Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… October 2024
World Polio Day 2024
On the 24th of October 2024 it will be World Polio Day,
What is Poliomyelitis Virus?
It is a virus spread person to person, typically through contaminated water and can attack the nervous system, in some instances, leading to paralysis, which in the worst cases can be fatal, and mainly affects children under 5years.
Is there a cure?
Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunise over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
How successful is immunisation?
In 1988 Rotary International and the World Health Organisation launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, at a time when there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries per year.
By 2020 this had been reduced to 84 cases of Wild Polio Virus reported in Pakistan and 56 in Afghanistan – the last 2 countries endemic for polio - this was further reduced to only 6 reported cases in each country by 2023.
If we are this close, why can't we reduce who is immunised?
The ongoing crisis in Gaza has contributed to reduced routine immunisation rates and an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. As a result of this, Polio has been detected in environmental samples and a 10-month-old child has been confirmed as having contracted polio in Gaza. A humanitarian pause has allowed a polio vaccination campaign that began in Gaza on 1 September and Rotary has committed US$500,000 to bolster the initiative.
What are we doing and what can you do?
Help us donate as much as we can to this global issue. Bishop's Waltham Rotary are proud to be one of the largest contributors, per head, to the End Polio Now Campaign within our Rotary District. Every donation helps us obtain the support, transport, and materials needed in the fight against polio.
Making your money go further
Right now, all donations are matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, tripling your impact!
To Donate to the End Polio Now Campaign
Either contact us via our website www.bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk, or make a donation direct via www.endpolio.org
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on,
what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… September 2024
New Life Domestic 
Recently we were privileged to have been able to make links with New Life Domestic, a charity helping individuals and families, that are starting a new life, free of abuse and who need a hand to set up their new homes in the Southampton, Eastleigh, West End, Hedge End, Botley and surrounding areas.
They operate on a not-for-profit basis, providing items such as household furniture and other items needed for both Men, Women and Children to help them build their new lives.
We helped them out financially recently which has helped them access better storage facilities for the donated items that they are given, and we are now looking forward to working with them in the future. Over the last few years we have helped several families in a similar, but smaller way and together hopefully we can help others rebuild their lives.
Hampshire Medical Fund
We have formed strong links over the last couple of years with Hampshire Medical Fund, who were instrumental in getting the ball rolling with Bishop's Waltham Rotary, sourcing Incubators to send to Ukraine, of which we have so far sent 8 incubators with another 4 being sourced imminently. Because of this, Hampshire medical Fund contacted us recently regarding a specialist Neonatal Transfer Trolley they were attempting to fund, for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to aid the safe transfer of critically ill young babies and we were delighted to be able to complete their target figure by donating £700.00.
Finally…
We were very pleased to be able to award an honorary membership to Doug Draper, one of our Founder members, from when our Club was founded in early 1989, he has remained an active member ever since. We were also recently able to recognise the significant work and dedication to the club that two of our other members have made who, although they have not been with us as long as Doug, have both made a significant impact towards the club's charitable work. These two members, Jason Rule and Ian Fletcher were awarded the Paul Harris Award, an award which was instigated and named after Rotary International's founder who organised the first ever Rotary meeting in Chicago in 1905.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… July 2024
Young Carers
One of the highlights of the year for seeing the effect of what Rotary can do, is when we support the National Young Carers event at YMCA Fairthorne Manor. This year the event was over the last weekend in June and saw 1000 young carers from around the country arrive with the sole purpose of getting them away from their caring duties, looking after parents and siblings etc. and having fun.
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club assists with the running of a pop up café along with other local Rotary clubs, and every year we are astounded by the young people we meet, which this year included several from London who are only 8 years old! The weekend's activities included fairground rides, outdoor activities, and massive firework display to music, disco's, karaoke, crafts and more, plus the opportunity to meet others in similar situations.
Hurricane Beryl 
Early July saw Hurricane Beryl make landfall in the Caribbean, bringing devastation and destruction to many of the islands not least of which to be affected was Union Island, which lies off St Vincent and the Grenadines. The scale of the devastation is such that almost the whole population of the island is homeless. For this reason we have made a pre-emptive donation of £1000 to ShelterBox, a Rotary based charity with over 20 years' experience of responding to disaster situations, to assist them with any relief work they may need to undertake.
