Rotary South East

Issue Sixty three September, 2013

Education Team Africa Cycling saving lives

ROTARY IN ACTION FOR KENT, EAST SUSSEX AND SOUTH LONDON

Ambitions, enthusiasm and changing lives

ve had the pleasure of meeting Rotarians across the District at twenty Club visits already. You are as varied as the Clubs but all bound together with the Rotary ethos of Service above Self. On each occasion, Ive been stunned, inspired and heartened by the plans for the forthcoming year. The energy and enthusiasm displayed in Clubs by its Members gives me every cause for optimism. Engaging Rotary and Changing Lives is happening in Kent, East Sussex and South London! On all visits, Ive been made to feel welcome as has Gloria or my volunteer driver from my own Club Dover and on their behalf and mine, a big thank you. Its heart warming to hear from Presidents and Members their ambitions for the coming year and reports from Assistant Governors on Club Assemblies make encouraging and interesting reading.

Optimism
The general tenor of these reports is one of optimism and an acceptance in some clubs that there needs to be a rethink as to how clubs operate in order to make them more vibrant and attractive to potential Members. Dont forget that a new Service, Club Visioning should be available from the autumn to assist those Clubs who feel they have stalled and need someone neutral to help draw up an action plan. It will only happen if Clubs invite the small Team of facilitators in and they will not impose any ideas, simply stimulate conversation.

Contact Zena Belton, Membership Development Chair if you would like to know more. Her details are on the District Directory which you can access via the District website. Third week of July it was my pleasure to join the splendid team of cyclists from Sittingbourne Invicta who cycled the Tour de Kent to raise both money for Polio eradication and Rotarys profile as they pedalled around Kent and East Sussex from Gravesend to Tunbridge Wells, to Battle, Hythe, Margate via Canterbury Cathedral and finally Dover.

Clubs. We will be welcoming them to the Eastbourne Conference in October to share their experiences with us in a celebration of Rotary. Bookings are going well for Conference and we have a great line up of speakers including some much appreciated household names. Entertainment will be great with the Royal Marines Band giving a concert on the Friday evening all included in the delegates fee. Some popular artists will provide great sounds for our Banquet and Ball on Saturday. The online booking facility via the District website is working well so its easy to book to ensure your registration. Really hope to see you there for a splendid weekend. In the meantime all good wishes for the forthcoming year as we Engage Rotary and Change Lives. Chris, District Governor. Kent and East sussex

Hospitality
I joined them on the last leg to Dover and was pleased to welcome them to my Club. Along their route they have received warm hospitality and overnight accommodation from Rotary

ROTARY DISTRICT 1120 www.rotary1120.org

Welcome
Deal Rochester Rye and Winchelsea Martin Porter David Carr Trevor Colins, Ben Hodgson, Alan Dickinson

Lets build on last years success!

Y
outh Competitions Nows the time to start to plan your clubs competitions. You need to speak to your local schools, academies and colleges to promote our District Regional and RIBI Youth Competitions. There is no time to waste Youth Competitions start with the District Young Musician final on 9th November. Full comprehensive dates and venues are listed in the timetable below. Talented young violinist, Emily Burford from Crowborough entered last years Rotary Young Musician competition through sponsorship by the Rotary Club of The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells. Emily won the 2013 District round, beating competitors from Kent, East Sussex and South East London in the Instrumentalist category. Emily went on to represent District 1120 in the Regional final, which included competitors from across, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Middlesex Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Surrey. All of this when she has only been playing the violin for five years the judges at the District & Regional final remarked on how well she performed. She has also been learning the piano for eighteen months. Emily really enjoys broadening her repertoire as a pianist, Emily regularly attends the Lydian Training Orchestra. In September she will join the Tunbridge Wells Joint Schools Orchestra where she will have the opportunity to play with some more experienced musicians. DATE 15/02/2014 08/03/2014 26/04/2014 01/03/2014 22/03/2014 10/05/2014 09/11/2013 29/03/2014 03/05/2014 Emily thinks other young musicians should take the opportunity to enter the competition, These events give you a chance to play in front of an audience, she said, This gives you more confidence and helps develop your skills as a performer. Through the competition, Rotary gives this young talent the exposure that may have otherwise gone unnoticed for some time. Emily is a great example for other young people, and an example of Rotary working in the community to help promote young talent. Follow Emilys lead and encourage your local young people to take part in a Rotary Youth Competition. As well as Young Musician we have competitions for Young Chef, Young Photographer, Young Artist and Youth Speaks, but please do not feel restricted by these events. With all the Youth Competitions, there is a comprehensive set of rules and organisational guidelines and these can be accessed from the RIBI website or contact Rotarians Carol Vizzard (bc.vizzzard@virgin.net 01622-720800) or Steve Elms (steveelms@btinternet.com 07711-341186) at any time. As the picture develops we will include all the information on the District 1120 website. You will see from the time-table below that District 1120 will be organising the Region 4 Young Musician and the RIBI National final of Youth Speaks - more information to follow. Please put these dates in your diary now. We will be looking for marshalling support for each of these competitions. VENUE ENTRIES IN BY With Clubs Clusters of Clubs NLLA Maidstone 01/02/2014 Weybridge ASAP after above Dundee 10/04/2014 With Clubs Clusters of Clubs NLLA Maidstone 14/02/2014 Guildford ASAP after above CW Maidstone 26/04/2014 With Clubs Clusters of Clubs MGGS Maidstone 26/10/2014 MGGS Maidstone 12/03/2014 Truro 14/04/2014 With Clubs Clusters of Clubs 16/04/2014 No Regional Final Entries to RIBI by 23/04/2014 With Clubs Clusters of Clubs Entries to District 1120 by 26/03/2014 No Regional Final Entries to RIBI by 22/04/2014

On the pulse

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ROTARY SOUTH EAST

is published by District 1120 EDITOR: Brian Portway Tel: 01634 891708 E-mail: one@barpinuk.wanadoo.co.uk Distribution: Wally Field E-mail: wally_field@msn.com Design and Production: Pinegen Publishing Ltd. Tel: 020 8335 1109 Printed by: Mason GRP Ltd
Articles and letters published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of District or the Editor.

