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ROTARY CLUB OF WREXHAM! JUNE 2015

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BULLETIN

KEITH SAMUELS PHF IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT

A pleasant ceremony took place at our meeting at the Ramada Hotel on Tuesday, 23 June when Keith Samuels PHF was invested with the chain of office as new President of the Rotary Club of Wrexham by 2014/15 President, Peter Howell. Pe-ter said his year, as President , had been personally enjoyable, if occa-sionally stressful. 2014/15 had been an eventful year with new members, but sad events and serious illness too. Notwithstanding, successful and memorable social and fundraisingefforts had taken place. The club had responded positively , as ever, to lo-cal and international needs, both in-dividually as a club and also in co-operation with the other Wrexham clubs. The Rotary Club of Wrexham acted quickly in response to thetragic Nepal earthquake disaster and a £600 Shelter box was donated for rapid despatch. President Peter said that in setting out to be a ‘reforming’ president, he was deeply grateful for the help and advice he had received over the year, par-ticularly from immediate past President, Peter Tompsett, Keith Samuels PHF, his Vice President, and Pene Coles, Honorary Secretary, just to name a few. He was also much indebted to Les Wilson, Dave Roscoe, and others at the District level for their personal support and direct help. He wished the Club, under the leadership of Presi-dent Keith Samuels PHF and Tony Burdge, incoming Vice President, every success in continuing last year’s progress in recruiting more members, and strengthening fur-ther fundraising and fellowship. President Keith said it was his intention to prioritize on the social side of the Club so that members could engage more together: a. To try and make Club Meetings more fun. b. Review our fund raising strategies by general discussion within the Club with more responsibility for club members, not just the Fundraising Committee.


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He also intended: c. To nominate The Wrexham and District Stroke and Social Club and Guide Dogs for the Blind as his special charities for 2015\16. d. To rename the Special Group,formed by Peter Howell, as the 'Member- ship Committee' retaining the present membership. e. To form a committee to work with Dr Graham Arthur and members of the Wrexham Erddig Club to enhance the `Father Christmas Float to cover more areas in the Wrexham District and to raise awareness of Rotary fundraising in Wrexham by organizing more joint events with the other Wrexham clubs. f . To look into the feasibility, either individually or in conjunction with the other Wrexham Clubs, of starting a Rotaract Club at Glyndwr University.President Keith then asked Tony Burdge to step forward and he invested him with his chain of office.

PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED AT THE CLUB ASSEMBLY ON 19TH MAY 2015

President Peter invited Assistant District Governor Rodney Stokes to present three highly deserving PHF awards.


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Pallavoor Anandaram joined the club in May 2001 (01/05/01) in the Medical Consultant (urology) cate-gory. He served as Club Presi-dent in 2007/2008. He was chair-man of the International and Foun-dation committee during 2010 to 2014. He served as a member of the elected council in 2012/13. Anan has led our partnership with the Ro-tary Club of Cannanore Seaside. He, and his friends and family, have organized wonderful Indian Nights every year since 2011. That has raised more than £3400 to pro-vide life-saving equipment, such as incubators, for the Kannur hospital neonatal unit. Anan visits the area regularly and has also arranged visits by Wrexham Club members. His service to the Club and the community at home and abroad has been of enormous value in raising our visibility.

Barney Parkinson joined the club in December 2001 (04/12/01) in the Educationcategory. He became President in 2008/2009. He was a member of the Elected Council from 2013 to 2015 and was chairman of the International Com-mittee in 2013/2014. He has long been a key member of the Community Service Committee and took over as chairman when past president Brian Coles became terminally ill in 2013. Barney then led the continued organization of the Kids’ Days Out. Barney's 'can-do' attitude and his devoted service to the work of the club is a wonderful example to us


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all. Whilst suffering from ill health from time to time , his attendance and work for club committees, club events, and community services is exemplary and fully deserves PHF recognition.

