January 2019 Newsletter

November and December Highlights

The last two months of 2018 have continued with a full Rotary programme.

Over three weeks we organised a food collection for the local Rock Foundation to feed homeless people in the town as well as a financial contribution from members of £175.  Our fortnightly Bridge Evenings organised by John Sutcliffe were a welcome diversion from the dark winter evenings. Though not a player myself I was pleased to hear that our snooker evenings continue to be held also.

Once December arrived my wife Jo organised and hosted a very successful Christmas lunch at Hall Farm Restaurant attended by 38 ladies.  Margaret Furness was presented with a gift of appreciation for the many years she has been in charge of the Coffee Mornings raising substantial sums of money for charity.  This was followed the next week by our club Christmas Lunch at the Humber Royal Hotel attended by 68 members and partners.

We also carried out our usual Christmas collections this year at Morrisons, Sainsburys and Tesco. This was a big operation organised by Philip Lumley in which most club members took part, successfully raising £1,878  from the public in loose change. This was a good effort from all involved and enables us to continue to support several local charities.

At the final lunchtime meeting of the year our guests were three young ladies from the Healing Academy whom we had sponsored for their trip to Cambodia last summer.  They regaled us with stories of their exploits which mainly involved building toilets for the local people! I would suggest you look on our website where Martyn Turner has posted a full report.  These girls were certainly not the snowflake generation we hear so much about and they were happy to help people much worse off than themselves.  We should be proud of the example they set.  Finally our three waitresses were asked to come forward thinking we had a complaint only to find the club presented them with a Christmas gratuity!

The calendar year concluded with a traditional Carol Service at Waltham All Saints church with lessons read by John Clark, Michael Gough, John Norman, Michael Bull and myself rounded off with mulled wine and warm mince pies served by my family including four grandchildren.

May I end this newsletter with good wishes from Jo and myself for a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year to you all, your families and friends.

CHRIS OLDRIDGE.

Dates for your diary

Rotary Axle Club Coffee Mornings.

16th January Pat Gibbon 10-30am.

20th February Diane Tuke 10-30am

Fellowship Team.

16/1,23/1,30/1. Robert Barton. Dennis Dunn. Richard Vivian.

6/2,13/2,20/2. John Lavin, Nick Frame, James Lockwood.

27/2, 6/3, 13/3. David Hawkes,  Gordon Bulter, John Cox.

Future Events.

5th Wednesday dinner at Hall Farm with James Long, wine raconteur. 30th January 2019.