District Diary:
19 September District Council Oakwood House, Maidstone District Conference Eastbourne 25 to 27 October

2014 23 January 26 April 22 May

District Council District Assembly District Council

Condolences
We are sad to report the deaths of Past District Governor and Maidstone and Eastbourne Sovereign Rotarian Arthur Basford, Rotarians George Rogers of Bexley Club, Past President David Ramsey of Sittingbourne and Milton Club, Richard Baker of Folkestone Club, Margaret Legge PHF supporter of Orpington Crofton Club,

ORGANISER Clubs District Region 4 RIBI YOUTH SPEAKS Clubs District Region 4 RIBI YOUNG MUSICIAN Clubs District Region 4 RIBI YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER Clubs District Region 4 RIBI YOUNG WRITER Clubs District Region 4 RIBI

EVENT YOUNG CHEF

Rotary South East 3

4 Rotary South East

Future VISIONS

Vocational Training Team from Kent to KwaZulu Natal

s one of 100 Rotary International Districts world-wide to be selected as a Rotary Future Visions Pilot in 2010, District 1120 was in the privileged position of being able to select and send a Vocational Training Team (VTI) to District 9270 KwaZulu Natal (KZN), South Africa earlier this year. A VTT is a team of five professionals, including a leader, who spend time working in, usually, a developing country using their collective expertise to 'make a difference' to the lives of those with whom they work. PDG 1120 Euan Eddie (Medway RC) and the then District Governor Elect 9270, Richard Brooks, met a year earlier and chose the TRF 'Area of Focus' of 'Basic Education and Literacy' as clearly the most pressing need for children in KZN. The need was quite compelling. In schools in black townships in KZN, the teachers' and students' first language is isiZulu, but the language of examination is English, consequently many students appear to underachieve. Although many of the finer details of the educational need were defined by Rotarian Bev Garner (Dundee RC), a local Education Department Manager, cultural and professional differences between the two countries and their educational practices made it difficult to be totally clear how the team should address them, however the primary objective was to improve teaching and learning skills. The team was Rotarian Sonia Allen (Medway Sunlight RC), Team Leader and an Educational Manager; Rotarian Pat Unwin (Herne Bay RC), Literacy; Sarah Ford, Music and Painting; Alex Charlton, English as a Second Language; Esme Butterworth, Data collection. The VTT visit was funded with a Global Grant of about US$16,000 (about 9,900) from the Rotary Foundation (TRF), supplemented by cash contributions from Medway, Medway Sunlight, Strood and Westerham Clubs, the team members and the District 1120 TRF funds. District 9270 and its clubs also made their contributions. The VTI underwent two sessions of pre-trip training before their four weeks based in Livangeli Primary School, near Dundee in KZN a school of about 780 students with classes of between 45 and 50, but with no learning support or technology in classrooms. The team spent the first week observing

extensively, including briefing the local Director of Education. During their second and third weeks they delivered a range of model lessons, supervised teachers, gave all 24 individual feedback and provided whole school training on Teaching and Learning styles. What the team discovered was that teachers were reluctant to praise their students and this approach and other teaching styles and methods were covered in a day's training for 22 of the staff on a public holiday. The team also managed to train 16 Education Advisors who will influence and inform staff in more than another 500 schools. The team worked extremely hard over long hours and by the end of their stay left an impressive legacy of practical advice and documentation, of which the following are only the major parts: Individual feedback and action plans given to all teachers Training for 16 Education Advisors, to roll out similar practices across 510 schools over time Attendance of 20 out of 22 teachers to a full days training during a public holiday Model lessons taught and observed by teachers; team teaching and further development and coaching of teachers Lesson planning and differentiation training English and Maths team training/ team work IT training for managers Case study reading project with individual readers on a 1:1 basis Leadership and management development of the 5 managers Coaching and leadership development for the Principal Visits to two other comparable primary schools by VTT Visit by Advisor team manager who was extremely impressed and requested the team to stay... Perhaps most importantly the five members of the VTI have established working e-mail partnerships with each of the five school managers at Livangeli which will help Development Plans to be implemented and monitored, and to achieve the primary objective. The team has also compiled data to show clearly the difference that their interventions made. This VTT was an outstanding success, and, because, as the

Team said, 'VTI is infectious' it 'made a real difference' and set standards for all VTIs to aspire to. Success was achieved because of the team members' professionalism and dedication and the willingness of Livangeli teachers and their managers and advisers to respond. Rotarians from both Districts cooperated well in the planning and preparation of the project and helped to fund it. And finally, the Rotary Foundation made a Global Grant available. The last day for the team at the school was wonderful as we sang if your happy and you know it in the play ground at break time with about 200 children swarming us, followed by an attempt to do the Hokey Cokey. The school staff did a farewell party for us which was just incredible and very moving. It began with the teaching team in their native costumes chanting as they came across the field to collect us. They sang and danced for us; they presented us with a gift and dressed us with their national flag being made into a robe for each of us. In return we presented them with certificates of attendance on the professional development programme and the best performing area of Grade R was presented with a special award. We had also introduced a teachers reward chart and this was presented with a small trophy. The managers were all presented with the new laptops and laptop ruck sacks The VT Team left on a high and then had a further send off from Dundee Rotary Club as we left for Durban to attend the Rotary District 9270 Annual conference at which we presented. This got a fabulous response and we were approached all weekend by many who wanted to know more.

Rotary South East 5

Around the CLUBS

French Connection
Flautist Luce Zurita and her harpist accompanist Valeria Kurbatova recently visited Rotary Club of Hastings to charm their members and with a concert of Spanish themed music.

