6 days till we launch Coats4Kids 2023

After such a successful winter last year, we are all ready to make this year even better. We are aiming to provide more than 2,000 children living in poverty within the UK a brand new winter coat. However we can’t do it without your help.

Would you like to gift a brand new winter coat to a child living in poverty within the UK? Would you like to make sure a child arrives at school warm and ready for learning?

If the answer is yes, then please buy a voucher and we will do the rest.

You can choose where your voucher goes:

• to a primary school of your choice

• to a local primary school

• to any primary school within the UK.

Our vouchers are just £25 each. This will ensure that the child has a good quality winter coat delivered directly to their door just like their friends would.

If you can’t afford £25 but would still like to give please donate using our TotalGiving page.

TotalGiving™ - Coats4Kids - The Rotary E Club Of District 1070 - Fundraising Page

D1175 Finds Out about C4K

This weekend we were out spreading the word. After a very successful launch in D1070 we have taken Coats4Kids nationally!

Mr Motivator learnt about our project and agrees it is needed.

We spoke to everyone that would listen. 9 different clubs were interested in hearing more about the project and hopefully joining us in giving new winter coats to children living in poverty within their district.

As part of our preparation for this conference, we did find the Joseph Rowntree report on Poverty 2023 and we were saddened to hear that the statistic of 1 in 5 children living in poverty has now increased to 1 in 4. Our project is hoping to give these children warmth, set them up for being ready to learn and fit in with others on the playground.

If you would like to find out more about Coats4Kids then please do get in touch: coats4kids@rotaryeclub1070.org

Our help is still needed for Ukraine and its children!

An example of the bus we are looking at buying

We have now for nearly 1 year worked with the Canada Way. Every time they go into Ukraine they are still finding people that need our help. This week they have reached out as they have a big ask as they have found a big need. In Western Ukraine, there is a centre that is providing daily support for 24 children with special educational needs. This centre was government funded but since the war the funding has stopped; it is now fully funded by the volunteers. Currently they have to hire a mini bus and do three trips in the morning and three trips in the afternoon to get the 24 children to and from the centre. They also have a child that is wheelchair bound who cannot access the centre as there is no way to get him there. Please check out our TotalGiving page and give what you can:

TotalGiving™ - Ukraine Children's Rehabilitation Bus - The Rotary E Club Of District 1070 - Fundraising Page

Our goal is £9,500 we know this is a lot of money but it will give 24 children access to daily provision in a time that has already been so disrupted by a conflict that they didn’t ask to be part of. Because of their needs these children and their families don’t have the choice to leave and start again somewhere else so please help us to help them.

Our plan is to raise the money ASAP. Fill the bus with aid and drive it over to Ukraine then hand over to the centre.

Give what you can.

Share far and wide.

Remember that this conflict isn’t over!

Spreading Some Christmas Cheer!

When one of our Rotarians heard that ‘some’ cut flowers needed to find a new home or they would be binned we put out a call of action to our members. Who would appreciate a little bit of the outside inside at this time of year? Residents of care homes.

Within a few hours of us hearing about the flowers, we had found 7 care homes that were really appreciative of the sunshine that these flowers gave the residents. We picked up 140 bunches of flowers and found them very nice homes.

The homes that received flowers were:

• Ashurst Mews Care Home, Moulton

• Brampton View Residential Home, Northampton

• Ridgeway House Care Home, Towcester

• Moorefields Care Home, Towcester

• Malt House Court Care Home, Towcester

• Baycroft Residental Home, Kempston

• St John’s Care Home, Northampton

Each home gratefully received 20 bunches of flowers.

Rotary service doesn’t have to take months of planning. Sometimes a few hours out of your day and a few phone calls can make a big impact in other people’s lives.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

On August 28th, several members of our club (eClub of District 1070), including District Governor, Steve Howe, travelled to Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire to meet the young people who were taking part in this year’s RYLA programme. We were particularly keen to meet up with Luton Stonier who was being sponsored by our club.

This year our district was unable to secure an event of our own due to an insufficient number of candidates. However, we were grateful to be invited by District 1080 to join in with their programme this summer.

We were all hugely impressed by the warm reception of the staff. We were able to go down to the lake to see the participants in some of the water activities which were going on that day. After a presentation by the programme leader, we met with Luton who told us about a night walk, canoeing and sailing - all new activities to him. He said that he had thoroughly enjoyed those activities, but we knew that there was so much more to come. 

