King's Lynn Priory Rotary 

We welcome new members to join us or our satellite group

Do you have a kind heart and generous nature? Do you want to make new friends whilst enhancing your social life in a happy and welcoming atmosphere, and at the same time give some of your time to help and support good causes and charities in your local community, nationally or even further afield? Then joining Priory Rotary could be just what you are looking for.

Rotary is open to all men and women who represent the values and qualities outlined above, and are interested in being part of their community. There is no need for any professional status or dress code, we simply want people (the younger, the better) who are willing and able to support local projects, whether it be for local schools, charities or by helping the elderly in our community. It is great fun! You may have a full-time job, but that shouldn't affect your joining us, as we welcome your skills whenever you feel able to share them with us.

We are a friendly and active group of individuals with a wide range of community and fundraising projects. We support many local charities, and typically raise over £20,000 per year through annual events such as our Rotary Swimarathon, our Easter Egg Trail on the Sandringham Estate, and providing marshals for the Great East Anglia Run (GEAR) and Run Sandringham events. 

We also participate in Rotary International projects such as End Polio Now, ShelterBox disaster relief, and Lend with Care which helps to start up sustainable businesses in poor countries. We meet at King’s Lynn Golf Club, usually for a simple one-course meal (not compulsory), where we plan our events and projects, or listen to speakers (many from local charities) on a wide variety of topics.

There is no obligation or pressure to join, but please feel free to make contact and have a chat, come along and have a look at us to see if together we can make a difference to our community. Our satellite group is aimed at those busy people who are happy just to meet on a monthly basis.  For more on our satellite group click here. 

 For more information, see our “What We Do” pages from the menu above.

We meet at King's Lynn Golf Club, but we occasionally provide the option to join the meetings by Zoom for members and guests who may not feel able to join us in person. There is no requirement to attend each and every meeting; just as it fits in with your personal circumstances.

If you would like to attend one of our meetings or just maybe interested in joining the club please contact us here. 

                           LATEST NEWS

The latest donation from Priory Rotary is £1000 to the Alzheimer’s Society, following a sponsored weight loss challenge by Rotarian Paul Batterham.

President John Leonard nominated the Alzheimer’s Society as his charity of the year, recognising the devastating effect this disease can have on sufferers and their families. This donation will help people with Alzheimer’s to access potentially life-changing support when they need it most, as well as providing funds for vital dementia research and innovation.

This follows an earlier donation of £500 from fellow Rotarian Ken Johnson from his weight loss challenge to the St Faith’s Church Friendship Café, which gives weekly support and companionship to local dementia sufferers and their partners/carers.

Pictured are Rotarians Alan Leventhal and Paul Batterham, Alzheimer’s Society volunteers Jacky Phipps and Georgina Clark, and Priory President John Leonard.

The Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company (LHMTC) is an organisation that specialises in original musical theatre (since 2001). They make it their mission to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability or background, has the opportunity to shine on stage.

Recently, the company received a generous boost from the local community in the form of proceeds from a quiz evening organized by King’s Lynn Priory Rotary. The decision to donate the proceeds to Lavender Hill Mob was met with overwhelming gratitude from the Theatre Company. This act of kindness not only highlights the generosity of our community but also exemplifies the ongoing support for creative endeavours that foster inclusivity. Every penny raised goes directly toward supporting LHMTC’s mission of producing original musical theatre.

The support from events like the quiz evening showcases not only a commitment to local arts, but also a call to action for community involvement. Participating in such events fosters a sense of belonging and encourages individuals to connect with one another through shared interests. LHMTC encourages everyone—whether through attendance, participation, or volunteer opportunities—to engage with their initiatives and help spread the word about their performances and workshops.

(Pictured: Ken Banks from Priory Rotary, together with members of LHMTC).

ROTARY IN ACTION. A at LITTER PICKING AT NORTH WOOTTON. 13 bags in 2 hours of hard work

Pictures show President-Elect Derek Stringer welcoming new members Mari Mourao and Paul Gannon into Priory Rotary Club. Mari is a Community worker for Athena Care Homes and Paul is semi-retired and runs his own product development business. This follows a strong year for membership, with Jon Benstead and Peter Oddey joining Priory earlier in the year, while Sue Taylor and Pete Lauder joined our Satellite club in November.

Rotary Swimarathons raise £24,000 for local charities in West Norfolk.

King’s Lynn Priory Rotary and Hunstanton & District Rotary again combined to put on their Swimarathons at the Alive swimming pools at St James, King’s Lynn and Oasis, Hunstanton on Saturday 8 th February. Record numbers of swimmers made the big splash for charity, with 39 teams of up to 6 swimmers at Lynn and 12 teams at Hunstanton, all swimming in relays for their allocated 1 hour slot. They covered an impressive combined total of more than 7,500 lengths of the 25 metre pools, a distance of about 120 miles, while raising record amounts for their chosen charities.

Charities entering teams and benefitting from the event included Break Children’s Homes, the  8:56 Foundation, Homestart Norfolk, the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, Little Discoverers, Little Miracles King’s Lynn and Fenland, Mr Bees, Norfolk and Waveney Mind, the Purfleet Trust, the QEH Rehab Unit, St Faith’s Church, Tapping House, West Norfolk Autism Group, West Norfolk Carers and West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled.

West Norfolk Swimming Club also took part, entering 12 teams from their youngest squads right through to the masters. They swam a very impressive total of 2,098 lengths across their two hours, dedicating their funds to West Norfolk Young Carers.

In total, aided by over £7,000 in sponsorship generously contributed by local businesses, a fantastic total of £24,000 was raised from the two events. The funds were presented to the charities at a presentation evening in Lynn on February 17th and at Hunstanton on a date to be confirmed.

Ken Banks, heading up the event at King’s Lynn, paid a special thank you to the pool staff from Alive Leisure, to all the volunteers on the day, and to the main sponsors Adrian Flux at King’s Lynn and Specsavers at Hunstanton. He said “it was a fantastic day with a great atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm from all who took part. At the end of the day, the amounts raised for charity were well beyond our expectations, making the whole event incredibly worthwhile.”

Next year’s events will be on Saturday February 7th, where the Rotaries hope that this magnificent total can yet again be surpassed.

Priory Rotary Sponsor Call the Midwife Evening

Fans of the popular TV series Call the Midwife enjoyed a rare treat when an Evening with Stephen McGann, who plays Dr Turner, and his wife Heidi Thomas the series writer and creator, was held at the King’s Lynn Guildhall. This was a fundraiser for the King’s Lynn Night Shelter, and the event was sponsored by Lynn’s Priory Rotary. 

Heidi and Stephen used slides to depict behind-the-scenes stories over the 14 years the series has been broadcast, and it was fascinating to hear the techniques they used in filming difficult births and the lengths they went to to ensure complete authenticity as times and fashions changed. 

The venue was sold out, and we are delighted to report that the event raised just almost £4,300 for the Night Shelter.

A bronze medal for Rotarian Pete Lauder at the
British Rowing Indoor Championships in his category - the static seat competition! Great preparation for his participation in the Invictus Games next February!

Priory Rotary’s Satellite Club recently held a very successful Race Night at Reffley Community Centre. This was in aid of West Norfolk Carers, the 8:56 Foundation and the One to One Project. West Norfolk Carers provide much needed support to young people who find themselves having to care for someone in their own home who is ill, has a physical or learning difficulty, or other issues. The 8:56 Foundation is a recently formed local charity which aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health in men by encouraging them to talk and reduce the risk of loneliness and social isolation. One to One provides professional support to adults who are experiencing emotional and/or social distress and mental health difficulties. 

A total of £1500 was raised on the night, with each of the charities receiving £500.  

Sara Nurse (Young Carers and Families Service Lead for West Norfolk Carers) said "Thank you so much for your support. We rely on grants and donations to be able to run our young carers support groups. We have some amazing volunteers who help us and without either of these things we would not be able to provide this much needed service. These funds will go towards providing activities and trips out for these amazing young carers". 