Anthony Thomas joined the Club in May 1991 ((14/05/91) in the Ac-counting Services cate-gory. He was made President in 2002 to 2003. He served on the Elected Council from 2008 to 2012. During his presi-dency, an £1800 dona-tion was made to Can-nanore Seaside and a matching grant from Foundation was also ob-tained. He is chairman of the Vocational Service Committee. He has been Club Treasurer twice- 1995 to 2000 and 2004/2005. Tony’s regular at-tendance at Club meet-ings and events has been an example for us all to aspire. One can also say the same about his zealous atten-dance at District events and conferences. Tony's expertise in finance and club proce-dures has been extremely invaluable to the club. As long-term organizer of vocational visits to interesting factories and places, he has provided a steady stream of fascinating outings. The annual club visit to the panto at Theatr Clwyd is always much looked forward to. He is our club contact and organizer of club volunteers to carrying out Mock Interviews at local schools - a much appreciated service to local education.

CLUB TRANSFORMATIONThe Special Group, now renamed ‘The Membership Committee’, still chaired by Mike Kagan, published a report dated 1st December 2014 setting out a wide range of rec-ommendations for consideration by Council.

PROGRESS

● A letter to more than 40 named senior executives in the Wrexham area led to the re-cruitment of 4 new members. A second tranche of letters to larger businesses and su-permarkets is being prepared for September 2015.●Time control of meetings – most Tuesday meetings now end by 2.00 pm.


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● Evening Meeting on last Tuesday of each month - after polling the members, Council decided not to make any changes.● Meetings to be more socially orientated – central to President Keith’s 15/16 plans. ●Meetings at a variety of locations - no change for regular Tuesday meetings.● New members unable to attend all meetings because of work commitments – ac-cepted.● Council Membership – under continued review by President Keith● Review of Club bye-laws, constitution and compliance obligations - current docu-ments are being identified and studied.● Looking after new members - the Club Almoner has kindly accepted appointment as mentor to new members.● Appointment of Deputy Committee Chairmen – currently incomplete.● Appointment of Assistant Secretary - we thank Cheryl Furney-Brown for taking this on.● Review how we raise money – a key feature of President Keith’s plans for 2015/16.● Review the operation of Council and all club committees to seek improvements in ef-ficiency, effectiveness - ongoing.● Review how we update, publicize and disseminate information both internally and ex-ternally – ongoing.

INCOMING 2015/16 PRESIDENT KEITH SAMUELS


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SERVICE AND FUNDRAISING 2010 TO 2015

Our Rotary Club has a distinguished history of service in Wrexham and North Wales. However, in common with other Rotary Clubs in District 1180, and generally in RIBI, there have been serious adverse trends in recent decades. Some are a consequence of the rapid sociological, technological and financial changes occurring in our modern world. The developing problems have been identified and thought about for a very long time, indeed the Club Council, 20 or 30 years ago, fretted about the issues that are still bothering us today. Sadly, in spite of much hard work by those members closely in-volved in organizing events and fundraising, the downhill trend continues. Much more general participation and support is urgently needed.

SUMMARY FOR RECENT YEARS (ENDING IN JUNE) £ net 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (PROV)Donations 569 825 1981 1513 393 110Bonus Ball 450 353 408 340 418 183Quiz 345 107 - - - -Golf Day 1678 2025 1775 - - -Hog Roast 163 - - - - -Canal Boat - - - - - (150)Concerts 3040 961 314 699 - 467Beetle Drive - - - - 451 -Beer Festival - 37 (329) - - - Indian Night - 1241 686 609 856 1012Wine Tasting - 96 - - - - Barn Dance - 121 - - - Burns Night - 92 - - - - Sausage Night - 315 - - - - Race Night - - 305 - - - Pimms Event - - 145 - - - Titanic Night - - - - 737 - Miscellaneous 268 - - - - 470Interest 36 33 26 9 159

