Wadebridge Rotary Raises £3000 for Ukraine

Wadebridge Rotary’s collection for the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal for Ukraine raised a staggering £2,334 on Saturday morning (5th March). This has since been supplemented by other collections, including Memory Friendly Service collection and Wadebridge School cake sale, and member donations to bring the total over £3,150, potentially with more to come. 

We have to say a huge THANK YOU to The magnificent and generous people of Wadebridge. They were stuffing £5, £10 and £20 notes into our buckets as well as emptying their purses of loose change, and one person donated an amazing £50 through our contactless payment device to give us a flying start first thing. Often on street collections you see people taking avoiding action, becoming very interested in their phones, or going down a side street. On Saturday quite the opposite: they were spotting us and making a detour to donate. 

 As more than one Rotarian pointed out, it was a delight to be out collecting when people were actively wanting to come and put money in. 

At one point a children and young person theatre group performed a dance routine in the street, which attracted further people. Later on, the Shipwrecks, Wadebridge’s own male voice choir, began a performance outside the Molesworth Arms just up the road. I guess this was planned as a St Piran’s Day celebration, but they came and asked to borrow a bucket and collected more for us from their audience in the street. 

The club decided only on Thursday to make the collection, during the general Zoom meeting. Clive took volunteer names and prepared a preliminary rota. On Friday he obtained a street collection licence from Cornwall Council, who were very helpful in getting it through rapidly. He also picked up a Ukraine flag from Vivienne’s in Molesworth Street. Meanwhile Wayne was painting another flag on a board and making a ‘Support Ukraine’ sign out of a kitchen counter top remnant. Kevin made some posters mainly to stick on the collection buckets with the word ‘Ukraine’ in big letters, to be visible from a good distance, and sorted out the contactless payment device. At a late stage, Clive remembered that he had a collapsible table in his camper van and took that down to provide a focal point for the collection. 

We picked up the buckets from John at the Granary, as well as mugs of Granary coffee. Other tea and coffee providers were Cole Rayment & White (who also provided biscuits) and Delicia. Cornwall Councillor (and general good guy) Robin Moorcroft dropped off a couple of packs of yeast buns to keep us going. Thanks to all. 

Numerous members turned out to help, generally staying beyond their allotted one hour slots. (If I try to name them all, I will undoubtedly miss some, and I don’t want to give offence. But they know who they are.) 

Oh – and if you want to know what two grand looks like in cash (now safely banked), we have a photo…

Article: Kevin Smith    Photos: Yvonne Robinson, Martin Broadfoot and Stuart Hutchison

STOP PRESS:   AS AT 11TH MARCH, THE TOTAL DONATED IS £4510.37.