Richard Watson (8.56 Foundation) said “We had the pleasure of welcoming Mark, Phil and Beth from Priory Rotary King's Lynn Satellite Group to a recent Committee meeting and it was great to talk to them about the work and services that the 8:56 have and what we have coming up - but also to thank them for their fundraising at a recent Race Night where we were one of 3 beneficiaries receiving a fantastic £500. This will help support our Wellbeing Pathway of Socials, Peer Groups and Talking Therapy.” 

Colin Aris (Assistant Project Manager - One to One Project) said “The £500 that you kindly raised and donated will go towards creating another Counselling room which will be designated as a Trauma Informed Counselling room.  Our Trauma trained Counsellors will work in this specially designed space and within this room we will have resources to help those living with the effects of Trauma to be able to open up, fully express themselves and move towards a better quality of life.”

 

The picture is Mark Collins from Priory Rotary Satellite Club meeting the mayor of King’s Lynn at their stall at the local Christmas Market, which raised over £200 on the day.

For the third year running members of Priory Rotary Satellite in King’s Lynn have taken up the task of providing 50 Christmas Food Hampers for people needing to attend King’s Lynn Food Bank. The items were delivered last week in preparation for what is expected to be their busiest ever Christmas. The group were invited to a tour of the local food bank warehouse on the North Lynn Industrial Estate. Group member Rob Colwell who led the campaign this year said “we have been supporting the food bank for several years now, but this was my first visit to the warehouse. To be honest I was totally taken aback at the pure size of the main operation and the amount of food the centre processes for the residents of just King’s Lynn. I found it quite overwhelming. I’m so pleased we could be a small part of the Christmas campaign, and I know the group hopes we can make a difference for families this festive period.”

Member Mark Collins added “Please do give generously this year to the food bank and it’s so easy to do with collection points in all main supermarkets. The ‘Bank the Food’ App is easy to download and shows what food is most needed.”

Food bank Project Manager Helen Gilbert said "We really value the continued support given to us by Priory Rotary Satellite.  This donation will make a big difference to people in our community and will take some of the pressure off the festivities knowing that they have some festive food items already put by. The people of King's Lynn and West Norfolk are so generous to the food bank and we really do appreciate every single donation which helps us to support those most in need in our communities."

In addition, Priory Satellite have also donated £500 to the Night Shelter, who plan to use this to cover the costs of their next  major fundraising event. The Satellite group meet in the evenings once a month and are looking for new members that want to give a few hours a month to support an array of local charities and fundraising initiatives. For more details contact: David Mills on 07985-945095 or email: davella02@gmail.com 

New wildflower area for South Wootton

Children from North Wootton Primary School helped members of King’s Lynn Priory Rotary in the first stage of establishing a new perennial wildflower meadow in South Wootton last week. The planting area is alongside the footpath leading from Nursery Lane to Wootton Park and complements the tree planting carried out by the club and children from the area in 2022 and 2023.

Priory Rotary Harvest Lunch – Saturday October 19th

King’s Lynn’s Priory Rotary Club treated 80 local elderly residents to their annual Harvest Lunch at the William Burt Centre on Saturday, a tradition that goes back 30 years. Guests were treated to a delicious beef stew with dumplings, carrots and mashed potatoes, followed by apple pie and cream and tea or coffee.

Catering was provided by experienced caterer and Rotarian Ann Pacini. Other Rotary members, partners and friends provided transport to and from the venue for those that needed it, and entertainment was provided by professional singer and Rotarian Rowena Senida, who sang many old favourites which the guests enthusiastically sang and danced to.

Club President John Leonard thanked all those who helped with the Harvest Lunch. He said “I had numerous positive feedbacks from people saying how much they enjoyed the meal, and how much they looked forward to the lunch as a highlight of their year. This just goes to show how much of an impact PRC can have in the local community and the joy it brings to so many.”

The Harvest Lunch is one of the many charitable activities undertaken by Priory Rotary, with significant donations given to many local charities and other good causes.Pictures show the guests seated for the meal, and dancing while Rowena sings.

The attached picture shows Priory Rotary members David Mills and Paul Batterham presenting Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries 4 Life to schoolchildren at Holly Meadows primary school in Pott Row, King’s Lynn. We have permission from the head teacher, Mrs Jennie Wildsmith Garton, to use it in the local press and our website.

Picture 2 shows Sam, Nigel and Jacob at the aerodrome. 

King’s Lynn’s Priory Rotary club are pleased to be supporting the Fairstead Community Shop, with a donation of £700 towards the cost of their annual summer coach trip.

The shop, run by Emma Brock, does a tremendous job helping the local community, and the coach trip is a highlight for local children and their families. This year, they set off early on August 21st for a fun day out at sunny Skegness.

Lucille, originally from Singapore, is a part time supply teacher at local secondary schools. Ryan is a self-employed Business Consultant advising international companies on recruitment and IT. Rowena, originally from the Philippines, was a professional singer on cruise ships and now works as a Senior Administrator at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn.

Joining Satellite gives them the chance to combine Rotary activities in the community with their busy working lives. Satellite members meet once a month in the evening at the Farmers Arms, Knights Hill Hotel, usually the second Monday of the month, for an informal meeting to review their activities and discuss plans for future events. Their latest event was a garden party in July which raised over £900 for local charity Little Miracles.

New President for Priory Rotary

Priory Rotary King’s Lynn have recently donated £600 to Home-Start, which will be used to help families in the West Norfolk area. Home-Start work with struggling families with young children to help them cope with whatever life throws at them. In West Norfolk they are currently supporting 19 families, but have another 11 on the waiting list, and need more volunteers to meet the growing demand.

They have diversified their offer to volunteers to encourage more to sign up that includes pieces of work with a family over a shorter period of time, telephone support, signposting and group support as well as our core home support. Full training is given along with additional training across the year to upskill our volunteers. All this naturally needs more resource, which is dependent on voluntary donations.

Liz Cross, Senior Lead for Home-Start Norfolk, said “we are taking every opportunity to raise awareness that Home-Start Norfolk were among the first to be awarded the Kings Award for Volunteering (KAVS – the highest award for a voluntary organisation and the equivalent of an MBE) a testament to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers.”

Priory Skydive for Cancer Charities

Two members of Priory Rotary King’s Lynn, along with two university students, have now completed their tandem skydives for cancer. The event was organised by David Mills, who was unable to join the team as there isn’t a suitable harness available in the UK which would protect his pacemaker. However, he is dedicated to the cause and is leading the fundraising activity on behalf of Priory Rotary.

Ken Johnson completed his skydive back in November last year at the North London Skydiving Centre at Wimblington near Peterborough. Nigel Chettleburgh, accompanied by university students Sam Von Haartman and Jacob Wagstaffe, were finally able to do theirs on June 12th after waiting for favourable weather conditions.

So far, they have jointly raised over £4,000 for Children with Cancer UK and Norfolk’s Big C, and hope this total will reach their target of £5,000. Children with Cancer UK helps to fund significant research to improve the life chances of children who suffer from cancer, while the Big C helps and supports adults and the parents of children who are suffering from this devastating illness.

This is just one of many charitable activities organised by Priory Rotary. For example, earlier this year their Rotary Swimarathon raised over £20,000 and their Easter Egg Trail at Sandringham generated over £4,000. In total, more than £40,000 has been raised in the last 12 months, benefitting over 40 charities, many of which operate in West Norfolk.

David Mills said “we love organising these activities, but more than that, we get great satisfaction from the fact that we can support so many worthwhile causes.” To donate to the cancer charities please go to www.justgiving.com/page/prioryrotaryskydive. It’s not too late!

Main picture shows, from left to right, Sam, Nigel and Jacob. Other pictures are of Nigel in action.

Summer trip will take place thanks to cash from Rotary

A community shop which betters the lives of struggling families in the King’s Lynn area is now able to provide them with a fun summer day out thanks to donations.

The three Rotary clubs in Lynn have teamed up to help the Fairstead Community Shop, which found itself struggling to keep open due to the rising costs of bills.

The Priory Rotary Club, Trinity Rotary Club and King’s Lynn Rotary Club have each donated £350, a total of £1050, which will help facilitate a coach trip out in August to Fantasy Island in Skegness for a number of families.