Channel club Ride

The Star Inn at St Mary in the Marsh was a sea of colour as 450 cyclists turned out for the Channel Clubs annual Charity Bike Ride around Romney Marsh. Cyclists of all ages from 2 to 82 and from all over the South East and as far away as Ontario, Canada, tackled the 10, 30 and 50 mile circular routes through the picturesque Marsh countryside. Brian McManus, landlord of the Star Inn was a real star, providing his paddock and facilities throughout the day with a refreshing pint and a fine barbecue to welcome the returning riders. And there were other historic pubs on the route to keep the riders refreshed including the iconic Red Lion at Snargate and the Bell at Ivychurch as well as en route refreshments provided by the Channel wives. David Whimble of The Looker local newspaper did a great job too, handling the music and microphone for the whole event. Some of the riders had very personal reasons for taking part. Some rode in memory of family and friends who had been assisted by the Kent Air Ambulance or cared for by the Pilgrims Hospices. Twelve firemen from Dover Station were raising

Luce and Valeria are both Masters students at the Royal College of Music in London and Luce is sponsored by her home town Rotary Club, Rouen. Hastings and Rouen Rotary clubs have a twinning arrangement and through this connection the concert had been put in place. Requiring something akin to full scale military planning the two girls travelled down by train from London complete with harp, which appears a lot bigger in the flesh! The concert at Bannatynes required the meeting room to be extended to accommodate all the visitors and guests which included visiting Rouen Rotarian JeanMarie Desjardins who had travelled over especially for the event. The programme included pieces by Ravel and Bizet and concluded with Franz Doppler and Antonio Zamaras Casilda Fantasie which is written specifically for flute and harp and showed off the incredible versatility of the two instruments. Our picture shows: Flautist Luce Zurita left with her harpist accompanist Valeria Kurbatova.

money in memory of colleague Dave Brinicombe of Blue Watch who sadly passed away recently. Sponsor Spire St Saviours Hospital was represented by some of their consultants. Not forgetting District Governor Chris Barnett too! New Club member Stephane Bounous filmed the event using two commercial drones. Rotarians Colin Tomson and Bill Whitby echoed the thoughts of our sponsor Spire St Saviours Hospital. What a magnificent day. Were optimistic of 10,000 for Pilgrims Hospices, Air Ambulance and other local good causes.

Highwoods walk for Senlac

On an idyllic summers evening Senlac Rotary club were treated to a walk and very informative talk in Bexhills Highwoods.

Student interviews
Each year St. Richards Catholic Colleges asks Bexhill Rotary Club to provide a host of interviewers for 14 and 15 year old students to support their business preparation day. Some 50 interviewers arrived at St. Richards to interview around 200 students to prepare them for real interviews with prospective employers when they leave school. The interviewers were not only Bexhill Rotarians but also business people known to Bexhill Rotary and St. Richards, and Rotarians from other local clubs stretching from Hastings in the east to Eastbourne in the west. Doreen Cronin, Principal of St. Richards, welcomed all the volunteers at the start of the morning saying how much the college appreciated their having given up their time so willingly to help and support the event. Caroline Adams, Careers Co-ordinator made it quite clear that the interviewers were to be very honest with the students and that in previous years the students had felt that this event had been a resounding success with every one of them getting much value. 6 Rotary South East A second Westerham Rotary Club member will have completed 50 years of membership of the world-wide Rotary movement in August, following in the footsteps of Founder Member, Neville Wells of Limpsfield. He is Past President Peter John, the retired Oxted solicitor who joined the Club at the age of 28. Remarkably, Peter follows his Welsh father David, an Oxted Rotarian, in clocking up half a century of membership. Is this a record? There was Highway robbery at Keston Mark in Kent when over 4,000 was collected from unsuspecting motorists by a Gang of Comic Characters during the St Christophers Fun Walk One eye witness said You can wait all year then three Santas come along in the middle of May! Im sure I saw St George talking to a Clown with Bart and Marge Simpson lurking in the background

Alan Malpass, of the Highwoods Preservation Society told us how the woods, which are owned by Rother District Council, have been maintained and safeguarded by the Society and others since the early 1980s. There are 90acres of woodland and we learned from Alan that, amongst many other things, they are home to woodpeckers, bats and zillions! of spiders. During the walk Alan showed us where the picnic table which has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Senlac will be sited. The Rotary Club of Catford were manning their normal checkpoint with the help of partners and friends of the club. President John Tomkinson (AKA Homer Simpson ) would like to thank all the people, drivers, walkers Club members and friends of Rotary who helped to collect. Two Rotary Clubs want to catch your ear for music in October. Maidstone Riverside Club feature the Kent Police and Thanet Male Voice Choirs at All Saints Church, Maidstone on October 12 in aid of the Heart of Kent Hospice and Demelza. Hastings Rotary Club is presenting a Johann Straus Celebrity Concert on October 27 at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, in aid of Hope and Homes for Children. More details are on the District web site diary www.rotary1120.org

Cycling POLIO

Le Tour de Kent
t approximately 2.30 pm on Monday 15th July the sound of a air horn echoed round the Community Square in Gravesend starting the Invicta cycling team and friends (DG Chris Barnett and District International Chairman Les Hoskins on this occasion) on our journey to Dover via as many Rotary clubs and iconic photo stops as we could fit in. The talking had stopped and we were about to find out if the legs and the lycra and the bikes and the tyres could take the strain. Those interested in the official version should perhaps look at http://rotary1120marketing.wordpress.com/ 2013/07/23/rotarianscycling-so-childrenmay-walk/ What follows is a highly personal account of what went on at the back of the peloton where I lurked for most of the time despite the loan of an all carbon fibre bike by my son-in-law. I had to phone him every evening to let him know how the bike was and how I was in that order!

We dont know how big an impact we have made but we have used social media and published articles in local magazines and newspapers as well as taking part in local radio programmes. Thanks to generous sponsorship from Saga Holidays and support from many clubs across the district we managed to organise a raffle for a Saga cruise on a very short time scale.

Gravesend

Sponsorship
With personal sponsorship and, again, some generous support from the clubs that we visited, the funds raised as we go to press are in excess of 9,600 so we feel that our target of 10,000 is achievable and are encouraged by the thought that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will turn this into 30,000!

Sandwich

Highlights
The recent outbreak of polio in Somalia and Kenya highlights the threat posed by polio unless vaccination levels are maintained. Rotary was able to make a rapid response grant of $500,000 to WHO so that vaccination rounds in Somalia started within a week of the outbreak being recognised.