YEAR TOTALS 6549 6206 5311 3170 3014 2092

MEMBERS 44 43 40 36 32 28 31

The adverse trend in fundraising should be noted and acted upon by every member of the Rotary Club of Wrexham


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THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKEAlong with the other Wrexham clubs, we responded rapidly to the horrendous conse-quences of the Nepal earthquake and £595 was found, partly from generous dona-tions and partly from the club emergency funds. A street collection arranged by Molly Youd, District Governor Nominee, and the Erddig Club, had sadly to be abandoned because Molly was taken ill and admitted to hospital. Fortunately she is making a good recovery.

NEW EDITION OF THE HISTORY OF WREXHAM ROTARY CLUB

Past President, Deri Thomas, has published a new edition of his History of the Rotary Club of Wrexham. The normal price will be £15, but he has generously offered to Council that he provide some copies at a reduced price, provided that they are given free to new members on joining the Club. The club archive files, which he used to re-search the history of the club, have now been returned in immaculate condition to the custody of Wrexham Museum. Applications for access require the written approval of Council

PLAQUE FOR QUEEN’S GOLDEN JUBILEE TREEAn aluminium plaque has been kindly donated by Past President Peter Tomsett. it will be installed once a suitable date has been confirmed with the office of the Worshipful Mayor of Wrexham

EVENTSA Hot Pot Supper and Quiz took place in St. Margaret’s Church Hall on 29th May and a profit of £200 was made in spite of a very deficient attendance. The profit was made possible through Keith Samuels successfully negotiating subsequent discounts ( in view of the poor attendance) with both the Hall Trustees and also the caterer to whom we owe particularly grateful thanks.A major ‘black tie’ event is planned for September 2015

MY OBLIGATIONS AS A ROTARIAN

● Seek new members and cultivate amicable fellowship in the club..● Attend Tuesday meetings zealously.● Take an active role - the main purpose of being a Rotarian● Fill a vacancy – even if second time round.● Assist before, during and after the events we organize.● Not helped ? – then show tact to those who did and spare the criticism.


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COMPLIANCE AND INSURANCE OBLIGATIONSWe are very grateful to Rotarian Alison Stace for carrying out a thorough investigation of these matters, which will in future require the full prior attention of Council and or-ganizers when considering risks faced by the Club, particularly with regard to pro-posed events. Allied matters include Club compliance with Child Protection legislation and the Data Protection Act 1998. Outgoing President, Peter Howell, has presented the club with an album containing photographs of most of the Club Regalia for reference in the event of theft or loss.

SUBSCRIPTIONSBecause of the reduction in membership in 2015, the Annual Subscription for 2015/2016 has had to be increased from £80 to £85 to meet the total previously fixed amount of the RIBI invoice.

STROKE AWARENESS DAY 18TH APRILWrexham Rotary Club, with Anan, Keith Samuels and other members on duty, of-fered a Blood Pressure measuring facility to Sainsbury customers at Plas Coch. The day went well and, whilst donations were not actively sought, £70 was collected. One customer was found to have a dangerously high blood pressure and was transported immediately to the Maelor hospital.


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HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICERHon Treasurer, Robert Godfrey, feels that he is no longer in a position to carry out this role to his satisfaction and has announced his resignation. He will continue as Club Treasurer. The sincere thanks of Council and our members to Robert for all he does and has done. A volunteer is now urgently needed to carry out this statutory obliga-tion.

DONATION TO TENOVUS CANCER CANCER CHARITYPast President, Peter Tompsett presented, on behalf of the Club to Debbie Rowley of Tenovus, a cheque for £2000 at our Tuesday meeting on May 5th. A thank you letter has now been received. Tenovus was nominated by Peter during is Presidential year 2013/14.

CANAL BOAT EXCURSIONSA successful canal boat excursion for disabled people took place on June 3rd and an-other is scheduled for July 8th 2015. Hon Secretary Pene Coles and Rotarian, Cheryl Furney-Brown are pictured below.


