Week 17 – Around & About

Club Visits since July 1                                                         54

Rotary Engagements since July 1                                         127

Official Club Visits with Chicken dinner since July 1                 8 !!

Monday saw Joan & I off to Badgemore Park Golf Club for the annual “Meet the Scholars” evening.  Great to see all 13 scholars there, this year our Oxford & Reading contingent being supplemented by students at LSE and Westminster (but sadly no Brunel this year).  As ever a super evening, brilliantly organised by David Barnett & his team, with special mentions to all those who have become counsellors for our visitors for their time here.

Double bill on Tuesday – RC Bracknell for lunch – pretty close to a full turnout of members, a club punching well above its’ weight with a full programme of Rotary service funded by their terrific Three Counties bike ride.  President Alan leading the team again this year with Club Visioning completed and all set for a great future.

Out to RC Eynsham in the evening – great example of a new club (just a couple of years old) but already entrenched in the heart of community action and a breathtaking portfolio of local involvement combined with a very clear eye on leading an international global grant project involving other clubs.  President Harold has his work cut out keeping up with his members!!

When I first joined my own club we had a tradition of yearly exchange visits with my Wednesday evening hosts, RC Cookham Bridge.  For some reason these seem to have fallen away, but many of us commented on my visit how good it would be to revive that tradition.  President Steve leads a thriving club with a focus on solid achievement.  Good to see RYLA participant Laura reporting back to them as well.

 

Thursday lunchtime at RC Marlow, always a pleasure.  You can tell a great Rotary club by the level of good-humoured banter directed at anyone who might be seen to command any sort of pretence of authority and this was no exception.  Also great to see a club that’s built up a good idea into a teeming horde of 2000+ Santas closing the streets – so looking forward to December 1^st!!  Oh, and while they’re having all this fun they’re also raising huge amounts for charity!

Come Friday, once we’d corrected the problem that the satnav caused trying to get us there (Reading has some of the NARROWEST roads to have to reverse back down!) we really enjoyed RC Reading Maiden Erlegh’s Art Festival.  You know that feeling when you think you’re going to something much smaller than it turns out to be – well this was certainly one; with an overspill into a second hall, the number of artists and the variety of work on show was tremendous – great show, trust that it sold as much as it deserved to!

Week 16 – Variety is the Spice of Life

Club Visits since July 1                                                         50

Rotary Engagements since July 1                                         120

Official Club Visits with Chicken dinner since July 1                 8 !!

Couldn’t find a common theme for this week, so it’s been a very varied week – if there is a common theme, then it’s probably common for most weeks – the M40 – well it’s difficult to avoid really, from where I live there aren’t too many visits or engagements that don’t take in the M40 at some point in the journey!

Monday I was off to RC Burford & Windrush Valley, one of the further-flung from home.  I usually comment that no one goes to Rotary for the culinary experience, but I have to say that this meal was the best I’ve had so far at a club, even though the main course was chicken!  One of our smaller clubs but on the road to recovery this year under President Richard’s leadership we have every hope.

Tuesday it was off to Shillingford Bridge Hotel for the second time in three weeks at RC Wallingford, Sinodun & District.  Stable membership, actively encouraging other clubs, facing the future with determination under President Michael, taking the reins again.

Strayed out of the District on Wednesday – off up to Alcester for my first attendance at an RIBI Committee Meeting – Foundation.  Lively & committed group of members with just a single aim – to help the clubs in RIBI to make our charity work for them. 


But in the evening a treat for all the members of MY club – we were entertained in the Mayor of Hillingdon’s Parlour and each given a certificate marking our community volunteer work – always nice to have the recognition but more so having the company of my fellow club members for a great evening out.

Thursday – an at home day!!  However, not without Rotary input – three meetings with members of our conference committee – bringing me up to speed with the latest on all our preparations.

 One of my closest club visits, RC Uxbridge, followed on Friday.  Fabulous result from their annual Autoshow this year – more than £35,000 raised- a record – they’ll be doing it again next year, now there’s a surprise!  President Jill shows her Mayoral past in controlling the group brilliantly!

Saturday evening treat at a concert arranged by RC Easthampstead & featuring the Central Band of the RAF – brilliantly talented bunch of men & women – a real pleasure to listen to.

 

Sunday morning bright & early off to Blenheim Palace grounds for the annual Rotary Blenheim 10K, courtesy of RC Woodstock & featuring an inaugural 5K Junior run as well.  The rain pretty largely held off during the race itself but the day was regrettably not the best with heavy downpours before & afterwards – didn’t seem to affect the runners greatly though.

Week 15 – The nights draw in & the Heavens Open!

Club Visits since July 1                                                         47

Rotary Engagements since July 1                                          111

Official Club Visits with Chicken dinners since July 1                7 !!

Quite noticeable this week how much Autumn is now upon us – it’s begun to get that bit darker that bit earlier – the winds have risen and the leaves have begun to fall in earnest.