164 miles
For those interested in hard facts we covered 164 miles, spending 12 hours and 50 minutes in the saddle and we climbed 4,527 feet (Ben Nevis is lower than that!) and there were ten category 5 climbs. If you need to know what a category 5 climb looks like find a friendly cyclist and ask him or her to point one out near you so you can climb it in your car and imagine what it must seem like to a 72 year old grandfather on a bicycle! It happens that most of the severe climbs are between Tunbridge Wells and Battle so it did occur to me that should part of Sussex decide to secede from District 1120 before we forget what the Tour was really like and decide upon another then I for one would not be broken hearted. Just to put the record straight the climb out of Hythe is not for cissies either but the 40 miles across the Romney Marsh and the coastal stretch from Reculver to Margate were fun and flat!

John Fisher
Canterbury

Dover

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 1 - 4 JUNE 2014

After a very successful event in Lisbon, the RI Convention moves to the other side of the world to Sydney, Australia. Obviously a long way away, it is none the less a great opportunity to put the International into Rotary International. 15,000 to 20,000 Rotarians from all over the world are expected to attend. It would be great to see a good contingent from District 1120. Whilst it will be winter, it will be good for sightseeing for the days that you could include on your visit. Close by are the Blue Mountains, the wineries and the famous beaches as well as the famous sights in Sydney itself the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Many of these attractions can be seen using the free transport which will be available before, during and after the convention. Further afield are the delights of Queensland, Tasmania and so on I have all the necessary registration forms for the Convention, hotels and the local events. All of these are also available on the RI website. Please contact me if you need any information or help. Make it a holiday of a lifetime We have received an invitation for a Rotary Friendship Exchange with District 9570 Queensland to coincide with the Convention. If this is possible, it will make the event even more memorablewatch this space!" PDG Jeremy Voizey 01843 862225 jeremyjvoizey@btinternet.com

Exhortations
Other memories include frequent exhortations from George Cole (I have a stick but by the way there is no carrot) our route master and trainer that Its all down hill from here, chaps and also of our sitting in the North Foreland Golf Club changing rooms facing the prospect of attending the Margate club meeting clad only in bath towels unless our clothes arrived very shortly (dont ask). Our proudest boast is that there was not a single puncture! The question to be asked now is Have we achieved our objectives? These were: 1.To put PolioPlus and Rotary in the public eye 2.To make new Rotary friendships 3.To raise funds

Rotary South East 7

Around the CLUBS

Donation for Air Ambulance

Bexhill Rotarians travelled to Marden to present a cheque for 500 to recognise the valuable work that the KSS (Kent. Surrey and Sussex) Ambulance Service provides in saving lives. The donation came from the proceeds of Christmass collections and the Ale & Arty Beer & Music Festival held in March. In the KSS welcoming party was Dr. Richard (Rik) Thomas, son of Bexhill Rotarys Anthony Thomas who explained about the function of the KSS Air Ambulance Service which is a charity and receives no statutory funding It is funded by donations and seeks to raise 5 million each year to keep the helicopters in the skies every day of the year. Just as Dr. Thomas and Fundraising Manager Michelle Woodland were thanking the Rotarians for their donation there was a call-out. Bexhills Immediate Past President Mike Barton summed up by saying, It was good to see the helicopter take off and to know that our donation is being put to very good use in the saving of lives on a daily basis. Our picture shows Mike Barton, Dr. Rik Thomas, Roger Batey and Anthony Thomas.

Interactors raise funds for school

Pictured are the young members of the Rotary Club of Senlac St Marys Interact Club presenting their cheque for 60 towards the construction of the schools new adventure play area. The Interact Club is run at St Marys school aided by David King of Senlac Rotary Club. The Interactors raise the funds themselves through a variety of events they organise at school and what they achieve is

all the more remarkable as all of them have severe speech, language communication difficulties and many also have additional physical and medical difficulties. There was great excitement from all when the play area was opened and the ceremonial ribbon cut by Mrs Carpenter and her daughter Caroline, who is a pupil at the school. They were ably assisted by Jimmy Carroll, President of the Rotary Club of Senlac.

Crayford Fun Day duck race

Man cake!
Edenbridge Rotary Club had their annual Foundation Tea Party, featuring a "best cake competition". For the first time all cakes were made by male club members, so a little bit different this year. As well as raising 160 for Rotary Foundation, the tea party produced a new title - best cake made by a Rotarian. All fourteen entries were made by male club members, and winner was latest member Tim Roach. This is a departure from previous years when the cakes were baked by wives and partners and has proved so popular that having the cakes male made is set to become an annual feature.

President Alan and Rotarian Jack of Crayford Rotary Club release 100 ducks for the first of six races down the River Cray as part of our Fun Day in the heart of Crayford. For many years Crayford Rotarians have been organizing the event, giving an opportunity for any local group or charity to raise funds and publicise themselves. Despite the wind and occasional shower the club raised 800 for local causes.

8 Rotary South East

FELLOWSHIPS

During his official visit to the Rotary Club of Eastbourne Sovereign, District Governor Chris Barnett presented Paul Harris Fellowships to two carers who have worked for over 20 years with some of the most traumatised children in Sussex. The age range is from babies to teenagers and on occasions up to three children can arrive, at any time of day or night, requiring refuge. DG Chris praised David and Jennie who he said were shining examples of people who practised Service Above Self.

Multi-tasker David Emmett received a Paul Harris Award from PDG Stewart Granger for his many contributions to the District including organising the crocus fund raising scheme for End Polio Now.

Ben Finney joined Rotary in 2002 after retiring from two varied careers, firstly as a Captain Director of Music in the Royal Marines Band Service and secondly in the currency exchange on the cross channel ferries. Ben was presented his Paul Harris Fellowship by Admiral The Lord Boyce, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Photo, left to right: Admiral The Lord Boyce, Ben Finney, club President Peter Rothschild.