A cheque was handed over to Emma Brock, who runs the community shop, on Wednesday evening at King’s Lynn Golf Club.

Last month Emma wasn’t sure if the day trip – which helps families who have no transport and could not afford a holiday – could go ahead.

Phil Davies from the Priory Rotary Club said that Rotarians had put their heads together to help the shop after reading about its troubles in the Lynn News. “The Priory Rotary Club have prior involvement with helping the community shop fund previous outings, and we wanted to help again” Phil said.

As well as the donation, Priory Rotary have also made an application to the KidsOut charity, which could mean the shop would receive an extra £10 for each of the 70 children going on the trip.

Emma added “It will be quite a busy day, so far we have two coachloads booked up. This May half term we also provided more than 300 lunches to children in lieu of school meals. Depending on how much funding we get, we hope to be able to provide more than 2,000 free lunches during the summer holidays.”

At a recent club meeting, King's Lynn Priory presented a cheque for £4,400 to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, the proceeds from their Easter Egg Trail at Sandringham. Pictured are President Paul Batterham, Phil Chapman who is a volunteer with the EAAA, and some of the club members who helped manage the Trail at Sandringham.

Bharti Patel – Local Hero

Bharti Patel, a member of King’s Lynn Priory Rotary, has been named Volunteer of the Year in West Norfolk’s Local Hero Awards. Receiving her award from national celebrity J J Chalmers, Bharti paid tribute to the many other volunteers who work alongside her, with a special mention for her fellow Rotary members at Priory.

Bharti works for the Borough Council but in her spare time does a huge amount of voluntary work. This includes her involvement in Priory Rotary initiatives such as the Senior Citizens film club, Swimarathon, Easter Egg Trail, Harvest Lunch, tree planting and Crucial Crew. In addition, she is a core team member at the weekly King’s Lynn park run and marshals at the Great East Anglia Run and Run Sandringham events. She has campaigned energetically for improvements to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and to save the ticket office at the railway station. She helps at the town’s Festival Too and Heritage Day, and is a flood warden.

Priory doing their bit on Crucial Crew week

Priory Rotary, together with their Satellite Club, have donated £480 to Baby Basics West Norfolk for the purchase of Moses baskets, which will subsequently be filled with essentials for new mothers. In 2023 the charity, based at St Nicholas Church in Dersingham, supported over 300 newborns from families in need, many of whom are from vulnerable groups such as teenage mums and women fleeing domestic violence. The baskets include essentials such as nappies, wipes, toiletries, blankets, baby towels and baby clothes – some of which are pre-loved and then washed and ironed ready for reuse. Many of the items are generously donated, whilst local knitters provide help making clothing and blankets. Referrals can be from many sources including midwives, health professionals, social workers and children’s services and so far this year 111 baskets have already been sent out.

Mark Collins, Satellite Club leader said: “We were surprised, and indeed shocked, at the level of demand for these packs which shows just how hard the cost-of-living crisis has hit those already struggling to make ends meet.”

Pictured in St Nicholas Church Dersingham are (back row) Rotarians David Mills and Nigel Chettleburgh and (front Row) Rotary Satellite members Mark Collins (left) and Rob Colwell (right) with Maggie Anderson and Janet Kirk from Baby Basics. Kaitlyn (centre), Maternity Support Worker from the Rowan Midwife Hub, was there to collect and deliver the Moses basket pictured.

Plaque to mark tree planting

A plaque has been erected to mark the tree planting carried out by Priory Rotary Club in association with South Wootton Parish Council, South Wootton in Bloom and children from North Wootton Junior School in 2022 and 2023 on land adjacent to Wootton Park.  The planting marked the 50th anniversary of the club and was funded by a grant from the Tree Council’s Branching Out Fund.

We are grateful to Borough Councillor Richard Coates who arranged the funding of the plaque through the Borough Council’s Community Projects Fund. 

Fantastic turnout for Easter Egg Trail at Sandringham

Priory Rotary club held their annual Easter Egg Trail at Sandringham on Sunday morning, again raising money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Despite the cold and windy weather, with Easter Sunday in March this year and the day the clocks went back, families turned up in their hundreds, with long queues at the check in points before setting off.

The trail started at the grizzly bear outside the children's play area. From there, it wound its way through the woods, where participants had to find the 18 clues hidden along the way, leading them back to the finish where they collected their chocolate eggs generously provided by Kinnertons Chocolates in Fakenham.

The final tally showed just over 1,100 people tackled the trail, and a grand total of over £4,000 was raised. Thanks go to the Sandringham Estate for helping with the organisation and providing such an excellent venue for this event. Also, to the many Rotary volunteers on the day, ensuring the event ran smoothly.

"King Charles's Norfolk retreat has found an egg-cellent way to help the Prince of Wales old rescue organisation. Sandringham is to stage an Easter egg hunt around the Royal parkland in aid of East Anglian Air Ambulance, for which Prince William once worked as a pilot".

(Source - Daily Mail - Sat 23 March 2024)

Priory Rotary are pleased to be managing this event, along with EAAA.

Latest Senior Citizens Film Club news...

April_2024_poster.pdf

Vindication Swim is the true story of the first English woman to swim the Channel, back in 1927. A heroic feat at the time. Ticket bookings are strong – please email Bharti Patel on Bharti.patel@west-norfolk.gov.uk if you wish to reserve a seat.

Rotary Swimarathons raise over £22,000 for local charities

Rotary Swimarathon Presentation Evening

To celebrate the success of their recent Swimarathon, Priory Rotary invited all the swimming teams and business sponsors to a presentation evening at North Wootton Village Hall on March 1st. Ken Banks, head of the Priory team who ran the event, thanked all the sponsors for their generous contributions, and all the swimmers and volunteers for their efforts on the day. In total, the events at the St James pool in Lynn and the Oasis pool in Hunstanton raised the fantastic sum of over £22,000, most of which will be distributed to the 18 charity teams who took part, with the remainder earmarked for other Rotary charities.  

Medals were presented to the following teams. West Norfolk Tennis for Health, West Norfolk Autism Group, Little Miracles, Little Discoverers, Break Children's Homes and the Wootton Boys. Special individual medals were presented to Chantal and George from the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, and to Scarlett Cole, who received a large donation from the West Norfolk Swimming Club teams.

Thanking everyone for attending, Mr Banks announced that next year’s event will be held on February 8th 2025, and hoped everyone will again support this annual Rotary charity event.

Record numbers of swimmers made a big splash for charity at Lynn and Hunstanton at the weekend. They were taking part in the annual Swimarathons organised by King’s Lynn Priory and Hunstanton & District Rotary Clubs.

Overall there were 51 teams of up to 6 swimmers at Alive St James, King’s Lynn and Alive Oasis, Hunstanton, covering a combined total of 7,600 lengths of the 25 metre pools, a distance of nearly 120 miles, while raising money for their chosen charities.

Teams included youngsters from West Norfolk Autism Group, Little Miracles, Little Discoverers and the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Group, as well as many fantastic swimmers from the West Norfolk Swimming Club who entered 12 teams in all.

In addition to about £15,000 raised by the swimmers, a further £7,000 was contributed from the generous sponsorship of local businesses, leaving the Rotaries with over £21,000 after costs. The funds will be presented to the charities at presentation evenings in Lynn on March 1st and at Hunstanton on a date to be confirmed.

Charities entering teams and benefitting from the event included the Gateway Café, the Norfolk Hospice, Break Children's Homes, the Purfleet Trust, West Norfolk Autism Group, Norfolk and Waveney Mind, West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled, Little Discoverers, West Norfolk Community Transport, the QEH Rehab Unit, Little Miracles, the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, the 8:56 Foundation, West Norfolk Tennis for Health, Mr Bees, and Scarlett Cole’s CP Journey.  

Ken Banks, heading up the event at King’s Lynn, paid a special ‘thank you’ to the pool staff from Alive Leisure, to all the volunteers on the day, and to the main sponsors Adrian Flux at King’s Lynn and Specsavers at Hunstanton. He said “it was a fantastic day with a great atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm from all who took part. At the end of the day, the amounts raised for charity were well beyond our expectations, making the whole event incredibly worthwhile”.

