During July, Rotherham Rotary Club members enjoyed a number of interesting speakers, and with stories to tell.
A few weeks ago, on the TV show ‘Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ one of the celebrities was former Aston Villa and England, and now pundit, Dion Dublin. As is the form, Jeremy asked which charity Dion was supporting, and it was the Pet Blood Bank (PBB).
That really intrigued President Michael Sumption and so he arranged for the charity’s Alex Ashton, to visit the Club and give a presentation. Were it not for Dion, we all would have been blissfully unaware of what is clearly an absolutely vital service for veterinary surgeons and their dog patients, not to mention their owners. Alex explained that (with the exception of alpacas!) the PBB only caters for dogs. She most certainly opened the Rotarians’ eyes, and the dog owners among them, to what is clearly as organised in every way along the lines of the Blood Transfusion Service.
Alex said: “Pet Blood Bank exists to help save the lives of pets in need. We are a UK charity with welfare at our heart.” And equally eye-opening was a talk by Tony Bovill of HOUF which stands for ‘Helping Our Ukranian Friends’. This Dronfield / Sheffield-based voluntary group was only a germ after Tony and a soccer mad friend went to Donetsk in Ukraine to watch England play in the Euros, and home-stayed with locals. They became firm friends and that germ has developed into a simply mind-blowing organisation, all run by volunteers.
Thanks to them, ten consignments have made their way to Ukraine, loaded to the brim with every imagjnable requirement for families and for troops on the front line – even converted vehicles for hospitals. One of those who has made the journey is Rotary Assistant District Governor Liz Hepworth, from the Dronfield Rotary Club and member of HOUF. She is regularly bringing Rotary clubs together to collect specific types of goods, and Rotherham Club have been delighted to help her.
All in all, it was a humbling experience, President Michael, along with his partner Mary, have accommodated a wonderful Ukranian family for three years. Plans are continuing to develop for the Rotherham Schools Art Competition, which the Club and a private company are sponsoring. Watch this space for more details as the competition is launched later this month.