Wishing Well

Rotary Wishing Well

The Aberystwyth Rotary club’s Wishing Well, located on the North Promenade opposite the Marine Hotel  was built with the aim of providing holiday makers and the people of Aberystwyth an opportunity to indulge in the age old custom of making a wish whilst at the same time, contributing to a local community charity fund.
As the verse on the canopy says;
Yn awr o’m bodd ar ddydd o ha, / One wish, one coin, as here I pause,
Estynnaf rodd at achos da. / Cheers and helps a worthy cause.

Based on a design by Rtn Francis Jones, and following a long drawn out and exhausting process, the Borough Council finally approved the design and granted planning permission.  Rtns Bill Slater and Viv Morris were largely responsible for translating the design into the construction you see today. It was opened in 1967.
All the proceeds are donated to charity .Rtn Huw Spencer Lloyd organised a sponsored walk for the first fund-raising
In 2009 Rotary International embarked on a worldwide scheme to eliminate Polio and Aberystwyth Rotary club chose to make regular and substantial  commitments to this cause utilising the money from the well to supplement their contribution.  When this outstandingly successful  international scheme closed in 2012, the Wishing Well had contributed c.£3,500 of the total £6,742 the club donated to this charity
The Wishing Well is managed (cleaning and retrieving the money) by Rotarians on a monthly rota (see below)
 
                  All the money collected from the Wishing Well is now donated to Water Aid

click here to visit Water Aid

Wishing Well procedures and monthly rota

Before working on the well, please ensure you are wearing rubber gloves to protect against unknown additives in the water !
The results from the well are most productive when it is emptied every two weeks.
Collect the “Wishing Well Kit” including the padlock key from the previous months steward.
Empty the water from the well and retrieve the money.
Clean out the well and the display boards.
Apply WD40 to the padlock and re-lock
Refill the well with clean water.
At home, sterilise the money with boiling water and bleach.
Sort the coins, bag appropriately, and record the amounts.
Pass the coins and record sheet to the treasurer.
Pass on  the “Wishing Well Kit” to the next steward.

Wishing Well Rota 2022
July                    Lesley Evans-Worthing               
August               Robin Varley           
September         Alun Rees
October              Huw Spencer Lloyd  
November          John Davies   
December          John Harries  
2023
January               Dewi Hughes               
February             Martin Davies   
March                 Howard Jones                  
April                    Hywel Davies      
May                    Colin Fletcher
June                   Dafydd Evans