Next year’s events are provisionally booked for Saturday February 8th, where the Rotaries hope that this magnificent total can yet again be surpassed.

In 2023 the Swimarathon raised over £14,000 and supported a wide range of local charities.

GATEWAY ICAF THANKS PRIORY ROTARY TOWARDS CHRISTMAS PARTY DONATION FOR UKRAININAN REFUGEES (clink on link below)

Priory-Rotary-Thankyou-Dec-23.pdf

KINGS LYNN NIGHT SHELTER SUPPORT!

Priory Rotary are delighted to carry on our work with King's Lynn Night Shelter. With funds raised at February's Swimarathon and a generous contribution from Ian and the team at Cooper and Elms, we have been able to provide them with a much-needed washing machine (see picture below).

Lucy McKitterick, Director at the Night Shelter, said:

“Thank you so much to Cooper and Elms and to our friends at Priory Rotary for the gift of the Night Shelter’s new washing machine. It was pressed into service almost immediately and has been a great help with looking after our guests. It’s always really encouraging to have the support of local groups and businesses for our work; the Night Shelter is here this winter thanks to the generosity of our local community and we’re so pleased you have been able to offer such practical help!”

Eddie West-Burnham for Priory Rotary's Satellite Group said: "We recognise how challenging it is for voluntary organisations at this time of year when demand is high and the need of service users and residents is profound. Once again, this is a great example of Rotary working with local business to support a project in the town and we are grateful to Cooper and Elms for their help with this."

Ian Cooper from Cooper and Elms, whose company had previously provided a washing machine and tumble dryer to the Night Shelter several years ago, added: "It was a pleasure to assist Priory Rotary and once again support the King's Lynn Night Shelter with the invaluable work they do in our community".

If you would like more information on how to support King's Lynn Night Shelter, please contact Lucy at King's Lynn Night Shelter www.klnightshelter.org.uk Tel. 01553 776109

Christmas donation from Priory Rotary

At the beginning of November the local fund-raising manager gave a talk to Priory Rotary club to explain how Blood Bikes functions. This is a charity made up of volunteers who use, in the main, their own motor bikes to transport blood, plasma, platelets, samples , breast milk and vaccines that are urgently required by hospitals in Norfolk. They operate 365 days a year and the Club decided to donate £250 to the local branch of Blood Bikes to support the excellent work they do.

Pictured are Paul Southwell (Dep Chair) on the left and Marc Back (Kings Lynn volunteer) on the right, receiving the cheque from Ken Banks, Priory's Community Services chair and Priory President Paul Batterham.

Priory Rotary teams up with North Wootton Primary School to plant trees

Priory Rotary club planted 13 trees in South Wootton last Friday with the help of children from North Wootton Primary School. 9 of the trees will form a small copse on land next to Wootton Park, which was donated to South Wootton Parish Council by Hopkins Homes, in association with their nearby development. The trees will complement a line of 10 trees planted at the same time last year. The other 4 were to replace trees that had died in nearby locations. The trees were funded by a grant from the Tree Council through its “Branching Out Fund”.

James Grimsby, the headteacher of the school, said “I’m delighted that the children have been able to help with this project. It gives them a chance to acquire new skills and contribute to their community. By helping to plant and maintain the trees they learn to take pride in their neighbourhood.”

Richard High of Priory Rotary Club said “The team of volunteers enjoyed planting the trees and we hope they will make a positive contribution to the environment in the years to come. We are very grateful for the grant from the Tree Council and pleased that we have been able to work with the Parish Council to make this happen. We also greatly appreciate the help of children from the nearby North Wootton School.”

After another successful film – 184 people attended The Miracle Club over Monday and Wednesday this week – we now have a special showing for December. We have secured the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart.

Pre-bookings are already very healthy, so people need to book to avoid possible disappointment. Clink on the link below for more information.

STOP PRESS: Monday 18th December showing is now SOLD OUT. Still places for the Weds 20th showing.

December_film_poster.pdf

SATELLITE GROUP CHRISTMAS MARKET

£227 raised by our club's Satellite Group's stall at North Wootton Village Hall Christmas Market yesterday.

November 2023 Quiz Night

There was a fantastic turnout when Priory Rotary Club held their bi-annual quiz night at South Wootton Village Hall on Wednesday November 29th, with 15 teams of 6 taking part. Many thanks to Trevor and Jan Clutterbuck for acting as quizmasters and scorers on the night. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening with 8 quiz rounds and 2 marathons producing a wide range of challenging questions. Refreshments in the interval, provided by our very own Ann Pacini with help from Liz Eagling, were greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who came on the night, an incredible £483 was raised for Priory’s Benevolent Fund, which will be used to support some of the many charities supported by the Rotary club.

PRIORY ROTARY PRESENTS "DICTIONARIES FOR LIFE" TO PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN KING'S LYNN

Illustrated dictionaries were presented to Year 4 students at St Martha's Catholic Primary School. Pictured are Rotarians Derek Stringer, Andy Roberts, Bharti Patel and Rob Colwell.

Skydiving for Cancer Charities

After two postponements due to bad weather, Ken Johnson of King’s Lynn Priory Rotary Club braved his first ever tandem skydive at the age of 69 to raise money for two major cancer charities.  The jump took place on Wednesday November 22nd at the North London Skydiving Centre at Wimblington near Peterborough.  Three more volunteers missed out on this occasion, and will do their skydives in Spring 2024.

The charities they are skydiving for are Children with Cancer UK and Norfolk’s Big C. Children with Cancer UK helps to fund significant research to improve the life chances of children who suffer from cancer, while the Big C helps and supports adults and the parents of children who are suffering from this devastating illness. So far Ken alone has raised over £1000 in sponsorship, and it is hoped the final total will reach their target of £5000.

After the dive Ken said “It’s been on my bucket list for a while and I would just say to anybody who is thinking of doing it just do it because it is an absolutely wonderful experience. The instructor totally put my mind at ease and allayed any fears I might have had, after all he’s going with you and he certainly doesn’t want to kill himself. Go ahead do it and enjoy it.”

David Mills of Priory Rotary organised this event, but he himself is unable to join the team as there isn’t a suitable harness available in the UK which would protect his pacemaker. However, he is dedicated to the cause and is leading the fundraising activity on behalf of Priory Rotary Club.

To donate to these two wonderful charities, please visit www.justgiving.com/page/prioryrotaryskydive 

Ken's dive video is here...!!!!

Just click on video in the link below....

https://myskydive.ukskydiving.com/81221KMNHYY

Press Contact - Phil Davies - 01553 631663

Priory Rotary donate £1500 for sports wheelchairs

Members of Priory Rotary attended a session of wheelchair rugby for children with disabilities at Lynn sport on Friday, and afterwards presented a cheque for £1500 to the leader of Ability Counts, Pete Lauder, to enable him to buy more wheelchairs for the group. 

Ability Counts was started roughly 2 years ago by Pete, who is a Scottish International wheelchair rugby league player. He suffered a career ending injury, now with a disability himself, whilst in the armed forces, deploying to Kuwait, Kosovo, Iraq & Afghanistan. He currently only has 9 wheelchairs, which significantly limits the number of children who can take part, and has more children & adults/veterans wanting to take part. This donation should allow Pete to rapidly expand the opportunity by purchasing more chairs. Which up until this point the club has never been able to. 

Jonathan Holmes of Priory Rotary said “it was humbling and heartening to see the enthusiasm and sheer enjoyment of the children taking part in this session, which went by so quickly. The children were still buzzing as their parents picked them up. We are so pleased to be able to support this fantastic initiative and help it grow.”

Thanking Jonathan, Pete said “we are overwhelmed by the generosity shown by Priory Rotary, and the faith they have in us. This donation will have a major positive impact on children who otherwise would have had to wait for a chance to join us.”

Picture shows Ken Banks of Priory Rotary presenting a cheque for £1500 to Pete Lauda after one of the wheelchair rugby sessions.

