2014-15 Activities Update
July 2014-June 2015 Events & Activities

This is a rolling update of our 2014-15 Events/Activities:
Since 1 July 2014, we have (most recent at top of list):
- delivered practice interviews to St Thomas More School students on 16, 18 June
- held a very successful Summer Fair & Charity Bazaar in Buxton Octagon on 6 June
- heard a very interesting Club talk by Buxton & Leek College Principal, Len Tildsly, as to why BLC was the best FE college in the region
- given St Thomas More schoolteacher, Roland York, £100 towards his fundraising for MS by cycling the length of Britain in July. Support him at http://biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=682
- presented member, and retired vet, David Hopkins with a Paul Harris Fellowship award to recognise his service to communities near and far. David is Chairman of our International Committee
- sponsored six Year 11 students from St Thomas More and four from Chapel on a Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Weekend, 8-10 May at White Hall Centre
- retired Big Dog Parker End Polio Now from fundraising. Thanks to a very generous bequest, and members ensuring he would reach his £1000 target, he almost doubled it: £1947.65 in all meaning £5842.95 for End Polio Now because of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2-to-1 pledge
- demonstrated Aquabox's filtration method at our Buxton Spring Fair Rotary Stall
- raised £1489.96 for Nepal at Buxton Spring Fair (£1389.96 street collection + £100 given outside the collecting time)
- organised public blood pressure measurements at The Devonshire Dome and The Springs Shopping Centre (of 197 people screened, four were advised to seek urgent help)
- had a Club visit from 10 Rotarians from RC Kettering
- saw the unveiling of King Sterndale Community's defibrillator and had delicious cakes in the church hall
- had very interesting talks at Club e.g. about Nestle Water, running Higher Buxton Post Office, Vision Buxton, Community Policing and Buxton Civic Association
- celebrated Club Historian Peter's and his wife Jane's 60th Wedding Anniversary
- collected £264.40 (4 April 2015) for an AquaFilter Community Aquabox for Vanuatu
- joined Made in Derbyshire
- joined Streetlife (local online network)
- started booking stall-holders and outside attractions for our 6 June Summer Fair & Charity Bazaar
- delivered practice interviews to 76 St Thomas More School students
- received £200 from Rotary District 1050 towards a defibrillator for the King Sterndale Community making our total donation £400; the British Heart Foundation will pay the balance of the defibrillator's cost
- attended Buxton's Vision 2020 Conference (25/2/15) organised jointly by Buxton Town Team and Vision Buxton
- donated £500 towards Buxton Talking Newspaper's new digital technology
- donated £200 towards a defibrillator for the King Sterndale Community and are seeking a grant for the £200 balance (as King Sterndale must pay £400 towards the defibrillator's cost)
- held two 'Singing Santas' carol sessions that raised £392.09 for the Club's Bikes4Africa project (sending old bikes to The Gambia to help secondary school students who walk miles to school);
- sent off our first batch of unwanted bikes and are on our way towards our second batch;
- had an enjoyable President's Evening party at the Old Hall Hotel;
- delivered practice interviews to 79 Buxton Community School students;
- collected £150 from members for The Rotary Foundation in #GivingTuesday response to #BlackFriday;
- sent two batches of Teddies for Tragedies for Aquaboxes;
- sold and delivered 17 dozen Cwmbran Vale Rotary Christmas Puddings in aid of the Stroke Association
- given Christmas Puddings to Charis House for their Christmas Day dinner (and to Cancer Research Buxton & High Peak Hospice for prizes);
- nominated local students for the November Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) weekend at White Hall Centre, and helped run team tasks;
- held an enjoyable Quiz Night at Burbage Institute with Inner Wheel Club of Buxton;
- helped make the 2015 Grinlow Arts Trail happen by pledging £100;
- Moved to The Old Hall Hotel when we could no longer meet at the Buckingham Hotel;
- thanked John Cornwell, former chef at the Bickingham Hotel, for looking after us so well;
- made visits to other Rotary Clubs;
- sent Big Dog Parker on fundraising visits for End Polio Now (£1000 target), with his first fund-raising being at Buxton Literary Festival;
- collected £315 for Children in Need's Rickshaw Challenge and met Pudsey!;
- sponsored Jane Arnfield's riveting solo theatre adaption of Holocaust survivor, Zdenka Fantlov's story, The Tin Ring at St John's Church;
- held a bric-a-brac sale at Buxton Methodist Church;
- donated to the brain cancer charity Brainstrust (£250) and to other good causes e.g. WaterAid's 'To Be A Girl' Campaign (£500, which was doubled up to £1,000 by the UK Government);
- Supported member John Cassidy in his personal fundraising of £346 for Brainstrust;
- sponsored Buxton Festival artists to entertain members of the Peak Visually Impaired People and Macular Degeneration Support Groups;
- marshaled at the Buxton Carnival and at Buxton Community Fireworks events;
- provided volunteer drivers for Buxton & District Summer Club;
- hosted a number of entertaining speakers at our Club twice-monthly evening meetings;
- Made £470 from a Flat Caps & Ferrets race night up to £1,000 for End Polio Now from other Club social events and 50:50 club; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2-to-1 pledge made this £3,000.