About us

Pages last updated: 

 13th August 2024

THE ROTARY CLUB OF LEEDS ELMETE

We meet  in person at the Bingley Arms, Bardsey, Leeds LS17 9DR every Thursday at 12.30pm 

for a snack lunch.

W

e also meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month
by ZOOM at 7.00pm for a business session and possible speaker presentation
.

Please email for details of the next meeting venue/time/day etc. if required:

email: leedselmeterotary@btinternet.com  

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

Registered Charity Number 1033420

OUR CLUB

We are a very small Club of 10 Members, 2 of whom are Honorary, and all are active Rotarians! Like many Rotary Clubs we are growing old together (our average age is about 80!). We are not in a position to do what we have done in the past, and unlikely to attract new members. Our resolve is to continue for as long as we can, enjoying fellowship and helping others where and when we can in the true spirit of Rotary: “Service above Self”. 

PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER 04/07/2024


Outgoing President Neale Lucas PHF, handed over the president's jewel and the job of being President of the Club to Rotarian Martyn Phillips PHF at our Club's meeting at the Bingley Arms this  lunchtime. Martyn needs no introduction to the role having done it twice already, and we all hope he, and the Club, will have a great year.

CLUB PRESIDENT 2024-25

Our President for 2024-25 is Rotarian Martyn Phillips, PHF. 

Martyn is a recently retired solicitor, having practiced for most of his career in the Cross Gates and Kippax areas of Leeds. He joined the Rotary Club of Cross Gates in 1994,  (President in 2002-3). He transferred to the Leeds Elmete Club in July 2010 - when the Cross Gates Club was disbanded. He is a stalwart member of our Club, and is currently responsible for our largest Charitable income stream, since he runs the Club's very successful '100 Club'.  He can always be relied upon for an 'expert, considered opinion', and is a thoroughly nice bloke! He was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Club in 2021. 

This will be his third term as our Club President, and we wish him every success for the coming year.

 

This year's Rotary International Theme Logo.

President Martyn reports on our first meeting on Zoom of this Rotary Year on 2nd July 2024

A new Rotary year. Let us all hope for a happy and healthy year for ourselves, our wives and families.The theme for last night's Club meeting on Zoom was "Desert Island Discs". 

Those present had to indicate which 4 songs they would have on the island, a book of their choice and an object to take with them. It was all very interesting as each Rotarian had to give reasons for their choices.

Here below is what people chose (reported with their permission) [Those Rotarian who could not attend are invited to let me have your selection, Martyn].

MARTYN'S selections:

Songs :-  Volare

                My Way

                New York, New York

                All my Loving  - Beatles

Book - Camping for Dummies (Needed to be able to put up a tent!)

Object - Solar energy powered fridge freezer for ice cold water mainly 

NEALE

Songs:- Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring - J S Bach

Diana - Paul Anka 

Tell Laura I love her  - Ricky Valance

True - Spandau Ballet

Book - Campbell`s Kingdom

Object - A Phone (solar powered to be able hear song collection!)

PETER

Songs:- Crying - Roy Orbison

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

                 Mrs Robinson - Simon and Garfunkel

                 Duet - Pearl Fishers

Book - The Man who wrote Dirty Books - Al Dresner

Object - A painting of an Italian peasant girl. (Peter did explain the reasoning behind this choice).

ALASTAIR

Songs:- Softly Softly - Ruby Murray

Anyone Who had a Heart - Cilla Black

What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Song of the Angry Men - from Les Miserables

Book - Pride and Prejudice

Object - A Spade

BILL

Songs:- Penny Lane - Beatles

Theme from the Film 'Pretty Woman' - Juggernaut

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

Book - Songs and Poems of Robbie Burns (or, if a collected works was not allowed, Catch22 - Joseph Heller )

Object - Binoculars with a tripod (and star charts if possible).


Very interesting selections, and all in good fun. Now we need the choices of those Rotarians who were not present.

I look forward to that.

Martyn.

Support for needy people locally with Food donations

How it all started, June 2020:

We, sadly, live in an era in which Food Banks are needed, and poverty and need in our communities is only too real, worsened by the effects of Covid-19 and more recently with financial and political uncertainties, many people now find themselves in real difficulty. Since June 2020, we have continued to support (with monetary and food donations) the Parish Larder at St Richards Church Seacroft, Leeds, where clients of the Leeds East (Trussell Trust) Food Bank receive their food donations.  We also provide gifts for children at Christmas and Easter. One of our Rotarians volunters to help at the Tuesday food distribution each week, and other Rotarians when they can etc..