Also at Deal, Bob Joslin received his fellowship in recognition of his service as long-standing International Service Chairman and his service to the community including Churchwarden, Talking Newspapers and concert manager.

The Rotary Club of Maidstone has honoured three members with its top award - Paul Harris Fellowships. They are (from left) incoming President and retired lawyer Colin Trelfer of Boughton Monchelsea, Past President and chairman of Maidstone's Age UK Mrs Pat Thomas of Barming and Past President and former Maidstone Area police commander Roger Hext of Bearsted. The awards were made by retiring President Doug Baguley (centre).

Last year's Mayor of Medway, Cllr Vaughan Hewett, was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Medway Sunlight Rotary Club for his great service to charity and the community. He carried out hundreds of engagements and raised the profile of many organisations. However, he took on bigger challenges than most including abseiling down buildings and scaling the twin towers in Chatham Dockside.

Chief Reporter of the Dover Mercury, Graham Tutthill, received a Paul Harris Fellowship from South Foreland Club for his professionalism, integrity and contributions to the community. Throughout his life Graham has put service above self in his many and diverse activities which have benefitted many people.

Sidcup Rotary club have awarded Paul Harris Fellowships to Barry and Margaret Mizen. Their son Jimmy, aged 16, was tragically murdered in May 2008 and the Jimmy Mizen Foundation was set up as a positive way of remembering his life. There are now a whole network of safe havens, awareness and support projects for young people throughout London.

Two Past Presidents of South Foreland Club, Terry Westwater and Mike Taylor, already holders of the Paul Harris Fellowship, were awarded the Paul Harris Sapphire for their continued outstanding service to Rotary.

Brian Vizzard was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship by PDG Stewart Grainger for his contribution to particularly District youth activities through supporting his wife Carol Vizzard, Youth Chairman.

A Paul Harris Fellowship is the highest honour that Rotary can give and in this country is associated with service above self, personal commitment to helping others and often many years given to caring about community and world. Here we have pictures of certificates, medals and badges being handed over but behind each photograph is a special story of achievement which has earned the respect and thanks of Rotary.

Rotary South East 9

Around the CLUBS

Dotty gets a cheque!

Bexhill Rotary Club President Mike Barton met Dotty at the De La Warr Pavilion along with Julie Brett of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, Sean Berkeley, Duty General Manager of the Pavilion, and Lucy Sedgwick who is the Events Co-ordinator at the Pavilion. The purpose of the meeting was to present a cheque for 1,500 to Julie Brett who was accompanied by Dotty, the Demelza Hospice mascot. Demelza Hospice Care for Children was one of the prime beneficiaries of the Ale & Arty Beer & Music Festival which took place at the De La Warr Pavilion in March.

Youth employment project changing lives

I
n June last year, when considering our programme for the coming Rotary Year, the Vocational and Youth Opportunities Committee of Sidcup Rotary Club decided that the best opportunity we could give to the youth of our area would be to improve the prospects of the young unemployed in getting a job. Erik Foster, the chair of the Committee, met with our local Job Centre Plus to explore areas where we could directly help. He was welcomed with open arms, something that has since turned into a very fruitful relationship with the club. This initial meeting with JCP rapidly translated into weekly sessions with small groups of unemployed in the 18-24 year age group, mostly unemployed for more than 13 weeks. The usual numbers of jobseekers attending are 8-12 with a team of 2 or 3 from our side. The sessions last between two and three hours. These youngsters are recommended by JCP to attend there is no element of compulsion. Their backgrounds are from the whole range you might expect from those failing at school to those with good degrees. Their common bond is being unemployed. The meetings are at the Job Centre, with a JCP manager always in attendance to give supplementary guidance from their side where needed, and without any constraints from JCP whose views do not always coincide with our own! Our main credentials, and where we differ from schools, JCP and the various recruitment agencies, is that all of our 12 strong group of volunteers are either ex employers or have been responsible for groups of employees so 'we know' and are believed when we say what employers are looking for. We also set out that we have no connection with the education system, JCP or any other part of the Establishment - just there for the satisfaction of seeing them on the way to getting a start in their working lives. Our target is to send these youngsters out better prepared, with a greater understanding, and more enthusiasm than when they came in and better equipped to get themselves a job. One thing we cannot do is to create jobs. But we can improve their prospects of getting one by guidance on focus and flexibility, creating C/Vs that will work and improve their chances of interviews, the usefulness of work experience and voluntary work, interview guidance and tips, the need for structure and purpose in their days. At the end of each session we have one-to-one prime time

Games challenge!

Hythe Rotary Challenge features 12 teams of five people from the local community, this included clubs, pubs and businesses as well as Rotarians challenged on Archery, Target Golf, Horse Shoes, Bat and Trap, Boules and Clay Pigeon Shooting. A huge amount of fun was shared by competitors and spectators alike. Skills revealed ranged from teenage exuberance to geriatric tremors; from a youthful team from Bordeaux to a more mature grouping led by a ninety-one-year-old. The winning team, led by Rotarian David Paton, was aptly named The Odds and Sods. They were closely followed into second place by the pub team from the Three Mariners, called Five men in a Field. Third overall came a battling team from the Royal British Legion under the banner of The Legionnaires. A high point of the day was the fantastic food provided by a team from 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles. The event raised 940 for charity, 800 of which has already been allocated to the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity which has had continuous support from the Rotary Club of Hythe.

with each of them going through their C/Vs individually and giving whatever individual guidance and direction we can. Our local MP, Mr James Brokenshire, is young, energetic and a good supporter of what we do - indeed he has attended as part of the team and has become an honorary member of our club. In addition to the above we have been instrumental in getting our Borough Council more involved in getting local businesses to provide work experience opportunities. We liaise closely with the Borough Volunteers Office for volunteer jobs that might appeal to this age group and also with volunteer opportunities outside our area Inland Waterways for example have 'dirty weekends away' an amusing title and a fun weekend that gives skills. JCP have been very enthusiastic throughout and are pleased with the effect we have and the results we get. They are currently sending all of their advisers to sit in with us at the rate of one a week so we must be doing something right! If you feel that your club could be interested in doing something similar then please feel free to contact Erik Foster either by email on sunnysidcup1@waitrose.com or by phone on 0208 300 2091. He is happy to provide a 'starter pack' containing a script which forms the core of our delivery plus guidance notes for volunteers. A small booklet, "Getting a Job", has been produced by the committee to give to the young people who attend. This can be viewed on the Youth Unemployment Project page of the club website: www.rotaryclubofsidcup.org

10 Rotary South East

Around the CLUBS

In the family!

