Two Bank Holidays meant that there were only two actual Rotary Club meetings in May – but that did not stop members being involved in a considerable amount of activity to benefit both local and international causes.
The very popular Retford Charter Day took place on 6th May. Rotarian Rob Morrison is the Rotary member of the Charter Day Trustees and huge thanks go to all the members of the Retford Charter Day Trustees for their time and effort spent organising such a big, successful event for the people of the area. Various members of the Club were also on site throughout the day, running games from the Rotary gazebo and generally supporting the event.
The much-awaited plant stall sale took place on Retford Market on 18th May. Organised by the International Committee, Rotary members had been growing and splitting plants for donation for several months, culminating in over 1,000 plants being available for sale on the day. A big Thank You to all who grew, donated, staffed and organised the sale, which raised over £1,200.
This will be partly used to support Aquabox in their provision of water purification filters to disaster zones. The demonstrations of the water pump and filter on the stall provoked a great deal of interest on the day as shoppers witnessed dirty muddy water being cleansed and purified before their eyes.
The other recipient of funding from the plant sale is the club’s ‘Bread Fund’ which provides fortified porridge breakfasts to primary children in rural South Africa.
There was still time for a social event and several members, friends, family and guests took part in a wine tasting event, enjoying wines produced by celebrity-owned vineyards. This very sociable event was enjoyed by all and certainly fulfilled the aim of providing fun and friendship, as well as some tasty wines!
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.
If you are interested in the range of actions and social activities that take place at Retford Rotary Club, and would like to find out more about Rotary, visit www.rotaryclubofretford.co.uk.