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SPEAKER SECRETARYRotarian Gareth Parry is our new Speaker Secretary. We owe him much thanks for taking on this task. Please support him with suggestions for speak-ers and also attending Club meetings when a speaker is coming, usually at zero cost to the Club.

RECENT SPEAKERS

13 JAN PAUL DUTTON - DISTRICT ROTARACT CHAIRMAN

10 FEB ALISON WINN - AIR AMBULANCE

17 FEB PETER HOWELL - ABOLISHING TAXATION

24 FEB MIKE STEADMAN - TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE

03 MAR DAVE ROSCOE, ASSISTANT DISTRICT GOVERNOR

10 MAR KEITH SAMUELS PHF - TEACHING SCHOOL CHILDREN KERB DRILL

17 MAR MARY BAINBRIDGE B.Sc - BRITISH SWIMMING LEAD TUTOR

24 MAR GWNDAF OWEN

31 MAR DR STAN MOORE - ‘ CHINA ‘

21 APR HARI DRYHURST ROBERTS - COMMUNITY SERVICE

28 APR REPRESENTATIVE FROM COED CELYN

05 MAY DEBBIE ROWLEY - THE TENOVUS CANCER CHARITY

26 MAY RICHARD WITHERS - COMMUNITY SERVICE

09 JUN MIKE HOVEY - 46 YEARS A ROTARIAN

30 JUN ROBIN JONES - CEO OF THE VILLAGE BAKERY, WREXHAM

SPEAKERS ARRANGED FOR JULY 2015

14 JULY KIMBERLEY BARR - CHANGE STEP

21 JULY DAVID ILLSLEY - BASC

28 JULY REVD. NICK FINLAY - PEACE AND HOPE


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Stroke Club rota 2015

Members are asked to participate in this community service task. It involves about two hours of your time. Rotarians are requested to pick up and convey members of the Stroke Club to the Cunliffe Centre (or other venue as advised by Keith Samuels prior to the evening) by 7.00pm and return them to their homes at 9.00pm on alternative Wednesdays. Contact numbers for Rotarians are Keith Samuels telephone 01978 840645 or Cheryl Furney-Brown telephone 07971 224560.

Mr. Ian TaylorMrs. Janet Coulthurst

1st April Tony Burdge Cunliffe Centre15th April Alison Stace Cunliffe Centre29th April Cheryl Furney-Brown Cunliffe Centre

13th May Peter Tompsett Cunliffe Centre27th May David Gittins Cunliffe Centre10th June Tony Burdge Cunliffe Centre

24th June Cheryl Furney-Brown Bradley Bowling Club (afternoon event) 8th July Cheryl Furney-Brown Cunliffe Centre22nd July Peter Tompsett Cunliffe Centre

5th August David Gittins Cunliffe Centre19th August Tony Burdge Cunliffe Centre2nd September Cheryl Furney-Brown Cunliffe Centre

16th September Peter Tompsett Lord Moreton Pub30th September Alison Stace Cunliffe Centre

14th October David Gittins Cunliffe Centre28th October Tony Burdge Cunliffe Centre

11th November Alison Stace Cunliffe Centre25th November Cheryl Furney-Brown Ramada Hotel

9th December Peter Tompsett Cunliffe Centre

The members who require transport are:

Mr. Ian Taylor, 23 Box Lane, Wrexham LL12 8BY – Telephone number 01978 364233 (house is situated on the right hand side of the road going towards Chester Road – opposite playing field.

Mrs. Janet Coulthurst, 37 Cardigan Road, Borras Park, Wrexham LL12 7TS – tele-phone 01978 261669.

Will drivers please telephone Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Coulthurst on the above telephone numbers on the morning of the Stroke Club duty and they will advise whether they

RESPICE FINEM

keith samuels phf is our new presidentbtckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site14057/rotarybulletin...

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