Skate on!
Peter Braithwaite, of Beckenham Rotary Club, is participating in an inline skating marathon in Copenhagen in September to raise money towards the eradication of polio.

Disaster struck this May when Peter had a nasty fall whilst training and broke his collarbone in three places as well as bruising his ribs and suffering several cuts and abrasions.

On the mend
Despite his injuries Peter still intends to skate at Copenhagen. He is on the mend but did not expect tp get back on his skates until mid-July and then only have six weeks to get fit for it. I may be slower than I hoped but I still think the marathon is feasible he says. Please support Peter in aid of this very special cause. Help to eradicate polio from every country in the world in the quickest possible time. For more information contact Beckenham Rotary Club at HYPERLINK "mailto:BeckenhamRotarySkater@gmail.com" and also view the District 1120 website at http://rotary1120.org/news/beckenham-rotarian-skatecopenhagen-inline-marathon

Eastbourne Sovereign Rotary Club President, John Wilton, handed over his chain of office to his wife Rotarian Elizabeth Wilton during the District 1120 Handover dinner held at Lympne Castle.

John was President of the Eastbourne Sovereign Club for the first time in 2000/2001 and later served as an Assistant Governor for three years before serving as District Governor in 2008/9. Elizabeth has also served as Club President in 2004/5 and has just finished three years as an Assistant Governor before starting her second term as Club President.

Very special
Bexhill Rotary Club President Mike Barton dropped in on the regular training session at 1066 Specials Disability Football Club to perform two very pleasant tasks.

Magic of Motown Concert

The Magic of Motown Charity Concert held by the Canterbury Forest of Blean Rotary Club was a wonderful success with a full house at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury and audience members standing to cheer their appreciation. The sum of 6,300 was raised for Cancer Research UK through ticket and programme sales and 823 raised for the clubs own charitable funds by members collections. Club President Wim van Vuuren said The Magic of Motown gave a very generous contribution by way of discount and programme sales and of course provided a fantastic show. Mark Everett and his team at The Marlowe pulled out all the stops on our behalf and The Kentish Gazette provided splendid publicity for the event.

One was to present a cheque for 1,000 which was accepted on behalf of the Specials by Club Chairman Barry Elphick. Mike Barton said that the Specials and Bexhill Rotary have always had a special relationship with two of its members currently trustees of the club. The other task was to present a Rotary Service Recognition Award to Barry and Alison Elphick in recognition of their familys huge contribution to the 1066 Specials. In congratulating the Elphicks and thanking Bexhill Rotary for their 1,000 donation, founder and Chairman of Trustees Harold Lawrence proudly announced that the 1066 Specials had just been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service to recognise how the club had helped to develop the football skills and self confidence of disabled young people. Our pictures shows Mike Barton presenting the 1,000 cheque to the Elphicks.

Our photograph shows: Chloe Williams Area Manager for Cancer Research UK, Wims wife Gemma van Vuuren, Andre Lejaune the lead artist for the Magic of Motown and Wim van Vuuren

Folkestone Santas raise money for Prostate Cancer

Folkestone Channel Rotary Club has donated a further 3,000 to Prostate Cancer UK from its popular, annual Santa Run through Folkestone. Together with the 3,000 donation already made by the Club from its 2012 Romney Marsh Bike Ride and the contribution from the Folkestone Rowing Clubs Autumn Beer Festival, this makes a grand total of 6,000. Prostate cancer is one of the biggest causes of male deaths in the UK and many men in the Shepway area (including some Club members) have been treated for it. The money was once again received by Rory McDonnell, a volunteer with Prostate Cancer UK and his wife Gayle, an oncology nurse at a University College Hospital, London. Our photograph show: Duncan Hopkin (Channel Club Secretary), Gayle & Rory McDonnell (Prostate Cancer UK), Hilary & Mike Vines and Trevor Dawes (Folkestone Rowing Club) and Peter Godden (Channel Club President)

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Know your Blood Pressure Day

Four of the Rotary clubs based in the Medway Towns worked together to hold the Know Your Blood Pressure Day Chatham, Medway, Medway Sunlight and Rochester. There were two venues and at Dockside Outlet Centre there were eight Rotarian health professionals taking blood pressures with another 12 Rotarians and Friends encouraging people to have their blood pressure taken and distributing leaflets on blood pressure and about Rotary. Similarly there were nine people taking blood pressures with another 15 people supporting the event at the Pentagon Shopping Centre. During the day 352 people had their blood pressure taken and of those at least 35 were referred to their GP.
The five Rotary Clubs located in Eastbourne, Beachy Head, Eastbourne, Eastbourne AM, Eastbourne Sovereign and Sovereign Harbour, worked in harmony to decorate an open top bus, their entry for the Eastbourne Sunshine Carnival Parade. Their entry was Highly Commended and Rotary was one of the ten charities to receive a donation, part of the bucket collection on the day.

A total of 125 people took advantage of the offer of free blood pressure tests from the Rotary Club of Deal, several were given recommendations to visit their doctor and one was immediately sent to hospital.

Youth leadeship
Patrick Mulligan and Grace Baszczak were funded by Bexhill Rotary Club to go to the Rotary Youth Leadership Award course weekend. Through a power point presentation Patrick and Grace described the weekend and the friendships they struck with the other 20 young people on the course. RYLA covers a variety of topics through various challenges including leadership and communication skills, problem solving and conflict management, building self confidence and self esteem. Both Patrick and Grace said how grateful they were to have been selected to go on the course which they thoroughly enjoyed and from which they derived much benefit. At the end of an action packed weekend, they both received certificates which will be extremely helpful additions to their CVs when they eventually go into the big wide world for work.