But Rotary in District 1090 marches on!  Out to RC Haddenham on Monday – right on the edge of the District a club that knows all about co-operating across borders, with much cross-fertilisation with RC Aylesbury in District 1260.  Instigators & supporters of many District projects (Wheel Appeal, Lunch for Learning to mention a couple) & led this year by President John, who has an appalling line of puns in his repartee!

Tuesday at RC Reading Maiden Erlegh was a delight.  President-Elect Chris presiding in President Tim’s absence (golf in Louisiana being more attractive than the visit of the DG – can’t understand it myself).  A club in rude health with an outstanding track record of growth and community activity – well done all of you!

Wednesday was an largely “internal” day – meetings of our Finance Review Committee (looking at our out-turn for 2012-2013 and budgets & forecasts for this year) and a meeting with our Assistant Governors.  Oh, yes, and I had time to drop in briefly to my own club for the first time since August.

Thursday evening and off to a Membership workshop – like most Rotary Districts in our islands we’re constantly trying to find ways to make sure that we have enough members to keep our Service Projects running, our fundraising topped up.  About 50 of us turned out to talk through ideas on how we can do that.

Friday evening’s entertainment was provided by our club’s annual quiz.  Leading for much of the first half our team (the DG’s Gang) rather fell away in the second half, finishing up second to the etam from RC Pinner who won (again!!).

Back in March, river levels on the Thames were such that the annual World Pooh Sticks Championships had to be postponed to Sunday 13^th October, which turned out to be probably the wettest day we’ve had since June.  Not to be deterred the super members of RC Oxford Spires were there in force, supported by Rotarians from RC’s Banbury, Bicester, Eynsham, Wallingford Sinodun & District and Windsor St George plus the Rotaract clubs of Oxford & Maidenhead with their human fruit machine.  

And the winners?  Actually everyone who turned out, but most notably the truly international individual winner from Australia!  The BBC and ITV were there and the Beeb have already reported on their website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-24516717) & on the Chris Evans show Monday morning.

Week 14 – To the North (ish)…. and back

Club Visits since July 1                                                         45

Rotary Engagements since July 1                                          103

Official Club Visits with Chicken dinners since July 1                7 !!

Started the week a little further North, at RC Witney, where President Ron presided over an excellent evening at Witney Lakes GC, approaching 50 gathered with partners where Joan & I were delighted to witness the induction of another new Rotarian, Janet Eustace, whose husband Bob was a long-time member of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter (we’ll have to coax him back!), the presentation of the Presidential Citation for 2012-2013 to Immediate Past President Grace (on behalf of the club) and news of the speaking role in Sunday’s Downton Abbey episode for Rotarian John Wharton (and for the appearance of his tar boiler) – the star himself was absent that evening.

Tuesday lunchtime at RC High Wycombe, where the previous day’s exploits of President Humphrey topping the forms of transport for Wheelpower’s Around the District in 80 ways in his glider flight on Monday (rather him than me I have to say).  Now boasting two Rotaract clubs and a growing Satellite group, this is clearly a club seeing a resurgence.

Feels odd, somehow, having a Rotary Club handover in October, but circumstances led to the withdrawal of the originally chosen President for RC Wallingford Sinodun & District and so 2012-2013 President Richard Smith has held the fort for 3 months while new President Michael has quite literally put his house in some sort of order!  (Must say it was nice to be there with nothing to say!)

Wednesday evening a cosy gathering at RC Thame – President Jeanette leading the troops gearing themselves up for their Swimathon on Sunday 13^th October.  Very closely linked with their community.

Thursday saw the second offering of the District Roles Awareness Workshop, so it was back up towards Witney at Eynsham for a lively gathering of members from 8 clubs finding out more about what our District team does (and hopefully thinking of putting themselves forward for service there).

A change of emphasis on Friday at the District 9 Inner Wheel International Rally – first time at an Inner Wheel District meeting for me – very substantial tea I can report!  Speaker for the occasion was the riveting Olivia Giles, a substantially disabled survivor of viral meningitis.  And what a survivor!  We saw her speak at the RIBI Conference in Harrogate this year but to meet her was a truly inspiring experience.  The work of her 500 Miles charity amongst disabled children in Africa is astounding.

 

Last week I reported on our 5 mile stroll as a club – this week it was the altogether much more serious Maidenhead Boundary Walk – not serious in the sense of time pressures or hardened competition, but at 13 miles a goodly step longer than my usual perambulations.  Very pleasant walk in the company of President Pat & her husband Clive, in superb weather for early October and all accomplished within my 5 hour objective.  Well done to RC Maidenhead & RC Maidenhead Bridge for an excellent event.  Rotary Scholar Fanny, from Paris is seen on the right in the picture above R with President Pat, the Mayor & Mayoress of Maidenhead (and their dog Rocky, complete with ball!)