Hampshire Home-Start 
We have recently made a donation to Home-Start Hampshire to help their work with local families with young children. Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support, helping families with young children through their challenging times. Home-Start was an idea that started in Leicester in 1973, spread across the UK and is now a movement around the world. There are now 22 countries on five continents that have Home-Starts providing support for families.
New Rotary Year - New President
The end of June saw the end of the Rotary year and the end of Jason Rule, our 2023-2024 president's time in the hot seat. This year's president is Ian Treveil, who is taking the role for the second time after a gap of 10 years since his first stint in the chair.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk______________________
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… May 2024
A sell out night of high fashion
Blooming marvellous garden
In April we were approached for help by Mountbatten Hospice who were planning on having a show garden designed by Anne Herbert at the BBC Gardeners World Fair in Beaulieu over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. The plan was to create a garden at the show and then move it back to the Hospice at the end for the enjoyment of everyone. Through contacts with local providers, we managed to pull together all of the plants etc that were needed and a team of Rotarians and volunteers from the Hospice spent the week running up to the show creating an amazing garden, which received a Silver Merit award.
Family Fun Day, Dog Show, Motorcade and Classic Car Show
Saturday 8th June 2024 – 12.30pm to 5pm at Hoe Road Recreation Ground
Don't miss the Bishop's Waltham Rotary Summer Fayre with Live Music, Fun Dog Show, Motorcade of fabulous Vintage & Classic Cars and Motorbikes, Children's rides, inflatables, food and drink Village, Pavilion teas & Cakes, Ice Cream, shopping stalls, games and charity fund raisers plus lots more. The Motorcade will be parading up the High Street travelling to Hoe Road on the day from 12noon.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… April 2024
Family Fun Day, Dog Show, Motorcade and Classic Car Show
Saturday 8th June 2024 - 12 noon to 5pm
Date for your diary, don't miss Bishop's Waltham Rotary Summer Fayre with Live Music, Fun Dog Show, Motorcade of fabulous Vintage & Classic Cars and Motorbikes, Children's rides, inflatables, food and drink Village, Pavilion teas & Cakes, Ice Cream, shopping stalls, games and charity fund raisers plus lots more. The Motorcade will be parading up the High Street travelling to Hoe Road on the day from 12noon.
We are also delighted to confirm Hampshire & IOW Air Ambulance will be bringing their mobile flight simulation experience for any budding pilots who wish to experience the thrill of flying a helicopter (suitable for 11 years +)
We still have spaces left for stall holders within our shopping area on the showground, so if you are a local business, charity or crafter and want to raise money or show your products to approximately 3000 local people then contact us via our website www.bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk or email pete.yeoman@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Introducing our new members
At the end of March we were delighted to formally welcome 4 new members, Rob, Lizzy, Sally and Rebecca to the Club, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and will no doubt enhance our already amazing team. If you would like to find out more about what we do and think you might like to join this active fun-loving bunch, then get in contact with us via our website.
New members Rob, Lizzy, Rebecca and Sally with this years president Jason and Vice President Ian
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… March 2024
Incubators to Ukraine - Update
We reported a couple of months ago that we had secured several desperately needed incubators to be shipped out to medical facilities in war torn Ukraine. Through this initial effort which came about through a collaboration between Bishop's Waltham Rotary, the Hampshire Medical Fund, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, REACT disaster relief, V-Aid and Ukrainian charities, we were able to send an initial 3 incubators in mid-January. Thanks to this initial collaboration we have managed to keep things going and we have secured a further 5 incubators, which will be going to Ukraine in mid-March. These incubators will also be packed with various other medical essentials that have been donated, bolstering the impact being made. Once we have images of the incubators in their new homes we will share them here.