When Luton returned after finishing his week on RYLA, he was full of stories and tales and said that, even though he had never been quite so tired in his life, he was so grateful to have been selected to take part in something that he felt was lifechanging in so many ways. It’s given him confidence and direction and a desire to follow up on activities that he took part in and continue the friendships he had made. 

We look forward to hearing from him in the next few weeks as he presents to our club.

In past years, several of our members have introduced young people to RYLA. For each of them, the difference it made, both in their personal and professional lives, is remarkable and has set them on a positive path for future development. It gave them the tools to become leaders and the confidence to flourish as they continue their journey into adulthood. 

Our club is fully behind the programme and strongly recommend other clubs to sponsor as many young adults as possible into the RYLA programme.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership program coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the globe. Each year, thousands of young people are chosen to participate in this highly selective program. Young people aged 18 to 26 are sponsored by Rotary Clubs to attend the event run by the club's district committee. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential. Rotary Clubs and the Rotary District cover all expenses for the participants. The format of the event varies from District to District, but commonly take the form of a seminar, camp, or workshop to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event's curriculum.

RYLA aims to: 

• Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth.

• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders.

• Encourage leadership of youth by youth.

• Recognise publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities.

Every RYLA program covers the following core topics: 

• Fundamentals of leadership

• Ethics of positive leadership

• Importance of communication skills in effective leadership

• Problem-solving and conflict management

• Rotary's purpose and service to the community

• Building self-confidence and self-esteem

• Elements of community and global citizenship

May we present this year's District Governor

We are extremely proud to have the 2022-2023 District Governor Steve Howe as part of our club. The entire club is behind you and we know that you will continue to drive our district into the future. Steve already has many club visits booked in and his conference at Drayton Manor is looking like one of the best the district has seen.

DG Steve Howe holding a signed print from Rotary International President Jennifer Jones I am sure will see this when he visits clubs. Also pictured from left to right Rtn Lynn, President Barry and President Nominee Val, Steve’s wife.

Welcome to the new Rotary Year!

We had an amazing time of fellowship at President Barry’s house. During this time President Barry laid out his plans for the upcoming year. We ate, drank, reflected on the year and looked forward to the next.

Two of our Rotarians were awarded Paul Harris Fellows. Past President Annette for not only supporting IPP Barry W but also for her dedication and determination to the club. Louise has been in many disctrict roles and has set up Rotary Readers; supports children to improve their reading skills. This PHF was well over due.

Val became our President Nominee.

Annette handed the President baton over to Barry H.

Here Barry is passing on the Past President dongle to Annette.

Every year at handover the Steve Howe Shield for Rotarian of the Year is presented. This year it went to a Rotarian who has put her entire life on hold to help others. Tracey has been selflessly supporting the refugees in Poland and continues to do so. We are very proud of her and definitely deserves this award. Unfortunately she was unable to be with us so her daughter accepted the award on her behalf.

Angela accepting the Steve Howe shield for Tracey.

Working Together

Having someone on the ground where the needs are high allows us to know what is needed NOW.

We have met some amazing ‘everyday people’ who have pressed pause on their everyday lives and headed to Poland and other places to help the Ukrainians. Over the next few days, continue to check out our website as we will be sharing stories of those that we have met and helped along the way.

Today we are going to meet Marc.

Meet Marc

Not a Rotarian, but is surely putting service above self.

‘Seeing the destruction and trauma that has been imposed on the people of Ukraine I decided I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. I came to Poland to try and help in any way I could. I arrived in Krakow and hired a large car.

I go wherever I can provide the most support. I transport Ukrainians to safe accommodation within Poland, to visa centres to help their journey to start a new life in the UK, fellow volunteers to places they need to go and purchase and transport supplies for the crisis centres. The supplies I buy vary from day to day. It might be water, food, baby food, toiletries, clothing, sleeping bags, or anything that is needed.

I intended to stay in Poland for a week but seeing the need here I knew I couldn’t go back. I now have my own car in Poland and intend on making this a long term vocation. This is only possible thanks to the incredibly generous support of organisations like the Rotary E-Club of District 1070 who are able to help fund the fuel and supplies that are so vitally needed.’

We were grateful that we could help Marc by funding some of his support through purchasing fuel and goods. We would like to thank Marc for what he is doing and allowing us to help him.

Don’t forget to check back in to see who else we have met.

Making Peoples' Lives Better

Due to the rapid changing situation on the ground, you never know who is going to walk in the door next, what they will need, can you help them or if you can’t, can you find someone that can.