Sewing machines help the poor in India

Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Eastbourne Sovereign, Eastbourne AM and Beachy Head marshalled the St. Andrew's Prep annual sponsored walk and also served refreshments to the walkers on their return to the school. Over 3,600 was raised, 2,000 of which has been donated to the Charity Canine Partners. A further 1,600 was sent to the Rotary Club of Changanacherry, in Kerala, Southern India who purchased 27 sewing machines which have been donated to poor widows and to girls at St. Anne's Girls School, which gives quality education to children many of whom are from families living below the poverty line.

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Nostalgic trip down memory lane

O
ver forty people from Dover, Deal and surrounding areas took part in an enjoyable and nostalgic trip down memory lane during the evening of the longest day, the Summer solstice or the official start of summer. The star of the evening was a diamond a sixty year old double decker bus formerly of the East Kent Road Car Company in its original livery of burgundy and cream owned and driven by Adrian Lead of Finglesham. Shepherded by Bus Conductor Brian Semple, also of Finglesham, members of the Rotary Club of South Foreland and guests embarked on a Mystery Tour beginning in Walmer and Dover skilfully organised by Adrian and Brian and their wives, Shirley and Alison, which included two village pub stops and a fish and chip supper. During the course of the journey Brian organised a sweepstake to raise funds in which everyone participated and which gave an added interest to the route. Although not a balmy summer evening the weather was sufficiently bright and dry, if not a little cool, to enable the passengers to enjoy a prolonged light evening that enabled

TASC donation

Edenbridge Rotary Club have donated play equipment and a radio controlled car altogether worth over 200 to TASC the after school Club located within Edenbridge Primary School.

Malachi wins a bike!

Malachi Hawkins of Anne Boleyn Close in Eastchurch is now the happy owner of a brand new bike thanks to the Rotary Club of the Isle of Sheppey . His mother Charlotte bought some raffle tickets on the Rotary Club Stand at the Minster Village Fair. President of the Club, Howard Gardner, went to present the bike, a safety helmet and a bell to lucky Malachi who wasted no time trying it out in the garden.

them to appreciate the beauty of our local countryside from a rare perspective returning to Dover as darkness fell. The bus, reg no FFN 399, is a Guy Arab 3 1951, Engine 8 Litre Gardner Diesel built in Wolverhampton and bodied by Park Royal. It was one of 40 ordered by East Kent and was in service locally between 1953 and 1968. Originally assigned to the Thanet garage the bus ended her days in East Kent service at the Folkestone garage. All FFN Guys were withdrawn about 1968/9 and FFN 399 is the only one to survive in its original form. The FFN Guys were interesting vehicles as they were the first double deckers that East Kent had that were 8ft wide, were fitted with heaters and the last to have the open style radiators and rear platforms. The bus is maintained by Mr Lead and used by him for occasional special trips often with the intention of raising funds for charitable purposes. With the open rear platform, sprung cushion seats and original fare charts showing its service between Dover, Deal, Aylesham and Canterbury passengers were taken back to the 1960s and a past era of bus travel at a sedate pace. For the younger members of the party this was a novel experience while for older members the sound of the engine and gear changes gave them an opportunity to reminisce about bygone times enjoyed by them in their youth. Particularly noticeable was the way in which the seats on the top deck were occupied first everyone wanted the best view from the front seats of the upper deck! The star of a most enjoyable evening was undoubtedly FFN 399!

We were able to donate to TASC because there were surplus funds left from our annual Town Quiz available which had yet to be allocated, said Rotarian Brenda Risdon (extreme right of the picture). The idea of supporting their club came to me when I was looking at photographs of the after school activities displayed at the school, having finished a session there as a volunteer reader. The choice of toys was really left to the children, under the supervision of Sharron Garrett (extreme left of the picture) who runs TASC, and they chose a radio controlled car and mega Lego blocks in colours suitable for use by both boys and girls

Rotary on the radio

President John Cooper accompanied by Publicity Officer Roger Batey, appeared on Bexhill FM, a student-led radio station at Bexhill High School which showcases the creativity and skill of the young people organising it and taking part.

After meeting Bexhill FM Station Manager Richard Harris along with Jas Smith and Aaron Pape, two of the management team at the radio station, John Cooper went into the broadcasting studio where, over a 30 minute period, he was interviewed by Louis Walker, a student at Bexhill High on what Bexhill Rotary and Rotary in general is all about. In response, President John talked all about the range of events and initiatives that the Club is involved in as well as the worldwide nature of Rotary, in particular the big push to eradicate polio throughout the world.

Cherry tree planted for the Jubilee

Orpington Rotary Club went to Poverest Primary School to help plant a jubilee tree.

Mayor of Bromley, Cllr. Ernest Noad also lent a hand seen here with President, Reg Vooght. The tree is a cherry tree, which was a gift from the Woodlands Trust, to ccommemorate the Queen's Jubilee. Rotary South East 13

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Hospice neighbours

Kids Out at Knockhatch!

June Cave of St Michaels Hospice thanked Bexhill Rotary members for a donation of 1,000 and then proceeded to talk via a power point presentation about St. Michaels Hospice Neighbours, a new initiative which provides support for people with life limiting illnesses in their own homes.

She went on to say that St. Michaels Hospice in St. Leonards covers Hastings and Rother, which has a population of 185,000, and is the largest hospice in the south east. Hospice Neighbours not only provides expert medical care like the main hospice but also cares for someones practical, social, spiritual and emotional needs, this is done through a team of trained volunteers.

Eleven schools in competition

Eastbournes St Andrews Preparatory School won the Hastings Rotary 1066 Choir Competition which was held at the White Rock theatre.

exhill Rotary Club President Mike Barton boarded a coach at Glenleigh Park Primary Academy along with 21 children ranging from age 5 to 10 who had been specially selected for their good behaviour and progress in the school, for a day out at Knockhatch Adventure Park near Hailsham. Yes it was Kids Out. Even though the weather was somewhat overcast, the children were undaunted and were determined to enjoy themselves. The children had great fun playing on non-electronic games, for a change, and saw lots of animals as well, There were also squeals of delight on the very bumpy Quadpillar ride, the Demon Drop Slide and the Jumping Pillows. Mike Barton summed up the trip, which was jointly funded by Bexhill and Senlac Rotary Clubs, when he said, Every one of the children (and adults!) had a great day out. I was very impressed with all the children, It was a great pleasure to see them having such a good time.