An important date for your diaries
We are now well into planning mode for the main event of our fundraising year, our annual, and eagerly anticipated, Bishop's Waltham Rotary Summer Fayre which includes the ever-popular Live music, Dog Show, Motorcade and Classic Car Show plus plenty of stalls, food and drink to keep you entertained. This year it will be held, as usual, at Hoe Road Recreation Ground on Saturday the 8th of June from 12:30 – 5:00pm. Put the date in your diary to come along for a great day out, and if you would like to get involved or have a stall, contact us via our website.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on,
what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… February 2024
Charity Fashion Show – 18TH April 2024
Back by popular demand, the Bishop's Waltham Rotary Charity Fashion Show will take place On Thursday 18th April, 2024 at the Jubilee Hall, Little Shore Lane, Bishops Waltham, SO32 1ED in aid of BREAST CANCER NOW, a charity dedicated to giving support for today and hope for the future, for everyone affected by breast cancer. The evening will commence at 6.30pm with the opportunity to visit a great selection of local businesses who will have stalls including handbags, shoes, jewellery, glass work, beauty, gifts, accessories, pictures, crochet, pet supplies and much more, followed by the Fashion Show starting at 7.30pm. Ticket price is £15 to include a glass of prosecco and canapes. We are delighted to confirm we have Labels Boutique & Dress Agency and Luvvit Boutique showing the latest Spring and Summer Fashion all modelled by local ladies. We will also have a grand raffle. Tickets are now on sale from Labels & Luvvit which are located in Bishops Waltham High Street. For further information please contact Debbie.walker@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on,
what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… January 2024
Rotary Christmas Collections
Santa and his trusty musical steam engine "Roger" were out and about in December signalling the run up to Christmas and this year we have been astounded by your generosity, particularly in such difficult times. Once all collections were counted and totalled up you donated the amazing sum of nearly £6,500, which is up by nearly £700 on last year's record-breaking total. With this money we will be able to continue to support Local, National and International causes.
Incubators to Ukraine
Sometimes things just fall into place and make our job of helping people so much easier…this happened just before Christmas when due to a series of events and contacts we were able to secure several incubators to send out to Hospitals in Ukraine, who are desperate for this type of equipment. As previously reported, just before Christmas we sent a 4x4 vehicle laden with warm clothing, sleeping bags and medical supplies to Ukraine and through this we were put in contact with a team who supply medical equipment to Ukraine via UMAUK (Ukraine Medical Association in the UK) and BUA (British Ukrainian Aid). We also have contact with and have supported the Hampshire Medical Fund who provide cutting edge medical equipment to Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust in Winchester, Basingstoke and Andover. When a representative from Hampshire Medical Fund heard about our support to Ukraine whilst giving a presentation to one of our weekly meetings, they informed us that they were in the process of supplying some new incubators to Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
We quickly started the ball rolling to try and secure the outgoing incubators, which were still fully serviceable, so that we could, if successful, send them to Ukraine. So far, we have secured 5 desperately needed incubators which will be shipped to Ukraine over the next couple of months along with other much needed medical equipment.
Incubator packed with extra supplies
Incubator being loaded at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester
Electric wheelchair assistance
During the last month we have also been able to help one local youngster regain his independence and mobility by assisting with money towards the purchase of an electric wheelchair. We were able to donate £500 towards the total of £5000 needed to purchase the wheelchair and the fundraising is now getting close to being in a position to purchase the chair.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
ian.treveil@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… December 2023
Bishop's Waltham Lighting Up
The 7th of December saw the High Street in Bishop's Waltham filled with lights, music and food to celebrate the annual start to Christmas celebrations. This year, despite the weather at the beginning and several stalls not turning up, a good time was had by all and the weather improved as the evening went on, with the rain finally stopping and the temperature even went up. We were there with Roger, Santa's Musical lit up Train Engine, plus our Human Fruit Machine, which always brings a smile to peoples faces and the chance to win or walk away with a sweet as a consolation prize for the children. We had a great time and managed to raise over £85.00 which will go towards our funds raised for charity.
The Human Fruit Machine
Donation to Winchester Hospital
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club was approached by staff from the Children's ward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital to see if we could help them out. What they needed was pyjamas etc for teenage Boys and Girls so that if children came into the ward without these items or if they needed a clean set to wear, so they could provide them. We were more than happy to help and went about sourcing brand new items including over 40 sets of pyjamas, 70 sets of underwear, plus several sweatshirts etc in varying sizes from 11 to small adult. All items were then individually packed and labelled before being delivered to the Hospital at the beginning of December.