Pictured (L – R):  Mark Collins, Helen Gilbert (Food Bank Manager) and Rob Colwell. 

Priory Rotary hold competitions for local school children

Honours shared at Technology Tournament 

                                         

18 teams from four secondary schools took part in the 7th technology tournament organised by the Priory Rotary club of King’s Lynn and sponsored by Recipharm on 14th November at King’s Lynn Academy.  

The teams of 4 students in 3 age group categories had to construct a vehicle capable of crossing a deep river using a suspended cable.  They all found the task challenging but in the end most teams produced vehicles which met the requirements.  In the older age groups there were additional requirements including the ability to unload and reverse.  In the Senior category, for students from years 12 and 13 the winning team was from King Edward VII Academy and the runners up were from Springwood High Schoool.  In the Intermediate category for years 10 and 11 the winning team was from Smithdon High School and the runners up from Springwood, and in the Foundation Category for years 7-9 teams King’s Lynn Academy were both winners and runners up.

The awards were presented by Tony Mallett of Product Engineering from Recipharm.  Darren Hodkinson, Site Director for Recipharm commented that the company was delighted to be able to sponsor the event again.  He added that the challenges of working together as a team to build something and make it work were really important to companies like Recipharm and he hoped everyone had enjoyed taking part and learnt something useful from it.  

Paul Batterham, President of Priory Rotary Club said that he was pleased that it had been possible to hold the event again and that schools had been able to make time to take part in their very demanding schedules.   

Calling Young Environmentalists

Priory Rotary Club is also encouraging youngsters to enter a national Rotary Young Environmentalists competition.  Young people have the opportunity to enter, either as individuals or teams of up to 4 in 3 age groups – 7-10, 11-13 and 14-17.  Entries will initially be to a District competition covering East Anglia and the winners from that will go forward to the national competition.   The theme for this year is Waste Minimisation.  Entrants will need to carry out a project of their choice related this theme and their entry will need to describe what they did and what difference it has or will make to the environment.  Ideas could include:

• Adopting a local public space and keeping it clear of litter

• Trying to promote recycling in a school or neighbourhood

• Finding ways of reusing products or materials that would otherwise be discarded 

Further information can be found on the Clubs Facebook page …..https://www.facebook.com/prioryrotarykingslynn

This is a monthly social event for older people in the community, with tea/coffee and biscuits before the film starts, and it now has a Monday and a Wednesday option available. Priced at just £3 per person, this is excellent value for money.

Phil Davies from Priory Rotary, reflecting on the year, said “This is more than just a film club. After nearly 3 years of restrictions during covid, the launch last November spurred many older citizens to start socialising again. Now many of them book to come every month, almost regardless of the choice of film, to meet up with friends they’ve made at the cinema.”

The next film will be The Miracle Club, starring Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates, on November 20th and 22nd. Thereafter, the Cinema Club will take place on the third Monday and Wednesday of each month. People are strongly encouraged to book in advance to ensure their ticket, by contacting Bharti Patel on 07375 375404 or emailing bharti.patel@west-norfolk.gov.

Pictured is the full house at one of the two screens on Monday.

Tuesday October 25th was World Polio Day, and several members of Priory Rotary, along with friends and partners, joined together in a charity walk as part of the International Rotary campaign aimed at eradicating polio worldwide. 

Victims of polio frequently suffer paralysis and muscle wasting, requiring them to wear callipers to walk or even confining them to a wheelchair. To show solidarity with polio sufferers, Rotarians across Britain marked World Polio Day in many ways, often including walks, to raise money and awareness of this preventable disease.

The Priory Rotary End Polio Now Walk, well organised by Elizabeth Eagling, involved a walk around Roydon Common, followed by refreshments at the home of President Paul Batterham. 24 people took part, and when all the donations were collected the event raised £300. This total will be tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, making a grand total of £900.

A global campaign of vaccinations spearheaded by Rotary has almost wiped out polio, with an estimated 16 million people walking today who would otherwise have been paralysed by this virus.  The task now is to eradicate the last 0.1% of cases. So it is all the more important that Rotary continues to push hard to achieve the ultimate goal of eradicating polio for ever. 

Picture shows the walkers about to set off, with Margaret Tasker holding Ollie, Priory’s well-travelled polio bear, in memory of Dr Peter Tasker who championed the End Polio Now campaign within Rotary for many years.

Contact - Phil Davies on 01553 631663

As a celebration of all our activities in the past Rotary year, ShelterBox have awarded the Club with a Bronze Award, as the
Rotary Club of Kings Lynn Priory raised a total of £2,360 in Rotary year 2022/2023.

King’s Lynn’s Priory Rotary club are pleased to be supporting this year’s trip to Bewilderworld, organised by the West Norfolk Community Shop on the Fairstead.

The Community shop, run by Emma Brock, does a tremendous job helping the local community, and one of the highlights is an annual coach trip for local children and their families. This year, two coaches with around 50 children and 40 adults set off on August 30 th for a day out at Bewilderwood, the curious tree house adventure park at Hoveton near Norwich. The trip has been subsidised by a generous donation from King’s Lynn Priory Rotary club, thanks to funding accessed from the Rotary partnership with national charity Kids Out.

Thanking Priory Rotary, Emma said ”the kids have been eagerly looking forward to this day out. It is a great opportunity for the families, especially those that have no transport. The Rotary contribution has made a significant difference, reducing the cost of the trip and enabling more families to go on this adventure”.

Priory Rotary’s Satellite Club held a very enjoyable garden party on Saturday July 29th to raise funds for West Norfolk Autism Group. The event was generously hosted by David Mills, founder of the Satellite Club.

Around 100 guests were entertained by Lithuanian folk singers and dancers, living in the King’s Lynn area, who wore traditional dress, and later by Rowena Senido who sang a collection of favourite pop songs. David also provided sausages, jacket potatoes and beans kindly donated by Priory Rotary President Paul Batterham, who is a local pig farmer, and Bookers Cash and Carry.

Boosted by a raffle organised by the Rotary Satellite, £1,250 was raised on the evening. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable social occasion and very worthwhile for the charity.

Thanking David and the Satellite organisers, Karan McKerrow Chair of Trustees for WNAG said ”What a wonderful evening! Everybody I've spoken to was so complimentary about the evening and as one of the guests said nobody looked glum... a lovely friendly, happy atmosphere. We sold 1000 raffle tickets and the sun shone for us all! The money you raised will go towards supporting autistic people and their families who live in West Norfolk and will enable us to provide an adults’ meal out, swimming sessions, cinema tickets and bowling. Thank you all very much everyone for showing such kindness and generosity”.

Mark Collins, leader of Priory Rotary Satellite, said  ”we are always looking for opportunities to support the local community, and were pleased in this instance to be able to help West Norfolk Autism. If anyone would like to know how they could help us do more, please contact me at markjcollins@talktalk.net”.

New President for Priory Rotary

Paul Batterham has been installed as the new President of Priory Rotary, following a lively handover ceremony at Heacham Manor attended by 50 members, partners and guests. Outgoing President Jonathan Holmes, reflecting on his time in the chair, said “It’s been another busy but enjoyable year, when we’ve combined great fellowship with doing a lot of good. One way or another we’ve been able to raise over £35,000 for the benefit of over 40 charities, and also focussed on youth and environmental projects. I’m very proud of thesea chievements, but they could not have happened without the incredible support you’ve all given to me and our Committee chairs.”

Thanking Jonathan for his efforts, Paul set out his priorities: increasing social activities for members and partners and recruiting new members so that Priory can continue the good work the club does both Internationally and for the local community.

The evening was enlivened by a ditty from the Priory choir, a sketch based on the Two Ronnies about the Rotary hierarchy, and dancing to music performed by Rowena Senido.

If anyone is interested in joining this vibrant club, please visit www.prioryrotary.org.uk or get in touch with any member.

PRIORY ROTARY SUPPORTS EASTGATE ACADEMY WITH A JUNIOR TECHNOLOGY TOURNAMENT (see link below)

Eastgate Academy - Rotary Junior Technology Tournament - 19.5.23

PRIORY SUPPORTS LOCAL SCHOOLS AT CRUCIAL CREW AT KINGS LYNN FIRE STATION

KINGS LYNN PRIORY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS!

