The first meeting of the year was held on 11th January at The Pannier Pantry amongst voluble greetings and much chortling from those who attended. Many had hoped for a free meal, as our Secretary scolded those who had failed to book and reminded, much as one of the Youth Speaks team iterated, wastage is not good. You are reminded that failure to book by the specified time will not be accepted and a deadline of Tuesday is now inviolable (unless otherwise stated).
We toasted Biddeford Sacco in the normal fashion with a screening of the assembled Rotarians and guests. Reference was made to Imagine Peace Tower and the opening words uttered: “MAY WE ALL HAVE A VISION, NOW AND THEN, OF A WORLD WHERE EVERY NEIGHBOUR IS A FRIEND”. You may be surprised about the origination of the quote.
Several hungry Rotarians piled up their plates in advance of the first course of delicious soup. However, the staff had provided enough to satisfy the most avaricious of our clans. Much internal business was conducted at separate tables during the bonhomie that existed. A good start to the New Year
more A summary of other news from Bideford Rotary
more The following is an excerpt from the email received by Mike Smith from John Cleverly, the ShelterBox Marketing Director in recognition of the superb work the Club has done.
more Fun and fascinating visit to a spooky local landmark that is all set for restoration!
more Fuad speaks about his new role as the Club coordinator for ShelterBox, and its past, present and future activities.
more The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.
more A visit from District Governor Tony Williams and ADG Lyn Winter and the induction of three new members!
more A social gathering for a walk down Westward Ho!
more Supported by our Club and many others, the MIND team has had a successful ride
more Congratulations on becoming a Gold Partner Club!
more Congratulations on becoming a Gold Partner Club!
more Michael Champion visited Ilfracombe club
more An insider’s fascinating and informative talk which shed more light on current events in this troubled part of the world.
more A new format for the meeting was tried at The Thatch with the various teams sitting together to brainstorm their plans for the new year.
more A Very Different - and delicious - Handover Event!
more An expat artist and a familiar face add to the talents and diversity of the club.
more A welcoming and wonderful adventure for the Bideford Rotary team who journeyed to our partner Club in Germany; and an unexpected honour for the very deserving Brian Cooke.
more We have an award-winning poet in Michael J. Champion
more Wonderful ideas and speakers made this inaugural Multi-District Conference a huge hit with attendees.
more President Morgan introduced the 2024-25 theme, The Magic of Rotary, and outlined hopes for the coming year.
more Sunshine, Viking frolics and happily soaked participants highlighted a brilliantly successful day on Bideford Quay.
more Ruth and Carl WIlliams inducted and multiple issues were discussed
more Life talk by Susan ‘Sam’ McGregor
more Sharon organised a fun quiz with random questions about the month of May, famous people born then, where the word May came from, etc.
more The charity bridge afternoon was held on May 12th at Alwington village hall and surprisingly all 28 participants managed to find it!
more A very enjoyable evening for everyone who joined in at the Pier House for the 99th Charter dinner.
more The weather forecast was good for Thursday 30th May, but it was a bit breezy, so the competition was switched from Instow Beach to an Instow garden.
more The Essex Dancers have been showcasing their talented students and running performance showcases in all the schools in N Devon during their annual visit to the area over the past years.
more A very enjoyable puzzler of a quiz night with some very tough questions! Do you know the name of the Baltimore Bridge that was struck by a container ship? A former Club President does!
more Great boat-building workshop!
more We started with a delicious Thatch meal, and moved on to a brief business roundup in which Sharon reported on her two trips to Bideford Bridge.
more Seven of us set off (very early in the morning) heading to the China Fleet Country Club, Saltash for District 1175’s Assembly.
more On this very wet day we were delighted to meet Pete Delaney and Jules from the Rotary Club of Beverley who is cycling from Lands End to John ‘O Groats over 35 days in memory of his wife who sadly passed away from MND.