Staff at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, children's ward with donated clothing
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
ian.treveil@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… November 2023
Ukraine relief convoy
As reported last month, we have been raising money to acquire a 4x4 vehicle to send to Ukraine as part of the "Pick-up's for Peace" convoy, which heads out in mid-November.
With various money raising events and collections we have raised nearly £4,000 and, with this we can purchase and prepared the vehicle, plus fill it with essential warm weather clothing, sleeping bags and first aid supplies. We have found the right vehicle, with the kind assistance of Silverlake Garage in Shedfield, who not only helped us source the vehicle, but also supplied us with a set of new tyres and a full tank of fuel to start things off on the vehicle's long journey to Ukraine. Normally, all vehicles going to Ukraine with Pick-up's for Peace stay there to provide much needed transport, but due to the quality of the vehicle we have supplied, Pick-Up's for Peace have requested that this vehicle do two journeys, the first with the main convoy of supplies and a second run just before Christmas with a cargo of Toys to be handed out as Christmas Presents to the Children of Ukraine. Once the vehicle has made its second trip, it will stay in Ukraine to bolster the fleet of vehicles from the original convoy.
How we raised the funds to purchase the vehicle and aid payload.
The Rotary Team with our car ready to begin it's long journey to Kyiv
The Car all packed with clothing and medical supplies
The Rotary 4x4 Being Unloaded in Ukraine.
Shoeboxes
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club with the help of local clubs, schools and friends have collected and sorted over 400 shoeboxes packed with presents for children in need at Christmas. These boxes will be added to the nearly 20,000 boxes collected annually from around our district, which covers most of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, and parts of Dorset and Wiltshire. This year the boxes are going to Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Romania, and if possible, to Ukraine, from there they will be shipped to local Rotary Clubs who will distribute them.
Sorting and re-packaging boxes in Bishops Waltham
Inside the Warehouse Bournemouth
Local Brownies filling shoeboxes
Christmas Collections
Santa has been in touch, and we now have the routes all set for where he will be visiting this year, along with Roger, his brightly lit musical steam train. Again this year we have been working hard with Santa's Elves and you can track Santa and Roger on their travels around the local area - Simply log onto www.bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk and follow the "Where is Roger " link.
Thursday 30 November |
6-8pm at Hilliers Garden Centre Woodhouse Lane, Botley, Nr. Southampton, Hampshire, SO30 2EZ |
| Sunday 3rd December | 6-8pm Lights switch on Wickham Square |
| Monday 11th December | Bishop's Waltham the new Clover Way estate on Winchester Road |
| Tuesday 12th December | Waltham Chase |
| Wednesday 13th December | Fair Oak starting out at Stubbington Way |
| Thursday 14th December | Bishops Waltham visiting Rareridge lane and the Oak Road area |
| Friday 15th December | All day static at Hilliers Garden Centre SO30 2EZ |
| Friday 15th December | Fair Oak, starting in Dean Road off Allington lane |
| Monday 18th December | Bishops Waltham on the Pondside estate |
| Tuesday 19th December | Horton Heath starting out at the community centre |
| Wednesday 20th December | Bishops Waltham starting at The Avenue |
| Thursday 21st December | Fair Oak, heading out from Crowd Hill off Savernake Way |
| Friday 22nd December | All day static at Hilliers Garden Centre SO30 2EZ |
| Friday 22nd December | Fair Oak, starting in Blackberry way, opposite the Clock Inn |
| Saturday 23rd December | Static at Sainsbury's Bishop's Waltham |
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
ian.treveil@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… October2023
Concert in aid of Ukraine relief convoy
On the 30th of September Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club hosted an evening of music and food, all in aid of sending desperately needed supplies and transport to Ukraine. The main entertainment for the night was provided by Otterbourne Brass who played two sets of music, the first set being a varied mix from their award winning repertoire, and then the second set took the form of a quiz, with well-known themes for the audience to identify ranging from Gone with the Wind, to Game of Thrones and Fireball XL5. During the break the audience were served a hearty 2 course meal and were serenaded by Lucien De'Laloi, Jazz vocalist and King Crooner, who had literally just arrived on a cruise ship at Southampton, fresh from entertaining passengers on board. The feedback from those attending has been amazing, with comments such as: "What a truly wonderful evening", "All in all, a fabulous evening" and "We hope that Rotary do a "repeat" event in 2024". The money will help us support "Pick up's for Peace", a charity which organises convoys of donated 4x4 vehicles full of supplies including warm weather clothing, boots etc. which are driven to Ukraine and then left to support local communities devastated by the war. We have found a vehicle and are now raising funds to cover its purchase and fill it with supplies appropriate to the time of year in Ukraine. The concert raised nearly £2000 and with funds already donated from individuals and other Rotary clubs we have another £1000 plus there is a planned street collection in mid-October which will further bolster the funds.