The Rotary Club of King’s Lynn Priory celebrated its 50^thAnniversary with a black tie dinner at the Town Hall on Wednesday, attended by over 100 members, partners and guests. Special guests included the Mayor of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Lesley Bambridge, Garth Arnold, Rotary Great Britain and Ireland Chair of Board and Ian Elliott, District Rotary Governor 1080. Also present were the current Presidents of King’s Lynn, Trinity King’s Lynn and Hunstanton Rotary Clubs, plus 19 Past Presidents and 3 Past Presidents’ wives of Priory. We welcomed Dr John Burgess who was the only Founder member of Priory in 1973, and Don Linford, the oldest Past President serving in 1986/7. Musical entertainment was provided by Rowena Senido who sang a medley of popular songs from each of the 5 decades since Priory was awarded its charter on 21st March 1973.

President of Priory, Jonathan Holmes, gave a brief history of the club since its inception. The club has been involved in many projects and activities over the last 50 years supporting many individuals, groups and charities locally, nationally and internationally. The Rotary motto ‘Service before Self’ has guided our work as we try to support those less fortunate, disadvantaged in our communities. Over the last 50 years we believe we have raised at least £750,000 from our charitable activities, with some estimates indicating that this could be nearer £1 million. Priory is a progressive, forward thinking and modern Rotary Club with an active Satellite Club, and we seek to encourage many more members to join us on our journey helping and serving others.

Record numbers turn out for Rotary Easter Egg Trail

Priory Rotary club welcomed hundreds of families to their annual Easter Egg Trail at Sandringham on Easter Sunday, raising money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Blessed with good weather, there were long queues at the check in points stretching all the way back to the Visitor Centre before families and excited children set off with their clue sheets.

The trail started at the squirrel outside the newly extended children’s play area. From there, it wound its way through the woods, where participants had to find the 18 clues hidden along the way, leading them back to the finish where they collected their chocolate eggs generously supplied by Kinnertons Chocolates in Fakenham.

Bob Angell, team leader for Priory Rotary, confirmed that at least 2,000 people completed the trail, and over 1,500 eggs were given out. A grand total of £5,500 was raised, well in excess of previous years. In addition to the trail, the East Anglian Air Ambulance held a soft toy tombola which generated an additional £440.

Luke Abendroth, Community Fund-raiser at East Anglian Air Ambulance said: “We are delighted with the success of this year’s Easter Egg Trail. With every mission costing an average of £3,750, our supporters make the difference, ensuring that our crews can continue to deliver out-of-hospital emergency care at the scene of an incident. Thank you to King’s Lynn Priory Rotary who as always have been supportive of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and to the many volunteers who have given up so much time to run this event."

Pictures below from the Easter Egg Trail on Easter Sunday. All our eggs went!

Priory Rotary members Elizabeth Eagling and Bharti Patel giving out the eggs.

Members of Kings Lynn Priory 2022/23, celebrating 50 years of Priory Rotary

(missing 3 club members and 2 satellite group members)

PRIORY ROTARY'S CHARITY MARCH QUIZ

Our Quiz Night in March was held to raise funds for ShelterBox activity in response to the recent earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria. Priory member Andy Roberts, our new quiz master, set some tough and challenging questions on history, geography, music, sport, arts and literature, food & drink, science and general knowledge.

15 teams of 6 took part, and the winners were the Hungry Hamsters, featuring the club's own Tony and Sue Williams.

With the addition of a raffle to win giant Easter Eggs, we were able to raise in excess of £600, enough to ensure a complete ShelterBox could be shipped to the disaster zone. Thanks to Andy for keeping us under control, to Bharti Patel who ran the raffle and to Ann and Fred Pacini, who laid on sandwiches and sausage rolls.

ROTARY SWIMARATHON PRESENTATION NIGHT

Priory Rotary celebrates the success of Swimarathon. 

A presentation evening was held at North Wootton Village Hall on Monday for the teams and charities that took part in last month’s highly successful Priory Rotary Swimarathon. Medals and cheques were presented by Priory President, Jonathan Holmes. Swimarathon organiser Ken Banks said “we are delighted to announce that this year’s event was our best ever, with 29 teams taking part, including 4 at the Hunstanton Oasis pool, and almost £14,000 raised for local charities. Thanks to all who made the event possible, and to our many local business sponsors”.

Overall team winners were Scarlett’s Sharks, a team of juniors from West Norfolk Swimming Club raising money to support Scarlett Cole, who is recuperating from an operation at Liverpool’s Alder Hay children’s hospital. The best non WNSC team was Alive West Norfolk. Best charity team was Team Tapping, and the best fund-raisers were the Wootton Boys, who obtained over £1,000 in sponsorship money. Medals were also awarded to Mr Bees, who managed 97 lengths despite having only two members in their team, Magpie as the charity who raised the most sponsorship for their teams, and Little Miracles, who had a group of young children in the learner pool as well as a full team of six in the main pool. A cheque for £2,000 was given to the headline charity, Break children’s homes, who had two teams swimming on the day. Other local charities who took part and received donations were West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled, the Queen Elisabeth Hospital Physiotherapy Department, Little Miracles, Little Discoverers, the Gateway Church International Café, the Purfleet Trust, the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, the Norfolk Hospice, the 8:56 Foundation, West Norfolk Carers, St Faith’s Gaywood Church Council and Mr Bees.

Next year’s Rotary Swimarathon will be at St James pool, King’s Lynn on Saturday February 10th .

Priory Rotary’s fourth Swimarathon, held at the King’s Lynn and Hunstanton swimming pools,saw 29 teams taking part and has raised over £12,000 for local charities. Over a 7 hour period, around 150 swimmers covered a total of over 3,200 lengths of the 25 metre pool, equivalent to a distance of over 50 miles.

Business sponsors donated generously, while the swimmers raised over £6,000 from friends and families. Volunteers from Trinity, King’s Lynn and Hunstanton Rotaries joined the Priory Crew on the day to ensure everyone had a splashing good time. Our headline charity is Break Children’s Homes,who entered two teams. Other charities to benefit include West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled, Little Miracles, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Rehab department, Gateway Church International Café, the Purfleet Trust, the Lavender Hill Mob Theatre Company, St Faith’s church rooms, Tapping House Norfolk Hospice, the 8:56 Foundation, West Norfolk Carers and Mr Bees family centres.

