How to raise £1,000,000

The weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy was held on May 5^th at the Dean Park Hotel. President Brian Munro welcomed 25 members of the club and one guest Rotarian.

The main speaker was guest, Julie Samuel, General Manager of the Ecology Centre based at Kinghorn Loch who gave a talk on the work of this local charity that uses the environment to change people’s lives. The education programme last year touched 5000 youngsters both at the centre and through the Centre’s outreach programme. Additionally, the charity runs employability programmes for young people and older members who have been out of the work environment for an extended period of time. The success rate of getting over 80% of participant into full time employment has been greatly rewarding. Probably one of the best know features of the Centre is its volunteer activities. Volunteers experience a number of activities, tending gardens, attending workshops and, one of the most successful, the “Toolshed” project wherevolunteers refurbish tools donated by the public. A number of sets have donated to charities in Africa and to members of our local community.

Julie described how the charity had moved to a new site at Kinghorn Loch and a new building was currently being erected, using “PassiveHaus” standards and this building should be completed by late summer. Funding the new site has not been easy, obtaining the land was helped by the Kinghorn Community Land Association and government funding initiatives. The building itself is being funded by the Big Lottery. But more funds have been given by private local funders and organisations such as HSBC.

Past President Tony Payne gave the vote of thanks, emphasising that the main message that he got from the talk was that the charity, in order to have weathered the recent financial “drought”, needed to have vision, it had a dedicated work force, and the organisation had a will to never give up.

The meeting was closed with the club being advised that the next club meeting would be held on May 12^th  at the Dean Park Hotel.