Business & Fellowship 11th July 2017

In a new push to concentrate on boosting good and deserving causes in the area, the new President of Rhyl Rotary Club is to invite local charities to come along and tell the club just how they can best help. President Keith Roberts told the first general meeting of members at Faenol Fawr since taking up office for a second time, that he was particularly keen to focus the next year’s charitable agenda on supporting the many organisations doing such marvellous work in Rhyl and district. “Over the years the Rhyl club has helped raise many tens of thousands of pounds which has been distributed to all kinds of worthy causes, while world-wide the Rotary movement has contributed countless millions, notably to eradicate polio from the face of the earth,” he explained. “We are proud to have played our part but now I want us to look closer to home and to identify in which ways we can be of greatest benefit. To ensure we have a broad picture of how we can most effectively direct our fund-raising activities, I would welcome all organisations, societies, charities and individuals getting in touch and taking full advantage of this fresh chance to make their case to us directly.” He said: “The better we know what the priorities are and the kind of backing we might be able to provide, the greater chance there is of assisting our local community.” Wasting no time in getting his charitable programme on the road, the President urged members, friends and families, including children, to come along to his first “Party in the Paddock” event, taking place at his home at Llannerch Park, near Tweedmill, this Sunday, July 23. In addition to strawberry and cream teas, a host of side events for all ages, from trampolines, fun games and competitions will be on offer for three hours from 2-30pm. Senior vice-president John Hickerton also outlined proposals for another planting of thousands of colourful crocuses and also small trees after first canvassing local schools who might wish to participate, using suitable locations on land in and around the school. Again charities will be the beneficiaries of another customer collection at the Asda superstore on Friday August 4 while secretary Gordon Marshall announced that an open-ended canvass of all members will shortly be taking place to ascertain in what future direction the club should be moving. “We want to hear the views of all members on a wide range of aspects, such as frequency of meetings, convenience and methods of communications and really everyone’s individual likes and dislikes in general,” he explained. All responses to the comprehensive questionnaire will be treated in strict confidence and used to form the basis for a detailed analysis of the opinions received, to be put to the club for a decision in a few months’ time.