 St Richard's Church is in the Parish of Seacroft in Leeds

UPDATES  2022-24 

Support continues - June 2024

The Club has continued to support the Food Bank - now called the Parish Larder - following the withdrawl of input from the Trussell Trust. One of our members attends every Tuesday to help with the distribution of food etc. We gave Easter Eggs for the Children again this year and sweets at Christmas. We give donations of milk, food, and monetarey support when needed. Our input has not been needed so much of late. We did receive a shipment of 'fruit biscuits' from "Giving World" in the spring, and these were gratefully appreciated by the Parish Larder clientele.

We plan to continue this support in the new Rotary Year.

December 2023
The demand for help from the food bank has slackened slightly in recent weeks, but many people still use this facility, which for them is vital. Our Club's involvement has been able to be less intensive of late. We have however kept up the tradition of providing a treat for the children at Christmas time - this year in the form of chocolate 'Selection Boxes'.

24th August 2003 
Tuesday morning food distribution as busy or busier than ever. The Club has given a grant of £300 toward the cost of installing a large fridge to store fresh food. HT milk donations from the Club continue and are well received.

Here are the completed figures of numbers of people given food for Jan to Aug 2023. They vary depending on the number of Tuesdays in the month and closures in Easter Week. (Food for one family counted as 1):       Jan 978   Feb 920   Mar 899   Apr 756   May 942   Jun 797   July 853   Aug 1008. They are more than grateful for the support we give, Neale.

6th July 2023 

Neale reports thing are busy again with the numbers of people needing help are rising again, with many new faces attending, including a greater number from the Trussel Trust than before. Otherwise the running of the Larder is going smoothly. Donations of UHT milk from the Club are well received.

9th May 2023.

Food Bank report: Tues 2nd May very quiet, thought to be due to £300 Goverment payments going out. Neale did not attend on 9th, but his wife took food down (see Big Help Out). We have supplied a 2nd Tablet (iPad) to help with 'booking' people in. Lis B. has now left.

Call from Carole at Trussell Trust - they wish us to take part in a trial collaboration with Mind to have 2 caseworkers in the Food Bank helping clients with issues.

Big Help Out: Mike Crawford brought all the surplus food from his development's street party for use by the Food Bank. Well done Mike.

20th April 2023.

Demand on the Parish Larder/Food Bank continues to increase, with an average of about 240 people per week seeking help. (Total number fed in February = 935). Members of the Club continue to suppliment the UHT Milk reqirement each week, and Treasurer Neale helps out every Tuesday.The Club provided Chocolate Easter Eggs for the children at Easter.

The Trussell Trust and Rountree Foundation are pressing Government to increase help since more and more people are experiencing food poverty.

Lis Bowes, larder manager, will leave next week to move 'up north' to be closer to her family. She goes with our Best Wishes for the future and the grateful thanks of the hundreds, and hundreds, of people she has helped in the Seacroft Area. Good Luck Lis. xx

CLICK HERE to go further into the story so far.

AQUABOX

    (Click on the Aquabox logo to go to their website.) Our members used to try to fill three Aquaboxes each year and deliver them to the Aquabox Depot in Derbyshire. However, because of Corona Virus, we were unable to do this in 2020 - 22.  Now, Aquabox prefers to receive monetary donations, and to fill the boxes themselves with goods they have sourced (for completeness and quality of the items in the box).

WE DID FILL ONE BOX IN 2024, AND DELIVERED IT THEM.


Here 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(e) my babe. We don't afford food most times so monies for clothes 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! 

Our Webpages

Our Club is one of very many clubs in Great Britain and Ireland currently using the RIBI website template, each club being required to make an ANNUAL payment of £50. The donations go to support The Rotary Foundation each year!



Meetings & Venue

Where and when:

We meet on Thursdays at 12.30pm

(No meeting on two Thursdays around Christmas. We meet in person at the Bingley Arms, Bardsey, Leeds LS17 9DR every Thursday at 12.30pm for a snack lunch (and also on the 1st Tuesday of the month by ZOOM at 7.00pm for business and a possible speaker). ) Bingley Arms
37 Church Lane
Bardsey
Leeds
LS17 9DR  01937 572462
W3W:  ///pose.nightlife.grins

Web site about the locality

Rotary News

Be part of a global network of volunteers, trying to make the world a better place. Please also see the 'links & news' page for information from the local district and live feeds from Rotary International and Rotary International in GB&I.

Rotary serving communities through supporting foodbanks

Diversity is part of Rotary’s core values