Pictures from Events taken throughout 2020

Sadly Santa cannot visit Hare Hatch Sheeplands from December 20th because of Covid-19 Tier-4 regulations. But he has reassured us that he will be able to make his deliveries to children on Christmas Eve. The photo is of the Alleyne family visiting Santa on 19 December before he had to depart for the North Pole to prepare for his big delivery day.

To book the few remaining visits to Santa on 21st, 22nd and 23rd December you can click on the blue Welcome you link on the left of the home page. We are partnering with Hare Hatch Sheeplands for this Covid-19-safe fund raiser for our Community Support Christmas Appeal. Maisie Danielli seen here high-fiving Santa through a transparent safety screen.

Rotarians Scott Trathen and Alistair Knox delivered a bumper assortment of food and snack items to CIRDIC in Reading on Friday 18 December. The wide variety of items included chocolates and cauliflowers. 

As well as helping Santa we are collecting for covid-19 relief at Sheeplands  and also at the Henry Street Garden Centre. Here is Rotarian Simon Thorpe looking just like Tigger. The Rotary Club of Reading Thames is also helping. We thank all visitors for their generosity in helping others during these difficult times.

Senior pupils in the Oaks Interact Club set up a 'pop-up' shop at their Crosfields school in Reading and raised £2066 by selling Children in Need merchandise during the appeal week in November. Interact is a junior Rotary Club for young people between the ages of 12 and 18. Interact Clubs are part of the Rotary International organization and the Oaks Club is supported by our Club.

 

The RotaKids Club at Winnersh Primary and the Oaks Interact Club at Crosfields planted purple crocuses at their schools to promote Rotary's Purple4Polio 
campaign which aims at the global elimination of polio. When a child is immunised against polio their little finger is dipped in a purple dye. RotaKids is an exciting way for children aged 7-12 to make friends, get involved in community support activities and having a great time in the process.

On 4th November, with the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh, we did some. tidying work at Camp Mohawk near Wargravea, a multi-functional day centre for children with special needs. We also planted 1000 purple crocus corms which in the spring will highlight Rotary's  worlwide camaign to rid every country of polio. This is just one of the ways we serve our community. If you would like to help us make a difference, please get in touch through the Contact us tab above.  We'd love to hear from you.

Rotary members are #PeopleOfAction and we aim to give help to those in need in our community. Rotarian Alan Howe seen here putting the finishing touches to the painting of an Earley resident's  pergola. If you would like to help us with such practical support projects, please get in touch by the Contact Us link above.

During October we ran outreach events over two weekends, at Hare Hatch Sheeplands and Henry Street garden centres. The aim was to inform visitors about how our club supports the community and how they can help us to make a difference. There were some generous donations from the public towards our Covid-19 community support. 

Leanne Home, Assistant Head Teacher at Winnersh Primary School  and coordinator of the Greenways RotaKids club holding a thank you card from the Woodley Based Me2 Club for £130 donated by the children, raised at their cake sale before lockdown. RotaKids is a Primary School Citizenship programme supported by Rotary.

More fun for golfing Rotarians in our club's annual match with the Rotary Club of Loddon Vale.  Close and enjoyable match which we won at Sonning Golf Club. If you would like to enjoy similar events or make a difference in your community, drop us an e-mail via the Contact Us tab above. We are #PeopleOfAction.

From the beginning of March to the 15^th August, Rotary Clubs in District 1090, which covers the Thames Valley and neighbouring counties, donated £176,195 to community support organisations in the area. 

Club member Scott Trathen fitted pictures and mirrors and mended furniture in a house owned by  Hope Into Action Reading. We provided items of furniture for the house a few weeks before. Hope into Action provides mentoring and a secure home for people who have had no permanent address. If you would like to make a difference in your community please email: rotaryreadingme@gmail.com.

Rotary is also about friendship and fun too. Our team of golfers joined others from three Rotary clubs in Reading to play for the "Cartload Golf Trophy" at the Sonning Golf Club and Tony Cornell led our team to a narrow victory in damp weather. Like to learn more about Rotary?  email: rotaryreadingme@gmail.com.

As part of our continued Covid-19 community response we make donations to Cirdic. The donations help provide packed lunches and hot meals to the homeless and vulnerable in Reading. We also donate good quality men's clothing to Cirdic. If you would like to make a difference in our community please email: rotaryreadingme@gmail.com.