Often volunteers will come into the centre and then be gone. Either because its time for them to go home or they have found a need for them to do good somewhere else. Sometimes we are able to get contact details and pictures but sometimes we are not.

‘Just to let you know that the tank of fuel that you provided us with was well spent.  Yesterday we arrived at a refugee centre to find that a bus that had been due to take people to a nearby train station had not turned up.  We did four trips to the station in conjunction with a UN Representative and got over 40 people to the next step on their journey.  We then took 8 children and three adults to Warsaw also for the UN Representative.’

Francis Wilderman

Just because we don’t get pictures, find out where they are from or what they do in ‘normal times’ doesn’t mean that what they have done or are doing isn’t worth sharing. We will always endeavor to get photos as they seem to have more impact than words.

We are in a time that none of us ever dreamed we would ever witness but we are baring witness to it. We need to ensure that everyone’s words are captured and everyone’s stories are shared. We have to be the change and we will be the change if we continue to do what we can to make peoples’ lives better.

Serve To Change Lives

You don’t have to be a Rotarian to do good in the world but it does help. We are a service organisation that is there when needed. As a club we are here to help everyone that needs it. One way that we are helping today is by sponsoring Ross, a driving instructor, to help others in Poland. That’s right, we are helping someone to help someone else. Doing good for others really can do lots of good for yourself.

Ross is travelling to Pzysmel, Poland to join Tracey, our Rotarian that is still volunteering. He is taking 64kg of donations that we have gathered from our Amazon Wish List and baggage that has also been collected.

In the last week the centre gave out 1,209 suitcases and bags. Not everyone gets a bag due to limited availability. The elderly, disabled and those with small children are prioritised for suitcases.

We are still collecting donations that we can take over and have more Rotarians travelling out in June to continue our Clubs support for the Ukrainian refugees.

Please help by buying something from our Amazon Wish List. These are delivered directly to us so we can get them to those that need them.

Do you have bags that would be good for transporting belongings? We ideally need gym bags, duffle bags, back packs and any other type of zipped bag.

Click the button, fill in the form and we will be in touch.

COATS4KIDS

We are EXTREMLY excited to officially announce our COATS4KIDS project!

Did you know that there are more than 1.1 million children living in poverty in the UK?*

For these families buying a new winter coat for their children is probably not very high on their priorities. Not when compared to paying for heating or buying food. There are many charities and things that schools can do to help with food and uniforms but not for coats. This is where Coats4Kids will step in.

Coats4Kids will give children a brand new coat. We won’t do it with a big song and dance we will simply give them a new coat. Working with schools throughout the UK we are able to identify the children in need, these are not always those on free school meals. We will provide a gift voucher which will allow them to visit our dedicated website, in September and October, where they can purchase a coat for their child, hopefully consulting with them first. The coats on offer will be of good quality and produced to last, meaning that their siblings could also use these coats.

There are many good second-hand coats that we could have used for this project but these are given a stigma and can be known as the ‘charity coat’. We don’t want that for these children, chances are this will be one of the only new things that they get. Now, think about how you feel when you get a new pair of shoes or a new suit. It makes you walk a bit taller, have more confidence and just feel a bit better about yourself.

Children cannot learn if they are not ready to learn. When they are worrying about keeping warm on the way to school or at playtime they cannot possibly be ready to learn.

By supporting Coats4Kids you will be:

• keeping a child warm and dry

• improve a child’s self confidence

• prevent bullying

• take pressure off of a family that is barely making ends meet

• aid a child in being ready to learn

Ukraine/Poland Update

We are still on the frontline.

Our Rotarians are still helping to support those Ukrainians that have just made it to safety. The center in Pzysmel, Poland 8km from the border is as busy as ever. Everyday more and more people have crossed that have been in hiding since the start of the war. These people have ran out of food and water so no longer have a choice. Many of them are unaware that this help and support is available for them as they have been cut off from everything apart from the sounds of war.

More and more elderly, disabled and children with additional needs are arriving. The center and volunteers are very quick to respond to the needs of the refugees and are adapting to support them. Children with autism that require a private are were build a room within the large area in order to provide this.

Suitcases are still as valuable as gold. Due to the limited numbers the volunteers are being selective to those that are given a suitcase. Elderly, disabled and those with small children are prioitised.

We have been supporting a group of individuals that are hearing about areas that aid is not getting to because it is too far from the cities. So they are finding what is needed, sourcing it and taking it into Ukraine. They are being guided by two UN workers who are also volunteering their time to make sure the requests are legitimate and safe.