Your food is in safe hands

Dictionaries given to school leavers

Eleven primary school choirs, from all over East Sussex, took part in the finals and the Rotary club was commended for its organisation with amazingly smooth transitions of the choirs around the theatre which also included allowing all the choirs to sit in the auditorium so that they could enjoy the show. Both the winner and runner up will perform on stage with Tenors Unlimited at their 2013 Christmas concert. Together with the annual shields, the top two choirs share prize money of 250 and 100 and they will also be invited to sing at the Conquest Christmas Carol Concert and the prestigious Musica Sacra event scheduled for spring next year

Members of the Rotary Club of Rochester participated in the Dickens Festival in Rochester this summer, selling bacon or sausages in rolls, hot and cold drinks and delicious cakes. At the Christmas Dickens they will serve hot mulled wine, mince pies and other seasonal goodies. Medway Council's Food and Safety Team aims to ensure that all food offered to the public is safe to eat and therefore stall holders providing food at such events are required to meet the appropriate standards.

Food safety
Members, and Friends, of Rochester undertook the 'City & Guilds Accredited Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene in Catering' course and proudly show their certificates at their stall.

A hundred and twenty dictionaries have been presented to school leavers by the members of the Rotary Club of Eastbourne Sovereign. Pupils from Oakwood Junior School, Pevensey and Westham School and Laughton School were given the dictionaries during their final school assemblies. The funds to pay for the dictionaries had been raised by Rotarian Allen Oxenham, who for many years has been Santa at Drusillas Zoo Park and donated his pay so that the Year 6 pupils from the three schools across the county could receive a copy of the dictionary to help them with their studies at senior school. Our photograph shows pupils from Pevensey and Westham School with Club President Elizabeth Wilton

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Money raised by walk

Kent Strawberries and Antiques.

The Annual Charity Walk organised and run by Bexhill Rotary Club gives local charity supporters the opportunity to cover two, seven and a half or 15 miles routes out as far as Battle or Crowhurst. Every pound raised through sponsorship was for the chosen charity nominated by each walker. Walk Organiser, Bexhill Rotarian John Meadows, said, Although we are still counting up all the monies raised, we are hopeful that the walkers have raised around the 10,000 mark so many congratulations to all those who took part, they must all be pleased with their efforts.

Strawberry and cream tea

The Rotary Club of Malling, and their guests, were invited to one of the largest strawberry farms in Kent to participate in a mini Antique Road Show. Orchard Place Farm (Borough Green) is owned by William Pierce who, with his wife Rosemary, treated his visitors to a strawberry cream tea and an interesting tour of the strawberry fields. The visitors brought along a multitude of antique items to be assessed by Michael Roberts, from The Canterbury Auction Galleries, who during the afternoon, delighted the visitors with his expert knowledge and valuation of the antiques. Yet another successful Bexhill Rotary Club Annual Charity Golf Tournament took place at the Cooden Beach Golf Club with a total of 20 teams participating, and around 5,100 being raised for local charities! First indications are that the Folkestone 10K race, which this year had over 650 registrations, has raised over 20,000 with more expected. Proceeds go to various projects and to local Rotary Clubs for distribution to local causes. The objectives of the race were to encourage participation, assist charities, encouraging visiting to the district and promote good health.

editorsnotes
Wimbledon did not have a monopoly on strawberries and cream last week. They were very much on the menu at Edenbridge WI Hall, where Senior Citizens were once again invited to tea by Edenbridge Rotary Club. Now an annual event, the hall was filled with more than eighty Seniors from all over the town. Proceedings started with a glass of sparkling wine, followed by sandwiches, cakes and then the ever-popular strawberries. Highlight of the afternoon was a concert by a choir from Edenbridge Primary School. Our photo shows members of the Edenbridge Primary School choir together with ( l-r ) Rotarian Brenda Risdon, pianist Richard Butler, Teaching Assistant Linda Brown and Music Co-ordinator Abbie Blackman.
A celebration of all things Rotary in this edition. A hot Summer has reaped rewards for many events and activities and given everyone a boost. Unless you were cycling of course! Your news and photographs for our next edition Rotary South East is now produced four times a year -- to the usual addresses by October 20. 5 Haven Way, St Marys Island, Chatham ME4 3LB 01634 891708. e-mail: one@barpinuk. wanadoo.co.uk

ROTARY DISTRICT 1120 www.rotary1120.org

 Members of the Rotary Club of South Foreland visited the Minor Injuries Unit at Buckland Hospital, Dover to present over 100 small teddy bears to the staff for use with young children who visit the unit.

This presentation followed a request from the nurse practitioners for help in providing a soft toy which could be given to young children as a comfort aid. The Club organised collections over the Christmas period and raised sufficient funds to get the bears all sporting a white T shirt with the Rotary wheel and the clubs name on it. The teddy bears were received by Sarah Floyd, nurse practitioner in charge, together with Caroline Taylor nurse practitioner and Amy Shilson receptionist. A competition had been organised to identify a name for the teddy bears and the name drawn was George! President Peter Sherred highlighted the generosity of Morrisons in granting the collection and the generosity of the public. This is another example where Rotary has responded to a local need and met the clubs maxim of Service above Self .

Here is Rotary District 1120 under sail! The sailing barge Cambria taking part in the Thames Matches and winning her class. Rotarians are funding weekends away on board for young carers with most dates gone for this year and a lot of 2014 booked as well.

Send to: Rotary 1120 15 Johnson's Avenue, Badgers Mount, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN14 7AX

Were for communities

? RY Y E T A T O R H AV E Y OU TO INTRODUCED A N Y O N E