Pages last updated: Tuesday 7th July 2020

PLEASE NOTE 

Face to Face Meetings of the Club have been CANCELLED until further notice because of the Corona Virus outbreak.

We now meet virtually by ZOOM each week.

Please follow the Government's Guidelines and STAY SAFE

THE ROTARY CLUB OF LEEDS ELMETE 

Church Lane, Bardsey, Leeds.  LS17 9DR.

 7.00 pm. for 7.30 pm., every Thursday (except two/three Thursdays around Christmas).  

email: leedselmeterotary@btinternet.com  

Website address: www.leeds-elmete.rotary1040.org

Registered Charity Number 1033420

For directions and map,  CLICK HERE or scroll to bottom of page. 

CLUB PRESIDENT

Our President for 2020-21 is Rotarian Anthony (Tony) Vincent, PHF. Tony is a retired Dentist who, when working, had a dental practice in Castleford, West Yorkshire. He joined the Rotary Club of Castleford in early 1989, becoming their President in 1996-97. He transferred to the Leeds Elmete Club in February 2008. Tony has enjoyed many avenues of service to Rotary and the Club over the years, including service on the District International Committee. He has been highly involved with many international projects. This will be his second term as our Club President. 

We hope that Tony has a great Year, despite the difficulties currently being experienced by all of us.

 Because of Corvid-19, and the fact that we are not currently meeting in person, Past President Ken has handed over the President's regalia to Tony, duly sanitised, and posted through his letterbox!

President Tony and Members will be delighted to welcome visiting Rotarians and guests to our meetings, by 'Zoom' until we restart meeting at our usual venue. Please advise by phoning 0113 2610330.

DONATION TO LOCAL FOOD BANK

We, sadly, live in an era in which Food Banks are needed, despite ostentatious frivolity by many. There are geograhical areas where poverty and need are only too real. The situation is likly to worsen when the economic effects of the Covid-19 Virus outbreak start, regarding job security, the end of the furlough scheme etc. Many more people may find themselves in real difficulty.
With this in mind, we agreed on 18th June, at our weekly virtual meeting on Zoom, to donate £500 immediately to one of the local food banks where we have recognised real need. So on 29th June 2020, President Ken and Treasurer Neale went to St Richard's Church (see picture) in the Parish of Seacroft in Leeds.

The following picture shows President Ken in the crypt, handing over the cheque for the £500 to the staff of the food bank. (Obligatory face mask and social distancing!)

AREK & JEAN HERSH AWARDED PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIPS 

Rotarian Arek Hersh, MBE, (pictured above in the sunshine at his home in Harewood, Leeds on Thursday 28th May 2020) and his wife Jean have been awarded Rotary's highest honour - a Paul Harris Fellowship - by our Club. 

This picture shows Arek and Jean in the grounds of their home proudly displaying their Award Cetificates, clearly very pleased. They were both delightfully surprised and shocked when their daughter Michelle presented the Awards on our behalf on 28th May. We had managed to get the PHF lapel badges and certificates to her during the Covid-19 'lockdown', and Jean is quoted as saying "I think it is very kind of them, and both my husband and I are highly honoured. We have been at home for the last 3 months, like people of our age, and the presentation has made our morning a joyful occasion".

Arek joined the Club 20 years ago and is a very active member. Arek (91), a Holocaust survivor, has given tremendous service to the education of people about the Holocaust not only in the the UK but further afield, thus making a significant contribution to building a "better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world". Jean has been given the award for the support, prompting and care she affords Arek. President Ken says 'Jean is Arek's right arm and contributes a huge amount to his work as a constant companion and prompter'.

Arek was born in Poland but came to England in 1945 as a child Holocaust survivor rescued by the Central British Fund for German Jewry. His wartime experience is recorded in his book: "A Detail of History": The harrowing experience of a boy who survived the Nazi Holocaust. (ISBN-13:978-1910167779). The story of his first few months in England was told in the BBC drama 'The Windermere Children' earlier this year. He has a significant entry in Wikipedia.

Both Arek and Jean personify the Motto of Rotary: "Service above Self". President Ken's final words in a letter to Arek and Jean were: 'On behalf of all your Fellow Rotarians, thank you for the work you both do'.

(We are grateful to Arek's daughter, Michelle Tamam, for making this surprise presentation on our behalf and for providing the photographs).

To read the entry in Yorkshire Post newspapers of 29th May, Click this link:   https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/leeds-couple-arek-and-jean-hersh-handed-highest-rotary-honour-surprise-visit-2867880 

 VIRTUAL CLUB MEETINGS ON 'ZOOM'

On Thursday 23rd April the Club held it's first 'Zoom" meeting with 7 of us taking part. None of us were particularly conversant with the technology, but we were able to see and hear our old friends (most of the time), and in the following weeks we have become better at it! A bit of a laugh, good fellowship and a potentially useful tool in these troubled times. Stay safe.

