Giving .... the true gift of Rotary

With Christmas approaching, members from the St Ives club have been working on their Rotary Shoebox Appeal.

2018 has produced a record number of Christmas Shoeboxes to be sent to Moldova. Organiser Jackie Cox commented on this terrific effort: “A big thank you to all who helped produce such a fantastic response to this year’s Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

“In excess of 150 boxes have been donated by Hemingford WI, Thorndown Primary School, St Ivo School 6th form and Rotary/Inner Wheel members. Special men- tion must go to Ruth Moore and her granddaughter, who spent a lot of hours and effort producing 17 (seventeen!) beautifully-decorated boxes – amazing!”

All the boxes are on their way to Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, where we hope they will bring some comfort and cheer in the festive season. The success of this scheme has depended on the generosity of many, including Rotary stalwarts Moira Penney and Adrian Acton. They drove their laden cars to Bristol for the handover with their contact who will despatch the load to Eastern Europe.

As an early Christmas gift to members of Crocus Cafe, Rotarian Jill Thomas organised a coach trip to London. For people living with dementia and their carers this was a carefree and stimulating outing.

Deepings Rotary club members kindly donated £180 towards the cost of the coach meaning, with a little help from Crocus Cafe funds, each participant paid just £10. The coach dropped everyone right outside the doors of St Paul’s, Knightsbridge in time for an afternoon concert. Tenor Dominic and bass- baritone Bradley sang accompanied by John playing the grand piano. This wonderful entertainment ended with an audience singalong greatly enjoyed by all. A delicious afternoon tea, provided by volunteer steward Caroline and her helpers, was served with plenty of tasty sandwiches and a seemingly endless supply of cakes. Rotary extends a huge thank you to everyone at the church, and the artistes, for offering this first class concert and refreshments totally free of charge. The day got even better when it ended with a tour of the city by night, a chance to see the sights and enjoy the fabulous London Christmas lights.