Priory Rotary Swimarathon 2023 – Sponsors and Donors

Headline Sponsor

Adrian Flux

Lane Sponsors

Barsby Produce

Contract Floor Services

Freebridge Community Housing

Hayes and Storr

Heros Fitness

Kenneth Bush

Lynn News

MKM Building Supplies

Roythorne and Son

Stephenson Smart

Ward Gethin Archer

West Norfolk Glass

Other Sponsors/Donors

Able Engineering

Bawsey Pigs

Book Life

Ella R Mills MCFHP MAFHP

Gas Wise

Goddards Tailoring

Kings Lynn Auto Electrical

Learning Resources

Lynn Shellfish

Metric Carpets

Stebbings Car Centre

Towergate Insurance

Uptech

William Coe Ltd

Suppliers

All Signs and Print

Bookers Cash and Carry

Dewhurst Trophies

Lighthouse Design

Tesco Gaywood

February half term help from Priory Rotary

The King’s Lynn Food Bank have been given a donation of £750 in food vouchers from Priory Rotary Club in King’s Lynn to provide help for families in time for the February holiday period.  
Last year Norfolk County Council changed the way direct support is provided to those families whose children normally receive free school meals during holiday periods. With local families struggling with finances as the cost-of-living crisis continues, and annual food inflation announced last week at 17%, Priory Rotary have purchased 75 special “grocery only” £10 gift cards for the food bank to distribute to King’s Lynn families most in need.
Priory Rotary member Rob Colwell said “We hope that these gift cards go some way to help those families who might otherwise struggle over the school holidays to feed their children. The cards can only be used to buy food from Sainsburys supermarket in town or Hardwick and do not work on other items. Whilst previous help from our members has focused on specific lunch items, this voucher option allows choice, and we are aware that some children might have specific dietary requirements. We had some money not allocated from last year’s Swimarathon and it seemed the ideal opportunity to help the local community before the next annual event on the 25 February, held at St James Pool. If you would like to help raise money for local charities, there is still time to enter a team. Please visit www.prioryrotary.org.uk  for more information. 
Helen Gilbert, Project Manager of King's Lynn Foodbank said "We are very grateful for the vouchers donated by Priory Rotary which will make a real difference to families during the half term week, relieving some of the stress and anxiety that carers feel when trying to ensure that their children are healthily fed whilst struggling to make ends meet.  During the winter period we've seen more families than ever using the Foodbank so this is very timely support. "
The Rotary group would also like to use this opportunity to promote the phone App called “Bank the Food” which provides a regularly updated list of items needed by the foodbank which is easy to access whilst shopping. They are encouraging people to download (iPhone and android). It is noted on the App that the food bank this week are particularly interested in donations of tinned fruit, tinned meat, jars of cooking sauce, rice pudding, custard, toothpaste, deodorant, squash or long-life fruit juices.
Pictured with the vouchers are Rotary members Rob Colwell, Mark Collins, Eddie West-Burnham and Ken Banks with Helen Gilbert from the Food Bank. 

Priory Rotary club distributes Dictionaries for Life to local school

Priory Rotary has presented Illustrated English Dictionaries to around 60 Year 4 students at St Martha's Catholic Primary School, Kings Lynn. Pictured along with some of the students are Priory rotarians Andy Roberts and John Leonard.

Priory Rotary donation to local suicide charity

Members of Priory Rotary club were given a very instructive and powerful talk on the effects of suicide on surviving family members and friends by the Reverend Chris Copsey. She explained that suicide is a bereavement like no other. It is often very traumatic and not only affects close family and friends but also colleagues, professionals and the local community.

Hope After Suicide Loss, HOPE, is a charity that is peer led and offers open ended support for anyone over 18 who has been bereaved by suicide in Norfolk and Suffolk. HOPE offers emotional support, help and information through personal phone support, face to face support groups and a website www.hopeaftersuicideloss.org.uk.

Joining HOPE many have found compassion, understanding and gentle optimism.

“After losing my dad, the support that HOPE has given me has been absolutely invaluable. To be around other survivors who understood and spoke the same language after having experienced this trauma no longer made me feel isolated or alone. It really was with the help of Hope that aided me through this grieving process.” Paige

“At HOPE, it's a safe place to say what you feel to people that understand you. People try to comfort you but unless they have experienced suicide loss themselves it's very difficult to fully understand how completely your life is altered and how you have changed as a person forever. Sometimes people find it hard to discuss suicide and you can feel like you can talk about your thoughts and feelings, so going to the group allows you time and a safe place to do so” Stacy

Pictured are Reverend Chris Copsey receiving a cheque from Rotarians Jonathan Holmes, Peter Tasker and Ken Banks.

The Rev. Canon Chris Copsey is part of the ministry team at The Minster in King’s Lynn and became Chaplain to Norfolk County Council from 2007-14. In 2011 she became Chaplain to the Norfolk Coroner, a unique Chaplaincy in the UK and in that role provides pastoral care to people attending inquests. She became a Director and Trustee of HOPE in 2018.

New photos of the second distribution of dried food in December made to needy people in Sri Lanka by Mount Lavinia Rotary Club with Priory Rotary's support

Priory Rotary’s Xmas Gift to Night Shelter

Given the particularly harsh winter weather we are experiencing in the lead up to this Christmas, Priory Rotary members have clubbed together to provide some festive cheer for the King’s Lynn Night Shelter. A large collection of groceries and other items requested by the Night Shelter was delivered to the premises, along with a cheque for £500 to help cover their needs in the coming months.
Matthew Reardon of the Night Shelter, seen with housekeeper Karine McDermid, accepting the goods from Rotarians Ken Banks and Phil Davies, said, "Thank you so much for this kind donation, and for thinking of us and our guests at this difficult time of year. It is only with the generosity of individuals, local businesses, and clubs like the Priory Rotary, that we can continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community."

Priory Rotary plants trees in South Wootton

Priory Rotary Club of King’s Lynn has completed the planting of a line of trees in South Wootton.Trees border a footpath leading from Nursery Lane to Wootton Park along the edge of a field donated by Hopkins Homes to South Wootton Parish Council in association with a recent housing development. The Parish Council supported the project and the club received help and advice from South Wootton in Bloom.
The project was funded by a grant from the Branching Out Fund run by the Tree Council and consisted of 10 trees about 3-4m tall including whitebeam, hornbeam, field maple and red maple. The trees were planted on a crisp and bright December day and members of the club were helped in the planting by volunteers from South Wootton in Bloom and children from North Wootton Primary School, who will also help to maintain them while they become established.
“It has been very gratifying to complete this project working in partnership with the Parish Council, The Tree Council, South Wootton in Bloom and North Wootton Primary School. The trees will make an important contribution to the character of this new public space, improve biodiversity and help to address climate change. We hope to be able to plant more trees there in future”, said Richard High of Priory Rotary Club. “It was also really rewarding to work with the school children who were so enthusiastic, hardworking and capable.”

Silver Mondays November Press Report

Priory Rotary held their first Silver Mondays Cinema Club at the Corn Exchange cinema on Monday. Attendance was very encouraging, with 56 people turning up to watch Emma Thompson in the newly released film, Matilda the Musical. 

This is planned to be a monthly social event for older people in the community, with tea/coffee and biscuits before the film starts providing an excellent opportunity for socialising.

President of the Rotary Club, Jonathan Holmes, said ”What we are trying to do is offer a friendship group for older people of a similar age to meet more regularly. We are very pleased with the response from the film goers, several of whom have already booked for the next event”. 

The next Silver Monday will be on January 30th, with the choice of film yet to be announced. Thereafter, the Cinema Club will take place on the last Monday of each month. Priced at just £3, this is excellent value for money. People are encouraged to book in advance by contacting Bharti Patel on 07375 375404 or emailing bharti.patel@west-norfolk.gov.

Pictured (L – R): Rob Colwell, Ken Banks, Mark Collins with members of the Food Bank team.

In a joint venture between King’s Lynn’s Priory Rotary Club and its Satellite Club, a large consignment of Christmas items has been delivered to King’s Lynn’s Food Bank on the South Quay. Spearheaded by Satellite Club member, Rob Colwell, it followed an earlier donation of over 100 blankets to help people keep warm as they faced falling temperatures and rising fuel prices. Mark Collins, Satellite Club leader said: “With support from some of the local supermarkets we were able to provide enough to make up 50 packs containing everything from sage and onion stuffing to Christmas puddings and mince pies. We hope these will help make Christmas a bit more special for those who are finding it hard to pay for essential items, let alone anything extra.”

Ken Banks has been co-ordinating weekly deliveries of food to King’s Lynn’s Night Shelter too and members of both clubs will be donating seasonal food items nearer the big day to provide some festive cheer to residents who will be spending time at the shelter over Christmas.

Ken said: “We recognise that the period after Christmas is going to be particularly challenging for those struggling in these hard economic times and Priory Rotary have already set-aside some further funds to support both the Food Bank and Night Shelter in the New Year.”

To find out more about the Priory Rotary and Satellite Clubs and how to get involved with projects such as this please visit their website at:https://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=483

To find out more about the Satellite Club, please contact:

Mark (Collins), Satellite Club Leader Email: markjcollins@talktalk.net or

David (Mills), Deputy Satellite Leader Email: davella02@gmail.com Tel: 07985 945095

...AND LATEST NEWS ABOUT HELP FOR UKRAINE.....

At a collection in the town centre at the beginning of March, Rotarians from King’s Lynn Priory were able to collect a massive £5,000 for the Ukraine relief fund from a very supportive public. Subsequently, a further £1,200 was forthcoming in Gift Aid, and this was given to the Hanseatic Union, who are helping supply the needs of Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Lynn.
 
