April has seen a couple of Rotary Club of Retford events that were focused on children.
The first of these was the increasingly popular Retford Rotary Young Artist Competition. The 2024 event was the biggest in the eight-year history of the competition. The entries were all displayed within St Swithun’s Church, Retford Art Society helping with the judging.
The Church was alive from the blaze of colour created by over 200 art entries from 10 primary schools. With the largest audience to date, the awards ceremony took place on 24th April in the main church, and an enthusiastic crowd cheered and applauded the children for their fantastic work. 50 children were recognised for their excellence in art, some with certificates, others winning a goody bag of art supplies.
The Vicar praised their creativity, urging the children to keep up their endeavours, and Retford’s Mayor, Dan Henderson, handed out the certificates and prizes wearing his full regalia. St Swithun’s School were the well-deserved winners of the prize for best school – and will surely make good use of their prize: a table full of assorted art equipment.
On Monday 29th April it was time for the annual visit to the Club from representatives of the local RotaKids schools. There were 26 guests in attendance from 12 existing or prospective RotaKids schools. RotaKids is a way that Rotary Clubs and members can help support primary schools and pupils in their involvement with voluntary community activities.
The highlight of the evening was hearing, for the first time, a performance of a Peace Anthem. This has been a developing piece of musical work that has taken a great deal of effort from the schools and children involved over the past year, with help and support from many people along the way.
The anthem had been recorded at St Joseph’s School and delighted the audience. Everyone involved deserves a big thanks and should be proud of contributing to such a wonderful piece of music.
Still on the theme of supporting young people, this year the Charity Golf Day, to be held at Retford Golf Club on Wednesday 24th July, will primarily be supporting the Bassetlaw Learning Disability Association and the NSPCC, along with other local Rotary Charities.
Applications for teams of four are still welcome by contacting mikedavis13@gmail.com or downloading an application form from the Club website. There is also an opportunity for any businesses wishing to sponsor a Tee on the day by contacting the Club to discuss.