Ho Ho Ho
Yes, it's nearly that time of year - Christmas is fast approaching, and plans are well underway to start pounding the streets with Father Christmas and "Roger" his trusty, brightly lit, musical steam train. Last year we raised nearly £6000 and this year, as usual, we will be visiting Waltham Chase, Bishops Waltham and Fair Oak starting on the week beginning Monday the 11th of December and continue through on weekday evenings until the following Friday, the 22nd of December. We will also be having several static collections with McCarthy's, Wickham on the 16th, Sainsbury's in Hedge End on the 22nd and Sainsbury's in Bishop's Waltham on the 23rd - Keep an eye on our website or Facebook page to find the dates when we will be visiting a street near you and hear of further updates and how you can get involved.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
ian.treveil@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… July 2023
New Rotary year - New President
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… June2023
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club Fun Day, Dog Show and Motorcade
Well, what a day that was! We saw the hottest day of the year, so far, coinciding with this year's Bishop's Waltham Rotary Fun Day on the 10th of June, with the mercury hitting 30oC.
Still the crowds came to revel in the sights and sounds of the day. The afternoon kicked off with a Motorcade of Vintage and Classic vehicles resulting in a display of over 90 cars, bikes and even a few classic Fire Engines. There were numerous bands performing on our 2 stages with plenty of food, drinks, and ice creams to enjoy while you sat back and watched the show. There was also lots to keep everyone happy from shopping at the numerous stalls to raffles, games, Fair Ground rides plus the ever-popular Fun Dog Show with categories ranging from the Cutest Puppy to the Fastest Biscuit Muncher.
Unfortunately, with the weather as hot as it was numbers were down on last year, which was very well attended as our first main event since the cancellations and isolations of the Pandemic, but first estimates are showing we will have made about £7,500.00 for charity and all wrapped in a brilliant, fun-filled community event.
Obviously, this event takes a huge amount of organising and Bishop's Waltham Rotary are always on the lookout for new members, or just new friends to help out on the day. If you feel you would like to know more or just want to know what Rotary is about, get in touch via our website.
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… May 2023
Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club Fun Day, Dog Show and Motorcade
The wait is finally over, on 10th of June 2023 we will be holding the big event of our Rotary year – THE BISHOP'S WALTHAM ROTARY CLUB FUN DAY, DOG SHOW AND MOTORCADE – gates open at 1230. This year we have more stalls than ever, with a wider variety of food stalls, two music performance areas, plus Fairground rides and lots of things to see and do including, a large display of vintage and classic, Cars and Bikes. Come along to Hoe Rd Recreation ground, Bishop's Waltham, for a fun packed day for all the family. Also for a really good view of the amazing Cars and Bikes in the Motorcade, be in Bishop's Waltham High Street at 1200 as they travel through the historic town on their way to the showground.