The shifts within the centre are long but they are worth it as you are helping these people that have lost everything

Would you like to help?

We realise that not everyone is able to go to Poland and help these people however there are ways that you can help.

We have created a wish list with Amazon for the things that we need. These will be taken to Poland when I return.

We are continuing to make educational resources. We would love every child in the centre to receive one however this is a lot of work.

If you are able to help then please do get in touch. Press the button, fill the form in and let us know how you can help.

Since Returning Home

After returning home without my Mum I told everyone I could about my experience.

Our club hosted our Bespiced cooking experience that evening and I shared briefly, with our guests, what I had been up to.

The following morning I was contacted by a Rotarian that had been at the cooking event. He and six other families from his club had signed up to sponsor Ukraine people in their homes. However they were unable to contact or find families to sponsor. Within a few hours I had contacted the centre in Poland and we were ready to match families. How to do this has now been sent out to all Rotarians in the UK and we are helping to match families daily.

I know that my Mum is coming home but I know that she is also going back to Poland to help for as long as she can. So once again we have been making educational resources ready for her to take them back.

After being at the centre I know that there is now a need for things that we might not have been aware of before:

• suitcases or good quality shopping bags to carry their belongings - some are in carrier bags

• blow up balls - yes you did read that right. The children just want to play unfortunately they are not very accurate within the confines of the centre so these will not hurt those adults sitting around chatting.

• colouring books and crayons - they don’t require a sharpener, they will keep the children entertained for ages and they don’t take up too much room in their belongings

• face paints - this allows the children to have a bit of fun and a bit of normal.

There are other things that are needed but these are things that we can get hold of quickly and get them back to Poland in our checked luggage.

Mum did come home for a few days to recharge her batteries and pick up the supplies that we had made or collected.

At the moment we have raised £435 through the badges and donations and we have secured a district grant for £2000. This is going to be spent on getting people to their temporary homes as all of the Ukraine’s that I spoke to want to go back home they have no intention of staying where they are going to. Having my Mum on the ground also means that we will know exactly what is needed and get it to them quickly.

This is not the end of our journey as I am already preparing for my return trip that will happen when my passport comes back.

Daily updates from Poland

Day 1

Wow what a day. We arrived and after finally getting our hire car, we were off.
The World Central Kitchen didn't have any shifts today so we went to a hotel that we heard were organising volunteers. The lovely lady there didn't have anything for us so suggested we go to Tesco. There is a shopping centre that has been emptied of the business and turned into a centre. We found out how to register and off we went into the centre.
My words will not do this place justice. It can facilitate 1300 people at one time and it is mostly full ALL the time. Refugees are brought here from the boarder and registered. If they know where they want to go next, they are given a worker who helps them find a way and sort out any visas. They are then given a bed (camping cot) and clean bedding. Everything in the centre, except for the pharmacy, is FREE. There is a kids club also that gives the mums a bit of a break. There are multiple food outlets and facilities to shower.
Is this what I expected? No. The people here are just like you and me. They are only here because it is unsafe at home. There are all ages here and from all sorts of backgrounds. Also I didn’t expect the amount of people and this is only one location between 1,000 - 5,000 people a day pass through here. Some stay for a few hours others for a few days.

How am I communicating? I only speak English but I can SMILE and that is a universal language. Today I met a little boy called Colin, about 7, we chatted for a bit and then on my next loop around the centre he was gone, I wish him well.

Mostly we emptied bins today and sanitised them and thats okay because ANYTHING we can do WILL help. After about 6 hours we headed to our lodgings on the other side of town.

Day 2

Day two at the Tesco centre.
We have just finished an 11 hour shift! When we arrived we stripped out and cleaned the large bedroom, 350 beds. Moping, sanitising and rearranging ready for the room to open again at 2pm.

Some people have taken busses to their next destination others are still waiting.

The language barrier was a bit trickier today but with lots of hand gestures we were able to communicate. By 8pm all the beds had gone. We then made another area to take more people after this it will be the corridors.

I spent some time in the mother and baby room today. May of held a baby or two so their mums could go to the loo. Amongst all the commotion and activity inside this room is very calm.
We ran out of pillows today and were very close to running out of blankets.
There is a Dutch company that are providing chips, sausages and chicken nuggets and an Italian place that do delicious pizza that kept us going today.

My body is aching but my heart is full. We helped many people today and that is humbling. Time for a rest and back to it again tomorrow.