 

As part of our Club's  hands-on contribution to our community, a team worked to refurbish the Hollow recreation area at the Wokingham Waterside Centre in Reading.  (wokinghamwatersidecentre.com).

Continuing our hands-on community work, club members helped Camp Mohawk get ready to re-open again for children with special needs and their families. The centre enables children to play, socialise and to learn in a safe environment. If you would like to learn more please email: rotaryreadingme@gmail.com. #Rotary #PeopleOfAction.

Rotary recognises exceptional efforts by awarding a Paul Harris Fellowship including a certificate and a badge, recognised worldwide by other Rotarians. Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary over 150 years ago. Two of our Club members were awarded this year: Brian Hunt for his support to all aspects of Rotary and Kate Hodges for her services to membership in the Thames Valley District. Note the social distancing.

We held our AGM on Zoom this week. It was very uplifting - we learnt we have raised and spent a record £30K this Rotary year, and an amazing £9.5K from our Coronavirus Relief Fund. Thank you to everyone who has supported us. We also had our first online welcome to Keith Starkey as a member of our Club! 

With the Covid-19 social distancing restrictions our club is still active with regualr meetings using the Zoom video conferencing system. See our diary for future events. 

We are donating to the Wycliffe Baptist Churc to help with their food-share scheme. Our members also arranged for door to door delivery of bread from Hare Hatch Sheeplands to Wycliffe. The food-share takes fresh produce from shops that would otherwise go to waste and makes it available to those that need it. In july we found them an extra food trolley. See more about food-share at: https://youtu.be/LiGF65M7xeQ

On 19^th May, Lucy Carr from ShelterBox gave a very interesting Zoom presentation how they are helping with the displacement of people, disaster relief and those coping with Covid-19. She told us what that means for people already in need around the world who are also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. (www.shelterbox.com).

 

We have been able to support the ongoing efforts of Reading charity Sadaka which is handing out meals from outside the Fairview community centre to those in need. Sadaka is a non-profit Reading charity based with an ethos of giving without judgement or bias. They aim to provide food and food boxes to those who are struggling financially. (www.mysadaka.co.uk)

We are working hard with other local Rotary clubs to help ease the hardship caused by the coronavirus lock-down. Our main effort, with the Rotary Club of Loddon Vale, is funding to keep the Woodley Food Bank (WFB) regularly supplied on a weekly basis. This is being done with help from ASDA, Waitrose and Brakes.

Our members are helping the staff at Sheeplands Garden Centre with processing customer orders and making deliveries to vulnerable residents. The farm shop has provided  a donation of food, including fresh fruit and veg to the Staff Wellbeing and Welfare Centre at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The picture shows a couple of volunteers, Dorothy & Tim Simpson, from our Rotary Club and the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh, who with others regularly work to record local news and send it out from Reading Talking News to give sight impaired, and listeners with other disabilities, the means of keeping in touch with news in their local community.

Following the Covid-19 lockdown on 16^th March, we have concentrated on the alleviation of hardship in the community. We have regularly contributed funds to foodbanks and community support organisations, still ongoing in September 2020. As well as giving physical help with food deliveries, maintenance  and telephone support to the vulnerable, we have also aided the reduction of hardship in the African country of the Gambia. 

 

Despite storm Ciara raging outside, seven young musicians performed superbly for three judges and an audience of more than 30 in the first round of the Rotary Young Musician Competition. The competitors comprised three pianists, one violinist and three singers. Prize certificates were awarded by Sarah Shears, our President last year and the Loddon Vale President Terry Denby. The winners and runners-up will compete in the Thames Valley Rotary District competition on 1^st March at St. Joseph's College.

We have helped to establish a  RotaKids Club named "Greenways" at Winnersh Primary school. The 25 children in the club chose the name and want to make a difference in their community. The Me2 Club is their selected charity and they have decided on a fundraising event which will be a sponsored story-telling session after school with hot chocolate. The photo shows Rotary President Pat Holloway with the RotaKids President, Freya and her team (Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer as well as two deputies).

On 24th January 15 teams of four players competed in a Bridge Drive which we organised. The event raised over £750 for our charity fund which will help many different people in our community.

On Saturday 11^th January, with two other Reading Rotary Clubs and the new Club of Reading Thames, we ran an information event at ASDA in Earley with the aim of inspiring people to work alongside Rotary and be motivated and enthused to give something back to the community. If you were unable to attend but are interested in finding out what we do, use the Contact Us link and we will get back to you.