December started off quietly for Rotherham Sitwell Rotary Club with individual committee meetings, then council preceded a fellowship meeting on the 9th. At the council meeting the future of the Club was discussed and several themes were identified, which were circulated in January for discussion at a full Club Business Meeting on 3rd February.
The mobile Christmas float started on Tuesday 14th December at Waverley and carried on for 11 nights before Christmas. Everyone from Round Table, Rotary and 41 Club was magnificent, and the float was fully staffed every night. An amazing £11,000 was raised! Thanks to both Santas, the drivers and everyone that took part. The people of Rotherham had missed the full float experience and were so generous. On Christmas Eve, the float took £1,500 in notes alone! As was said at the Charter Night, this is a fellowship of Clubs with common aims and objectives and this shows what can be achieved for the less fortunate people of Rotherham when working together.
The mobile float was closely followed by the static float and again the Club rose to the occasion. Every session was fully staffed and over £2,500 was raised. There are too many people to thank individually so many thanks to everyone who transported, set up, staffed, ho-ho-ho’d and banked.
In amongst all this, a breakfast meeting at the Blue Coat was well attended.
President Steve spent Christmas with all his family; 11 adults and three grandchildren sat down to dinner at his son’s house. At the end of the day, family is what really matters. On Boxing Day he went to Whitley Bay with his daughter and the following day watched Newcastle United outplay Manchester United but only get a draw. It’s tough at the bottom of the league.
At the end of the month the Club was upset to hear that Rotarian Roger Green had suffered a heart attack. He is understood to be recovering well and all wish him a speedy recovery.
On 6th January the Club held its traditional ‘Not the Christmas Party’ at the Phoenix Sports and Social Club. This was a chance to unwind after all the hard work on the floats during December.
The Club is now looking forward to 2022 and hopes that it will be, in many respects, better than last year, echoing the sentiments of one of their members: “I hope it’s not 2020 too!”