End Polio – Now we are so close
Rotary International is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which aims to end polio through it's End Polio Now campaign. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralysing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five, spreading from person to person, typically through contaminated water, then attacking the nervous system. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years and our goal of ridding the world of this disease is now closer than ever. Today, polio remains endemic in only Afghanistan and Pakistan and this year there has only been one case, to date, of wild Polio in Pakistan and none in Afghanistan. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly three billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary's advocacy efforts have also played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort, but it's crucial that we continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. If you would like to donate, go to our website and click on the "Donate Button" on the Home Page.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… April 2023
Wessex Heartbeat Cycle Sportive
On a cold wet morning in mid-March several members of Bishop's Waltham Rotary club turned out to help with the running of the annual Wessex Heartbeat Cycle Sportive. The event had two routes available of either 40 or 70 miles and the intrepid cyclists, including a couple of Tandem pairs, set out to brave the inclement weather, all in aid of Wessex Heartbeat. Wessex Heartbeat is a local charity that helps new-borns, children and adults diagnosed with congenital and cardiovascular diseases primarily by supporting the work of the Wessex Cardiac Unit based at Southampton General Hospital. This is achieved by providing specialised equipment, services and facilities to help patients and their relatives through their cardiac journey. Local Rotary Clubs have a long history of supporting Wessex Heartbeat, primarily in aiding with the initial purchase of Heartbeat house which is a "Home from Home" for the relatives of those undergoing Cardiac Treatment at Southampton General Hospital, and is only a 3 minute walk from the cardiac wards, this close association has again been recently renewed with many of the Rotary Clubs in our local District pledging to support their work and an upgrade of the house over the next 3 years.
Purple Community Fund – Free Range Chickens 
Our local Rotary District 1110 has a long association with the Purple Community Fund, a grass roots UK registered charity in the Philippines. We as part of District 1110 have supported them over the years helping them fund their work with the poorest of the poor living in Tondo, Manila, Naic, Cavite Baguio and Bulacan in the Philippines. They began their work 20 years ago reaching out to communities living in extreme crisis situations, unable to provide for their most basic needs and without hope or the ability to change their futures. They provided holistic services in education, livelihood and business skills, farming, health clinics, nutrition and social welfare. They believe everyone deserves a chance to thrive and prosper. To this end we have raised funds to support a drive to increase their ability to produce their own food, which became necessary during the Pandemic, where the local response was one of the strictest in the world, causing a devastating effect on food supply and food stability for Purple Community Fund beneficiaries and those benefiting from their feeding programmes. In 2021 they started two communal vegetable farms and in January 2022 they began a pilot egg production farm with 25 chickens. In June they took delivery of their first 200 ready to lay hens, and in August they purchased a further 400. Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club have pledged £500 as part of a District 1110 plan to supply more chickens and build safe housing for them, to ensure there is a continued plentiful supply of eggs.
Dates for your Diary
On Saturday the 22nd of April we will be holding a membership day in the King's Centre in the middle of Bishop's Waltham High street. Keep an eye out for posters advertising this event and come in for a chat to find out who we are, what we do, how we spend the money we raise and how you can get involved.
The main event of our fundraising year, our annual, and eagerly anticipated, Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club Family Funday & Motorcade Procession, including our ever popular Dog Show will be held at Hoe Road Recreation Ground on Saturday the 10th of June from 12:30 – 5:00pm. Put the date in your diary to come along for a great day out, and if you would like to get involved or have a stall, contact us via our website.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… March 2023
Turkey and Syria Earthquake appeal
As reported last month we planned to hold a collection in aid of the unfolding situation in Syria and Turkey following the devastating earthquake at the beginning of February. We held the collection at Sainsbury's in Bishop's Waltham on 11th of February and had a tremendous response from everyone resulting in the collection, plus several other donations after the date, raising £1,545.00, which has been sent to aid the immediate response to the humanitarian disaster. As a club we have also allocated a further £1,000.00 that will be donated to the Rotary fund dedicated to the long-term rebuilding plans.
Lend with care… Update
Back in October we reported that we had provided finance for a charitable Micro Finance Loan scheme through Lend With Care. We have again supported another 4 international projects and, as this goes to press, we have now seen the first few months of repayments coming back in and are now in a position to re-allocate the returns into another scheme, which will see us supporting 9 schemes in total. Our plan is that we will continue this cycle by re-investing in further projects as soon as the incoming returns exceed our loan level.
Local causes
We continue to support many local projects such as the Meon Valley Food Bank, by providing their drivers to enable them to deliver to those requiring their support, but we also support many individuals who have found themselves needing help with essential household items.