more Imaginative take on the theme of “Rebuilding”
more Wonderful work by any measure - and he’s a 6 year old!
more Help encourage an appreciation of nature in our younger generations!
more The Music Man and Microphone Magician held us enthralled with his autobiographical presentation - and he finished under the allotted 20 minutes!
more As we reflect on the past month, it's clear that our efforts have yielded significant progress and achievements.
more with Boat Building Workshop Scheduled for April 21
more A quick recap on the 7th of March business meeting
more A small group from our Club joined others Rotary Group at Moreton House
more Crocus update
more District 1175 is offering a residential youth development course on Dartmoor at the end of June.
more Jo shares a lovely email from Adam Crispin of South Molton Rotary in response to our Roundup pieces on blister packs and the Memory Cafe
more Inspiring Presentation from the North Devon Surf School on the work they do for the community
more Friday Night Fever at the Pier House in aid of Alzheimer’s!
more Cooking and talking up a storm in Tavistock!
more The goodly sum of £393.05 was raised!
more This is the reply from Terracycle following a request as to what they do with the blister packs; a nice snippet of information.
more A Rotary raffle ticket from 1963!
more Highly informative talk on Men’s Health in relation to Prostate Cancer
more Terrific result for our local teams who will go on to the District Final in Tavistock on March 2. Come along and support them!
more The Rotary Club of Barnstaple was chartered on 16 th February 1924, and 100 years later, to the day, they had a birthday party.
more Update and information on this club-supported project and an invitation to come along and be part of this wonderful and much-appreciated local resource!
more An End Polio talk by Jill Eddie and a presentation on Rotary’s 2018 trip to India to assist with national immunisation day by Mike Clarke.
more Not quite the result we hoped for!
more The British Naturalists Association has a junior section called the Young Naturalists and is run by a member of our local branch, Endymion Beer
more This past month has been truly eye-opening, especially in the realm of men's health and international humanitarian efforts.
more For the uninitiated, “Gie it laldy” roughly (and politely) translates as “make a night of it”. And we did!
more "The highlight [for me] was the Youth Speaks competition, where four teams participated and did an amazing job."
more In 1985, Rotary pledged to rid the world of polio. Rotary spearheaded the campaign at a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries. Today, the number of cases is down by 99.99%.
more It was a brave Sam Halfyard who, as the newest – and youngest - member of Rotary, stepped in at the last minute and gave his new member Life/Job Talk.
more We have had a fantastic year of support, generosity, and kindness for the Christmas Toy Bank this year and just wanted to write to say a massive thank you.
more On a beautiful winter’s morning, just a handful of people plus a well behaved dog, attended the Rotarian walk to see the birds on the RSPB reserve at Isley Marsh.
more An exciting time was had by all who attended the local heats of Youth Speaks.
more If you’d be willing to give up an hour each week during term time to go into one of our local junior schools to listen to children read, then we could use you!
more This has been a bumper month with Moirag taking 121 bras to the bank!!
more Multiple great dishes were made and we have two amazing young chefs going to Tavistock
more The donation of £500 for children's toys has been spent which will benefit 500 to 600 children
more Some thoughts on natural Christmas decorations and gifts
more Mulled Wine, Mince Pies & Friendship
more As the Christmas period approaches, it is a time for us to reflect on the importance of hope and its ability to bring light into the darkest of times.
more Unveiling Sam Halfyard's Arrival and a Heartfelt Introduction and Nostalgic Journey into some of Bideford's history
more On Friday 17th November, 8 members braved the weather and came armed with an assortment of kneelers, stools, trowels and spades to plant 4000 Purple crocus corms
more Do you enjoy being with children? Would you feel able to give up an hour each week to go into one of our local junior schools to listen to them read? If so, you’re one of the people we’re looking for!
more Arriving at 9:15 on Sunday morning with a 7-person team, we efficiently cleaned the well, revealing a much-improved scene, and completed the job by 10 am GMT, now tasked with sorting, cleaning, counting, and banking the coins with Martin.
