MELKSHAM Rotary Club have celebrated a successful 2014 and now look ahead to an action packed 2015 in what will be their 50th year.
Prior to meeting the Prime Minister Norman Drake said, “£40,000 profit, not bad , eh?” as he reflected on the ongoing success of the club – he was at 10 Downing Street in recognition of his voluntary service to the Art House Cafe.
Rotary visitors, including the District Governor, are astonished by the warmth of the welcome, the attractive surroundings and the delicious food, with a sense of envy at such a clubhouse, now enjoyed by the members of the Rotary Club of Melksham – a tribute to Norman’s committee and many volunteers, both local and Rotarians.
Subsequently, the AHC has been featured in an article in ‘Rotary Today’, a magazine that is read by Rotarians throughout the United Kingdom, a singular honour for the Melksham Club. In April the President of RIBI (Rotary International) is to visit the AHC during his official time in our District 1200.
The club continue to organise a range of activities: the Big Breakfast; the Wine Tasting evening so generously supported by Waitrose; Kids Out, organised by Roger Keen’s committee, enabling so many Melksham and surrounding disadvantaged children to enjoy a day out at Longleat; the Alzheimer’s Club who meet at the AHC every third Monday for complimentary tea and cakes; and finally the Stonar School concert held for the first time in the Melksham United Church in support of the Wilts based charity, Hope and Homes for children.
Subsequently, the club decided that all the takings for the Saturday when the Melksham lights are switched on should also be donated to Hope and Homes. The takings in the café were a remarkable £500, doubled up by their sponsors to £1000.
Art at the AHC is a very important feature, with regular exhibitions arranged by Pattie Lockett who is now an Honorary Rotarian, a reminder of the sad loss of Rotarian Roger Lockett who would have been our President this year.
One highly successful exhibition was of Ugandan art brought back by Rachel Brown, all the money going straight back to Jinga where she worked for a year. Other exhibitions helped swell club funds with the sale of works of art, whilst the changing displays afforded great pleasure to those who patronised the café.
2015 is our 50th Anniversary, having been founded in 1965. We are most grateful to our Twin Club of Guingamp in Brittany for agreeing to come on two successive years to Melksham, thus allowing us to celebrate on home ground for such a special year.
Rotarian Sarah Hiscocks and her committee are currently arranging a programme of celebrations, with opportunities to entertain Past Presidents and many other good friends of the club. We shall undoubtedly celebrate in style!
No good club stands still. We are appraising the work of the AHC, with an awareness of the burden taken on by so many. This could be made much easier with more members. Why not consider contacting our President, Steve Fivash, on Melksham 01225 709616 for more details of what could be involved?
The club’s website, www. melkshamrotary.org, gives plenty of details for those who want to find out more about what we do. We are not an exclusive club but a welcoming one, proud to serve the community in so many ways.
Peter King,
club press officer.
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