ROTARY CLUB OF CHURCH AND OSWALDTWISTLE
CHILDREN and parents in Oswaldtwistle and adjoining districts will see Santa and his sleigh tour the streets for the next three weeks.
Members and friends of the Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary will assist Santa in bringing a real festive atmosphere to the town, as they have done for the past 30 years.
The sleigh has been refurbished and looks very smart in its new livery and illuminated signs together with a better sound system.
Lyndon Heap, president of the club paid this tribute, saying: “Ken Freeman, fundraising chairman, has done a magnificent job in improving the appearance of the sleigh.
“Also it is pleasing that during the next three weeks all club Rotarians and Friends will be turning out in force.
“In addition we are being helped in a big way as many companies and organisations are providing volunteers to work with Rotarians as collectors as Santa tours the streets of Church and Oswaldtwistle.”
Ken Freeman said: “Taking Santa and the sleigh around the district truly shows the real face of Rotary and thanks to the public the amount raised, usually in excess of £3,000, is our largest contributor to our annual fundraising amount, all of which goes to local and national charities and good causes.”
The first evening starts on Monday, December 3, with the final outing being on Wednesday, December 19.
For people who have online facilities they can check out the daily route by visiting the website: candorotary.org.uk.
As an alternative, ring Ken Freeman on 07935 352 861.
On Sunday, December 2, Santa and his sleigh will be attending Aspen Fold for their impressive display of Christmas lights.
Door-to-door evening collections will be arranged on Tuesday, December 11. There are also two attendances at Asda and Tesco in Accrington, in addition a number of schools in the Oswaldtwistle area will be visited.
Please note that, as always, Santa will be handing out sweets and chocolates.
If your child has an allergy to such things, please ensure your child does not take any sweets or chocolates from Santa without your supervision. MEMBERS of Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary, together with Friends of Rotary and family relatives, recently ran a charity race night with the proceeds going to an international vision project.
The event was held at St Andrew’s CE Primary School when approximately 60 people enjoyed a fun evening with a difference.
This race evening was all about audience participation with the wooden horses having to be manually wound to move the horses along the track. Over the course of the evening six races were held with four horses taking part in every race.
At the beginning of each race the horses were auctioned off with the winning owners being able to choose their ‘jockey’.
Bets were then placed at the tote and the horse which was wound in first was declared the winner.
The winning owner and the jockey each received a prize.
The race evening was organised by a small team led by Rotarian Barbara Dawson, without doubt this was a really grand evening with everyone joining in, and at half time a pie and peas supper was served.
The success of the evening can be measured by the net proceeds which achieved £950.
The proceeds will be going to Rotary Vision 2020, a project inspired by club Rotarian Harun Miah.
A two-year project partnered up with the Rotary club of Sylhet Central in Bangladesh to help and change the lives of the poor who are avoidably blind.
Lyndon Heap, president of Church and Oswaldtwistle Rotary, said: “Top marks should go to Barbara Dawson and her Team, who organised and ran the event, which was a real success.
“A special mention should go to Friend of Rotary Neville Wilkinson, who acted as MC throughout the evening, setting the right tone and creating a great atmosphere.
“I also wish to thank everyone who took part and helped to raise the magnificent sum of £950, which is a great contribution to our Rotary Vision 2020 project.”