Receiving the cheque, Julie Chaplin, from the Hanseatic Union, said “We have been working with the Ukrainian refugees ever since the very first people arrived in Lynn.  An initiative of the West Norfolk Borough Council was to set up a welcome centre at the council offices, and we have been manning that space on behalf of the council since March.  We have seen all kinds of hardship and distress, but also now signs that people are relaxing slightly, starting to settle and feel more at home in our area.  Part of this process has been moving into properties that they are renting privately.  The money from the Priory Rotarians will go  a long way towards helping families set up homes.  In the absence of their own families, we have been able to source second hand furniture and household goods, to help make their properties into homes.  These lovely people did not choose to come here, they were forced to leave their own homes because of the war, and this donation, plus other gifts from the Rotarians, will help us take a small step to building a life in our local communities.”
 
Pictured are Priory President Jonathan Holmes and International Committee member Ken Johnson handing the cheque to Julie Chaplin and Jurate Smulkiene of the Hanseatic Union.
Priory Rotary have separately also donated £250 to the iCafe, which was re-started in April by Andy Moyles of the Gateway Church with the aim of helping refugees and other migrants to meet up, make friends and learn conversational English. Andy said “The first week we welcomed 12 guests, who were Ukrainian refugees. The weekly café has since grown to 30 guests and so we now run it twice on Tuesday mornings and afternoons in 90 min sessions. We are planning a Christmas Party on Tuesday 20th December for about 30 adults and a similar number of children. This donation from Priory Rotary will be a great help with the costs of catering and gifts for the children.”

Monday October 24th was World Polio Day, and several members of Priory Rotary, along with friends and partners, joined together in a walk as part of the International Rotary campaign aimed at eradicating polio worldwide. Victims of polio frequently suffer paralysis and muscle wasting, requiring them to wear callipers to walk or even confining them to a wheelchair. To show solidarity with polio sufferers, Rotarians across Britain marked World Polio Day in many ways, including walks, to raise money and awareness of this preventable disease. The Priory Rotary End Polio Now Walk started and finished at West Norfolk Rugby Club in North Wootton, with a stop for tea or coffee and cake at Castle Rising. 20 people took part, and when all the donations were collected the event raised £600. This total will be tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, making a grand total of £1,800.

A global campaign of vaccinations spearheaded by Rotary has almost wiped out polio, with an estimated 16 million people walking today who would otherwise have been paralysed by this virus. The task now is to eradicate the last 0.1% of cases. There are still small pockets remaining in hard-to-reach communities such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the current situation in Ukraine  is preventing new-born babies there being given preventative vaccines including polio. So it is all the more important that Rotary continues to push hard to achieve the ultimate goal of eradicating polio for ever.

Picture shows the walkers about to set off from the rugby club, along with Dr Peter Tasker, chairman of the International Committee, with Rotary End Polio Now balloons and Ollie, Priory’s well-travelled polio bear.

Contact - Phil Davies on 01553 631663

Priory Rotary Harvest Lunch – Saturday October 22nd .

After a two year absence due to covid, Lynn’s Priory Rotary Club treated 80 elderly folk to a roast beef and apple pie Harvest Lunch at the William Burt Centre, a celebration event which the club has organised annually for over 30 years.

Catering was provided by Priory member Ann Pacini, and entertainment by Rotarian Peter Waddison, who sang many of the old favourites which the guests joined in with him. Other club members and partners served the meals and provided transport to and from the venue for those that needed it.

At the lunch, programmes were handed out for the Silver Mondays Cinema Club, a new Priory venture where over 70’s are invited to the Corn Exchange Cinema for tea, coffee and biscuits followed by a selected film. The first film will be Matilda the Musical on November 28th, with refreshments from 9.30 before the film starting at 10.30. Tickets are only £3.00, and can be booked by emailing bharti.patel@west-norfolk.gov.uk or phoning her on 07375 375404.

Speaking at the lunch, club President Jonathan Holmes welcomed the guests, and gave a brief talk on the many charitable activities undertaken by Priory Rotary, with significant donations given to many local charities and other good causes.

Local Rotaries give a boost to fundraising for Scarlett Cole

Inspired by the incredible fundraising efforts of Scarlett’s family, four local Rotary Clubs have banded
together to raise a further £3,300 for her cause, taking the current total to over £20,000, plus Gift
Aid.
Scarlett is a young West Norfolk girl with triplegic cerebral palsy, and she urgently needs a vital
operation on her spinal cord at Liverpool’s Alder Hay children’s hospital to relieve her muscle
stiffness and pain. Thanks to their amazing fundraising efforts, the family have raised the initial
£17,000 needed to cover the cost of this operation, which is not available on the NHS, and Scarlett’s
operation has been scheduled for early January next year.
However, Scarlett will then need intensive physiotherapy, using specially adapted equipment, for the
next two years. To help with these costs, the Rotary Club of King’s Lynn Priory have donated £2,000,
Downham Rotary have added £300 and King’s Lynn and King’s Lynn Trinity Rotaries have contributed
£250 each. In addition, the King’s Lynn General Charities have responded to a request from Priory
Rotary and added a further £500.
Parents Leanne and Daniel, thanking the Rotary Clubs, said “we are so grateful for these donations,
which will enable us to set up equipment at home so Scarlett can have daily physio without the need
to travel. She is a very determined little girl and will work hard to get the best possible benefit from
her physio regime.”
The fundraising efforts continue, to ensure Scarlett can continue to receive the physio she needs. To
donate, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/scarlettscpjourney
Picture shows Leanne Cole with Scarlett and her brother Archie in the front row, and back row from
left to right Jonathan Holmes – Priory Rotary, David Whitmore – King’s Lynn General Charities, John
Taylor - Trinity Rotary, Scarlett’s dad Daniel Cole, Derek Harvey - King’s Lynn Rotary and Martin
Chilvers - Downham Rotary

Men’s Shed receive Rotary donation

Following a fascinating and informative presentation from Derek Gibbs,
a trustee of the charity, Priory Rotary have made a £250 donation to the
King’s Lynn Men’s Shed. Derek explained that the group, which started
in 2017, now has 40 members and meets twice a week on Tuesdays
and Thursdays to create items often involving intricate woodwork and
metalwork. They are largely dependent on grants and donations to
purchase equipment such as band saws, lathes, electrical equipment
etc. Derek said “as well as being an outlet for their creative skills, this is
a place where men, who are predominantly retired and often single, find
meaning and purpose. The opportunity to connect and converse and
basically enjoy each other’s company is incredibly valuable to them”.
The group is part of the international Men’s Shed Association, and is
always open to welcome newcomers.
Pictured receiving the cheque from Priory Rotary are members of the
Men’s Shed.

Treasurer and President of Mount Lavinia Rotary Club receiving Priory's donation to help their support for the distribution of food to people in need in Sri Lanka. Circumstances remain critical for much of Sri Lanka's population as the economy has all but collapsed through the effects of Covid on tourism and mismanagement by the previous Government. The new President has sought support from the IMF.

Priory's donation was very gratefully received and our help and support for the work of food distribution by Mount Lavinia Rotary Club is very much appreciated.

Mount Lavinia is near Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, and the cheque is for £250 from our general fundraising activities.

King’s Lynn’s Priory Rotary club are pleased to be supporting this year’s trip to Pleasurewood Hills, organised by the West Norfolk Community Shop on the Fairstead. The Community shop, run by Emma Brock, does a tremendous job helping the local community, and one of the highlights is an annual coach trip for local children and their families. 

This year, two coaches with around 50 children and 30 adults are setting off for a day out at Pleasurewood Hills in Great Yarmouth. The trip has been subsidised by a generous donation from King’s Lynn Priory Rotary Club, from the proceeds of their Swimarathon back in March, with additional funding accessed from the Rotary partnership with national charity KidsOut.

Thanking the Rotary, Emma said ”the kids have been eagerly looking forward to this day out, at a time when the cost of living is rising and times can be hard. Priory Rotary’s contribution has made a significant difference, enabling the trip to go ahead”.

Read more.