more Bideford Rotary and the Northam Burrows Visitor Centre teamed up for a Halloween project, having children fill 30 bug boxes with materials collected by the club, creating critter shelters for winter, and earning positive feedback from parents.
more Musanze's renovated nursery in Rwanda brings joy, while Malawi-born Rebecca's dance troupe from Hartland raises £400 to aid flood-affected Ndoka villagers, ensuring funds reach their destination through Rotary connections.
more An opportunity to get to know our fellow club members. This month’s “In Focus” interview is with Euan Eddie.
more A delightful and privileged day on Exmoor with British Naturalist Association lead Brian Sims, capturing stunning images of Red Deer during the rutting season, despite unpredictable weather and challenges in locating the deer.
more After her visit to Bideford Rotary, Lyn wrote a letter to Morgan, Jo, Jill, Brian, Sharon, and the rest of us here at Rotary.
more This month, Bideford Rotary excelled with the bug boxes initiative, Mitesh Badiani's impactful SmileStar speech, and Sharon's 70s night, showcasing unwavering community support and commitment.
more Mitesh shared a compelling journey, tracing his family's roots from India to Africa, his career as a dentist in Newcastle and Torquay, and his remarkable efforts with Smile Star, a dental charity operating globally.
more Various members visited other Rotary Clubs across the country. Some even 400 miles away!
more A business meeting took an unexpected turn with technical difficulties and a last-minute laptop replacement, featured the induction of a new member with diverse talents, and welcomed back a former member for a special address.
more Brian Sims has had a particularly busy September collecting used medication blister packs.
more Evening Speaker Meeting 28th September
more Shelter Box Collection Morrisons, Bideford 16th & 17th September
more A report on the day out for Barnstaple, South Molton & Bideford Musical Memory Cafes
more Bideford Rotary Club are keen to encourage wider participation in this year’s Youth competitions.
more Evie, supported by her leader Sophie Gilbert, gave the Club a presentation
more Brian joined the club in 1986 and is our oldest, most active member.
more 21 attendees couldn’t decide if they were in Bideford or the Bahamas!
more "We celebrated a month of noteworthy achievements, impactful community service, and reinforced dedication to humanitarian causes."
more Discover how a firsthand experience with COTIE's cutting-edge technologies like VR and AR is changing perspectives on the future of work and life.
more Enjoy a unique and fun twist on the coverage from the North Devon Show 2023.
more Friday 15th September 2023, The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe
more The Community Project Team are planning a “bug box” making event on Thursday 26th October, 2-4pm (October Half Term)
more A talk by Jill Eddie, highlighting the assistance given by Rotary locally and nationally.
more You may spot a Bideford Rotarian in the wild, sporting their loud and proud “Rotarian at Work T-Shirt”
more A great meeting of members with a special “President's Appreciation” award handed out.
more This month's In Focus interview is with returning member Jack Balchin
more Discover how our £500 grant transformed into a cherished library for refugee children, bringing comfort and inclusivity to young lives during turbulent times.
more Our revamped "Roundup", formerly known as our monthly bulletin, has become popular among members and friends, gaining a global reach!
more It’s unbelievable how quickly weeds grow!
more Introducing Rotary International's seventh area of focus
more Jill and Euan share details of their visit to The Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco
more A record turnout, with two new members inducted
more A story of commemoration, healthy competition, fun and victory!
more A summary of what has been achieved by the RIBI Ukraine Taskforce
more An insightful talk by one of our new Rotarians
more We are collecting for Against Breast Cancer Charity.
more A very well attended Business Meeting with 29 people present, including three guests.
more Bideford Rotary Club took to Victoria Park to weed the rose beds.
more End of year Review of the 49th Annual Bideford Water Festival
more Who is Morgan Taylor, the chap in charge at the ripe old age of 24?