Day 3

Today has been the hardest. We went in this morning and cleaned and organised the big room as we expected. Throughout the day we told people to come back at 2pm.

At 2pm we had the biggest queue that we had ever had with weary, tired people just wanting somewhere to rest their heads. We gave out a few beds, when a woman appeared and told us that the government has said this room cannot open today till 8pm. These people need to get on busses and leave. It absolutely broke our hearts to turn these people away. A smile did not cut it!

We did lots of apologising and had to send people away. We did our best to find people beds in other places but this wasn't enough.

We took five and then got back to it.

I helped to reorganise the mother and baby room and we have 120 beds in there for mums with under 3s. When I left there were only 3 empty beds.

After a 14 hour shift we are done for the day. To our bed to rest and then back to it again tomorrow.

Day 4

We went shopping in the morning for face paint and makeup which is used at a station in the centre to entertain the children and teenagers. However these were very hard to find so we bought sanitary products and bubbles instead.

Upon returning to the centre I ended up in the mother and baby room again where I might have gotten into a bit of trouble due to a decision that I made. I refused to separate a 15 year old boy from his mum and baby brother and gave them a bed in the room. I was told if anyone complained I'd have to deal with it. Noone did :) There was no way that due to the boys height, he was quite tall, that I would separate him from his mother. She was clearly exhausted and just needed to rest.

While in the room a young mother asked me to find a way to get her to a hostel that she had a room for one week in. I found a driver, Dan a teacher from London, for two young mums and their babies to go to a hostel 2 hours away and part of our donated funds paid for the fuel to get them there. They have gone to a lovely place with other mums and babies, they were very grateful.

Dan is a volunteer like me who wanted to make a difference so booked a flight and here he was taking two small separated families to safety and at least a week of peace.

Yet again there was drama in the big room. We were told that the last train had left for Warsaw so they would have to get the buss at 3am for 4am train. So we started giving out beds. Guess what? Government lady not happy again. Need to find out how many are for Poland or undecided locations. I took a translator, Alex a Ukrainian refugee that is volunteering all day long while waiting to come to the UK, and we asked each family where are they going. Out of the whole room there were only 36 people that were for Poland or undecided. So a special bus was put on to take them to the train station as there are trains till 8pm. Apparently we just call the fire brigade and they bring a bus, we didn't know this. Anyway we sorted them out and on their way. Up until 8pm if they are undecided or staying in Poland they must get on a bus. The bus will take them to the train station where they are put on a train to some where further into Poland.

Dan arrived back and had found three Germans that had driven over with a minibus full of aid, can we unload it? Of course. I go and organise the trolleys. While doing this they tell me they would like to take 7 people back to Germany in the morning, Excellent! So we arrange this too, by the way all drivers and dwellings are properly vetted before people can leave.

Dan leaves or so I thought. About half an hour later I hear my name. Dan has found a man working at the kitchen outside that has LOTS of money to donate to help disabled adults and children, especially with trauma counselling. Well I just happen to know of a project in Romania and Moldova that is doing that! So took his details and will be passing them on.

To end the day I handed out what resources we had left to the children in the big room. The smiles on their faces was priceless. All in all it was a jam packed day.

Day 5 Time to leave and return home

We got back very late last night and I had to get up and out to the airport. As you can see only ONE passport and boarding pass. Mum is staying a bit longer! All I can say is that yesterday was a complete roller coaster with every up and down you can think of. I am leaving Poland with a very full heart but also a broken one for the Ukrainians who are wonderful people. I cannot wait to come back.

Read on tomorrow to hear what has happened since I have returned home.

Can't sit at home watching the news.

When the war in Ukraine started I felt that I had to do something to help. I wanted to get a van and fill it with resources then drive it to Poland, its only 16 hours. No everyone said, you need special paperwork.

I then thought I’d fundraise so created some badges and keyrings that I could use to raise money. I sold these at conference and raised over £100 in 2 hours.

That was a great start but I wanted to do more. I had the Easter holiday approaching and our two children are grown and not likely to be home so I looked for other ways I could help.

Through Facebook I learned about the World Central Kitchen. In Przemysl, Poland they are making 35,000 meals a day. These are either sent into Ukraine, sent to the reception centre that was a Tesco, sent to the train station or sent to the boarder. I thought that this would be an excellent way for me to really help. I can peel potatoes and this would really help the displaced Ukrainians.

With all that in mind I booked a flight. Up on hearing I was going my mum wanted to join me too.