Dates for your Diary
The main event of our fundraising year, our annual, and eagerly anticipated, Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club Family Funday & Motorcade Procession including our ever popular Dog Show will be held at Hoe Road Recreation Ground on Saturday the 10th of June from 12:30 – 5:00pm. Put the date in your diary to come along for a great day out, and if you would like to get involved or have a stall, contact us via our website.
In April we will be holding a membership day on a Saturday, date to be confirmed, in the King's Centre in the middle of Bishop's Waltham Highstreet. Keep an eye out for posters advertising this event and come in for a chat to find out who we are, what we do, how we spend the money we raise and how you can get involved. If you want a taster of what we do, have a look at our video below:
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… February 2023
Bishop's Waltham Youth Club
For many years we have supported Bishop's Waltham Youth Club by helping them with numerous projects, from financing such things as furniture and a chill out space, to helping repaint the outside of their present clubhouse. Recently we were approached regarding their plans to expand their age group and to start a club for younger children in the 9-11year old age bracket. We were more than happy to finance the materials needed to start this new club, which meets on the second Monday of every month from 6pm to 7.30pm in the Youth Hall.
Dates for your Diary
We are also now in full planning mode for the main event of our fundraising year, our annual, and eagerly anticipated, Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club Family Funday & Motorcade Procession. This year it will, as usual, be held at Hoe Road Recreation Ground on Saturday the 10th of June from 12:30 – 5:00pm. Put the date in your diary to come along for a great day out, and if you would like to get involved or have a stall, contact us via our website.
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
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Bishop's Waltham Rotary Club News… January 2023
Thank you – What a Year
Firstly may we wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you for your generosity and support over the last year and in particular Christmas period.
With your help our club collected in over 370 Shoeboxes filled with goodies, and these were then delivered to our district depot where over 18,000 boxes were packaged up and then delivered to the young children of Romania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania. Plus, this year the many displaced children from Ukraine, in Romania and Moldova, will also benefit.
You also gave extremely generously when we came visiting with Father Christmas and "Roger" his musical Steam Engine and again, we broke all previous records in collecting over £5,800 pounds, which will help us to continue our charitable work in the local area, nationally and internationally.
This year we have donated over £14,000 to charities and deserving causes: Locally we have helped many individuals in our area who have fallen on hard times, through our continuing support of the local food bank, plus those with specific one-off needs. We continued our annual support of Rotary Kids Out and Rotary Young Carers weekend both financially and as part of the teams supporting these two events. We also helped Wessex Heartbeat and have pledged to continue to help them with their work in support of those undergoing significant Heart procedures and, in particular, with the upkeep of Heartbeat House which provides a home from home for relatives of those undergoing treatment enabling them to stay nearby in support of their loved ones.
Further afield we have helped with Rotary support for building temporary housing in war torn Ukraine ready for the harsh winter months. We provided emergency and rebuilding support following the Pakistan Floods and we have provided funds for Lendwithcare, with our loans now starting to be repaid, making it possible for us to consider further projects. We also financially support the work of Rotary International through its own charity Rotary Foundation and we continue to support Rotary's on-going work to eradicate Polio, which has seen the number of countries endemic with Polio drop to just two – we truly are so close!
Charity Golf Day
We are excited to announce our Charity Golf Day on April 27th 2023 at East Horton Golf Club in support of the Rotary Foundation Charity, Friends of In Touch in Fair Oak and Mountbatten Hospice in West End. A full and fun day starting with tea, coffee and bacon rolls at 8:00 am, a shotgun start four ball competition at 9:00 am on the East Horton championship standard Greenwood Course with a refreshment buggy. Followed by lunch and prize giving at 2pm in the Greenwood Room.
All proceeds raised will go to the above three charities. Cost just £75 per person. Our thanks to Doyle and Palmer Wealth Management of Fareham who are kindly sponsoring the event. 72 teams of 4 are available, for early bookings email sara.walker@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk.
Follow this link for Golf day
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
pr@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
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Look at our latest video
Like our Facebook page or take a look at our website for updates on what is going on, what we have been up to and how you can help us help others!
ian.treveil@bishopswalthamrotary.org.uk
How we raised the fund to purchase the vehicle and the aid cargo.
