont Community College in Chalfont St Peter, was awarded the Rotary Young Engineer of the Year award at a ceremony at the school this week. 
17 year old Charlie is studying Maths, Physics and Design and Technology at ‘A’ level at the school and is planning to go to University to study Engineering. He has recently successfully completed a “Father and Son” project where he rebuilt a Land Rover. Charlie had also undertaken a number of engineering projects at the school, including the design and production of a heavy duty bicycle lock.
John Krushner, President of the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter, was very impressed with the level of engineering capability within the school – which bore favourable comparison with many specialist training skill centres. Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter Rotary Club is very supportive of the need to develop engineering skills among young people and complimented Chalfont Community College on leading the way to develop these skills among its students.
The Principal of the College, Mrs Sue Tanner, thanked Rotary for its efforts in promoting engineering as a key career opportunity, and stated that winning such awards encouraged further investment in engineering and related activities in the school.
GX and CSP club supports Paralympic Equestrian medal winners
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The Rotary club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter sponsors the South Bucks Riding for the Disabled at Fulmer. Medal winner Sophie Christianson learned to ride on our horse Rotarian (pictured right with Di Redfern and Naveeta Dawett)) and was a double gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics.
Horses from the Fulmer stable participated in the Paralympic Games at Greenwich Park so we can, indirectly, take pride that our Club supported the Team GB equestrian medal winners.
The Classic Car show.
You've just missed this great event. Put the date, Wednesday 28th August 2013, into your diary for next year. In the mean time, click here to see some of the sights you would have seen if you had been there.
Club helps speed Olympic torch through Denham
Rotarians from the Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter Club helped clear the path for the Olympic flame through Denham on Tuesday 24th July. An estimated crowd of at least 8000 people watched Lianne Corriette run the torch along the A412 northwards from Denham Green to Broadwater Park and Michael Lyons (from Coleshill) southwards.
South Bucks District Council had asked the Club to help keep the crowds back off the roadway. Rotarian Bill Collins (pictured below with his wife Pat) said: "We were delighted to be asked. This is the sort of way that Rotarians like to help the community." Cheekily he added: "Unfortunately we are not quite large enough to replace G4S."
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New year, new targets, new friends
The new year for Rotary begins on 1st July. This year the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter has set itself new targets to raise more money, to enrol more new members, to do more good work and, most importantly, to have more fun.
At the Club’s annual Assembly at the end of June 2012, the incoming President, John Krushner, thanked his predecessor and members and congratulated them on last year’s successes. Notable of those was the winning by local schoolgirl, Jessica Matthews, of the national Rotary in Britain and Ireland prize as Young Writer of the Year. She had been sponsored by our Club.
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John Krushner announced new challenging targets, including raising £25,000 to support good works, and increasing our membership by net seven people, preferably including more ladies and younger people. John wants to improve communications within the club and with the local community, particularly by improving the club’s web site and by exploiting the power of the internet. He also wants to co-operate more closely with our sister Rotary Clubs of Misbourne Matins and Jordans and District. |
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The Club’s service committees will continue their good works much as before. The Community and Vocational committee has a full program of activities, focussing on the older and younger ends of the community. The International committee has an established programme of providing shoe boxes of home comforts for troops abroad, and of supporting vision and water programmes in Africa. The New Generations committee will hold competitions to find the young chef, speaker, writer, engineer and photographer of the year, as well as setting up a new Interact club.
“Overall,” said John Krushner, “We will try to involve all our members in living up to the Rotary motto of ‘Service before Self’.” Our favoured charity of the year will be Padstones (supporting homeless youngsters). We will continue to support Riding for the Disabled, Iain Rennie Hospice and the Rotary International project to eradicate polio worldwide.
Present at the Club Assembly wasRotary Assistant District Governor, Ian Valentine. Summing up, Ian congratulated the Club and gave compliments all round. “You are tackling the right issues,” he said. At the time of speaking he did not know that our Club would also go on to win the District darts tournament.
Our Club's objectives
“Making our community a better place to live”
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Enriching the lives of our senior citizens
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Stimulating the interests of our youth
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Enhancing, supporting and protecting our local community
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Generating funds for local, national and international charities
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Supporting Rotary International aid activities
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