After talking to a parent at school about the education of these displaced children, I started thinking how we could support this, especially while I was there. Kingsthorpe Grove Primary School donated the printing of resources that I decided to make. Members of the club then spent 150 hours creating resources that I would take with me. We made 132 sets of resources.

With some sweets and educational resources packed we headed out to Poland.

Please read tomorrows installment to find out what happened next.

Coats4Kids Online Cook Along - BeSpiced By Rashmita

On Saturday night many of us tuned in from the comfort of our own kitchen’s to cook along with Rashmita. Rashmita is a bespoke cook with a wealth of knowledge and passion for good tasting food. This spectacular night was our first official fundraiser for Coats4Kids.

Through our Coats4Kids campaign, we WILL provide new coats for 1.1 million children in the UK that are living in extreme poverty.

A new coat? You might be thinking that there are other things we could be giving them. But a new warm waterproof coat is much more than a piece of clothing.

It allows children to worry about what they will be learning not how they will keep warm and dry.

It will allow them to feel like other children in their class.

It will allow them to feel good.

It will allow them to run around and play at playtime with their peers.

Think about it, when you buy a new pair of shoes or new shirt they make you walk a bit taller, they make you feel good. Children that feel good about themselves are able to learn better.

Want to hear more about Coats4Kids then why not get in touch.

To find out more about Rashmita check out her Facebook page.

Missed out on the cook along? No need to worry the online experience recording will be available to purchase shortly from our shop.

Queen's Green Canopy planting

This weekend 12 Rotarians from our club travelled to Wicksteed Park to help plant trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy. We were asked to come with our muscles ready as everything else would be provided for us. Rotarian Elizabeth organised this event which was much need in getting us out in the fresh air and planting trees that will be there for years to come. It seems like a long time since our club had been out in the open due to the pandemic. Luke, the park ranger, met us and guided us to the area that had been set aside for the Queen’s Green Canopy trees. The area had been well planned and we were able to identify what needed going where by colour coded stakes. Throughout the morning we were able to plant 150 saplings which ranged from rowan, silver birch, wild cherry, common oak and grey willow. Each sapling was given a tree guard which will prevent rabbits and mice from eating them. Mulch was also placed around each sapling to provide not only nutrition but further protection.

This was an excellent opportunity for some of our longstanding members to meet face to face with some of our newer members. One Rotarian had been coming to Wicksteed Park since they were young and their children and grandchildren have also enjoyed time here. We hope that his great grandchildren will be able to enjoy the trees that we have planted. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and are going to return later in the year to maintain them so that they can grow into great big trees.

If you would like to help us with maintaining the trees or other projects like this then please contact us and we would welcome your support.

Charity Ball Advice and Reassurance

To book your tickets please click here.

This evening we met with Molly and Anne from Vicki’s Charity Ball Team to offer support and advice on how to make their charity ball a success.

Unfortunately Molly lost her mum to breast cancer, Vicki, during the Covid pandemic. Due to the restrictions at the time the family and friends were unable to celebrate her life. Now that restrictions have been lifted, they couldn’t think of a better way to honour her memory than to hold a charity ball where they could eat, drink, be merry and raise money for local charities. The ball will support two local cancer charities: The Lewis Foundation who provide activity packs for adults while having treatment in hospital and Breast Friends Northampton who support people that have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Through our online discussion we found out that they are already well on their way to having a very successful ball.

We advised on:

• advertising

• budgeting

• raffle/auction

• card reader for taking payments on the night

We are still at the end of an email or call if they need any further support.

If you are planning an event and would like our help or support then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sunday, Sunshine and Seeds

Members and volunteers of our club set about preparing the wild flower meadow for the coming winter months. Once again we have had some excellent feedback from the local community regarding the positive impact the meadow has had on people’s mental health and the environment.

We set about raking off the old and tired meadow, gathering up armfuls of previous leaves and flower stems. As well as, saving a couple of frogs that were hiding in the undergrowth!

Once finished, the area was mowed by an enthusiastic 2 year old and his Dad using a ride on mower, while we had a quick cuppa and chat about future events of our vibrant club. When District Governor Nominee, Steve Howe took the hand held mower - the Meadow was being tended to by 3 generations of the same family. (his grandson and driver had just used the sit on mower!) We really are a Family club!

Once the ground was ready Past President Barry Woods scattered new seeds that had been collected and donated by club members.

We can’t wait to see our meadow in full bloom next spring- why not pop along there’s signage all about the flowers. With all the insects and pollenating bees - it’s gonna be really Buzzin’