7th July UPDATE - We have now had a number of weekly meetings, with 9 members attending most weeks. 

AQUABOX

    (Click on the Aquabox logo to go to their website.)

Our Club members were looking to fill three Aquaboxes in the last Rotary year (2019-20).   We have normally completed this number of boxes each year for a number of years and deliver the completed boxes  to the Aquabox Depot in Derbyshire. However, because of the Corona Virus pandemic we have not been able to complete this task so far in 2020, but we will once 'lockdown' eases and we can source the few remaining items missing from the last box.

STOP PRESS - One extra!

One of our members bought an Aquabox (£150) 0n 5th July 2020 with the money he has saved because we have not been meeting at the Bingley Arms. His savings have been the cost of the meal and drinks each week for the last 15 weeks.

Below is an extract of an email received by Aquabox with a quote from one of the recipients in Somalia of the boxes we sent in 2012: "When I was pregnant, I had worries to cloth my babe. We dont afford food most times so monies for cloths is hard to get. I thought the box was just for water and was happy when I found the towels and the clothes. I cried and hided them for after the delivery. This is the first time I ever had something new to wrap my baby in. My oldest son Ahmed will not leave the shelter without his new books and bag. He is too proud when he carries them with the other boys. Even me, I can share the cooking utensils with my neighbors. It feels like being home again. Truely these are blessings for all of us!"

Makes you feel good that the efforts of a few people in Yorkshire can have such an impact on the lives of people in need so far away! 

Used Spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas.

UPDATE end of June 2020:

In 2019-20, 9 boxes of used spectacles were sent to VAO. 

SCHOOLS' LITERACY PROGRAMME

A number of our members plan to continue to help out at two local schools by hearing children read once a week when they will be allowed back into school in the autunm. We have also donated much needed Usborne illustrated dictionaries to one school.

This initiative started in September 2013, and is proving to be a very valuable and rewarding experience for the students, the schools and the Rotarians involved.

To read more about this initiative: Click Here.

Leeds Rotary Clubs Technology Tournament for Schools

The 2020 Technology Tournament for Schools was held on Tuesday 10th March 2020, at the John Charles Centre for Sport, Leeds, and our Club was represented by a member as part of the of the Judging Teams, as well as helping with the organisation of the day. 

A new record number of teams took part.

  The Rotary Clubs in Leeds Area join forces to put on the Tournament. 

Next Year's Event is scheduled for early March 2021.

Christmas Gift to Martin House Hospice, Boston Spa.

As is usual at this time of the year, the Club gave a much wanted present to Martin House Hospice, Boston Spa, in the form of a baby monitor, as shown below, and picked from their 'Wish List' of presents they would have liked Santa to deliver on the big day - so he did!

CHRISTMAS WHISKY DRAW

Three of our members  (+ one friend) attended the Bingley Arms (where we meet) on Friday 13th December 2019 to hold our Annual Whisky Draw - for a Gallon Bottle of Whisky (or should that have been Whiskey, since the make was Jamesons!). The members spent a happy couple of hours and much fun in the presence of the very generous clientele of the pub, and raised over £160 for our Charity Fund.

Believe it or not, our President Ken won the Draw, but good man that he is, he insisted that the draw be held again, the prize going to a young man in the bar. Happy Chistmas lad!

CHRISTMAS PARTY

The Club's Christmas Party was held at the Bingley Arms on Thursday 12th December, with President Ken in the Chair. The party was greatly enjoyed by all. We partook of a sumptuous Christmas Dinner - thanks to the Staff of the Bingley Arms, who looked after us as well as always, - followed by the Bottle of Whisky Draw and the December '100 Club' draw, then a fiendish quiz set by Neale Lucas. Thanks to Mike Crawford for organising the dinner. Some members will be back at the Bingley Arms on Friday 13th for the Annual Whisky Draw (for a gallon bottle of Irish Whiskey this year!).

DINNER TO CELEBRATE THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF OUR CHARTER

Thursday, 31st October 2019 was memorable, not for Brexit not happening, but for the fact that the Club met at Moortown Golf Club, Harrogate Road. Leeds 17, to celebrate the 40th year since our Charter (on 16th August 1979). As usual Moortown GC made us very welcome, and Chef Darren Senior provided us with an excellent meal. The event was organised by Presidential Nominee Martyn Phillips.
The evening was a relaxed informal ‘do’, with President Ken (minus his Presidential Regalia!) in charge, and was attended by a total of 32 Members, their partners and guests. We were particularly pleased to welcome our Assistant Governor (Leeds), Rotarian Craig Burton and his partner Miguel, and Rotary Peace Scholar Gair Klotx and her partner Mitch, from Michigan, U.S.A.
After the Loyal Toast, President Ken said a few words mentioning some present and past, and some sadly departed, members and what they had done for the Club. Then, (ably assisted by Exec. Sec. Bill Jones) he presented the following Long Service Awards to the following Rotarians (length of continuous service in parentheses, and in no particular order):  John Bennett (30) [but John has about 50 years discontinuous service to Rotary], Jack Clark (30) in absentia, Mike Crawford (40), Ken Garrett (30), Alastair Henderson (30), Cyril Higgs (35) in absentia, John Hopkinson (35), Bill Jones (30), Martyn Phillips (25), Jim Tomlinson (35) (RI does not include Honorary Member’s years in the tally, despite Jim being a Founder Member of the Club), Tony Vincent (30). Each Rotarian received a Certificate signed by Donna Wallbank, President RIBI, and a congratulatory letter signed by RI President Mark Daniel Maloney.
President Ken then introduced Gair Klotx, who told us a little about herself and how she came to be a Rotary Peace Scholar attending Bradford University Department of Peace Studies. She came over as a very intelligent, capable and personable young lady who Ken is ‘hosting’ for this Rotary year. We wish Gair every success, and that she, Mitch and their 6 year-old have a great time in Yorkshire over the next few months.
Assistant (District) Governor Craig Burton was then asked to say a few words, praising the Club for it’s “Rotary’ activity despite our advancing years. Craig, as all District Officers do, exuded great zeal for Rotary and it’s worthy activities. He then presented President Ken with a letter of congratulations and a 40 year Certificate from the RI president.
After the final toast of ‘Rotary and Peace’ the World Over, we enjoyed chatting to each other until it was time to go home. Yet another great ’Do’.
The picture shows some of those present and Gair giving her talk.

PRESENTATIONS AND AWARDS - IRELAND WOOD SCHOOL

On Tuesday 2nd July 2019, five of our members, including President Ken, attended Ireland Wood Primary School in North Leeds. They went to present awards to the four children with special needs who had been chosen by their teachers and physiotherapists for making good progress during the year. Also, this year we have been able to provide a grant of over £500 to help to buy additional equipment for the 'Sensory Room' to be used and enjoyed by the children

The school accepts several children with educational special needs into mainstream education. All the children we meet on these visits are delightful and accept the awards with great pleasure. 

We have been involved with the school now for over 10 years, and presenting these Awards (now in memory of one of our members, the late Jack Transport, who was responsible for setting up this initiative). 

We consistently say that “This is the best and most rewarding thing we do”. We will be back next year…… 

SPRING 2019 - PURPLE CROCUSES FOR POLIO

It's that time of year again, and we are seeing the fruits of our labours. The Purple crocuses we have planted in and around Bardsey Village and The Primary School are beginning to bloom.

 CLICK HERE to read about our efforts last year.

LIFESTRAWS

Once again, as in many previous years, a number of our members gave a donation to Lifestraws (or other worthy Charities) in lieu of sending Christmas cards to each other in 2018. To read more about this life saving Rotary Project click HERE 

AQUABOX

    (Click on the Aquabox logo to go to their website.)

Our Club members were looking to fill three Aquaboxes in the last Rotary year (2019-20).   We have completed this number of boxes each year for a number of years and deliver the completed boxes  to the Aquabox Depot in Derbyshire. However, because of the Corona Virus pandemic we have not been able to complete this task so far in 2020, but we will once 'lockdown' eases and we can source the few remaining items missing from the last box.

Below is an extract of an email received by Aquabox with a quote from one of the recipients in Somalia of the boxes we sent in 2012: "When I was pregnant, I had worries to cloth my babe. We dont afford food most times so monies for cloths is hard to get. I thought the box was just for water and was happy when I found the towels and the clothes. I cried and hided them for after the delivery. This is the first time I ever had something new to wrap my baby in. My oldest son Ahmed will not leave the shelter without his new books and bag. He is too proud when he carries them with the other boys. Even me, I can share the cooking utensils with my neighbors. It feels like being home again. Truely these are blessings for all of us!"

Makes you feel good that the efforts of a few people in Yorkshire can have such an impact on the lives of people in need so far away! 

Used Spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas.

UPDATE 8th August 2019:

In 2018-19, 13 boxes of used spectacles were sent to VAO. 

So far this year we have already sent 2 boxes.

SCHOOLS' LITERACY PROGRAMME

A number of our members continue to help out at two local schools by hearing children read once a week. This initiative started in September 2013, and is proving to be a very valuable and rewarding experience for the students, the schools and the Rotarians involved.To read more about this initiative: Click Here.

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