July 2010
Tuesday 6th. This was our Handover Evening and President Ted was formally inducted as President
Tuesday 13th. Sophia Baker from the Donna Louise Trust was our guest this evening. Like many other Charities the Trust is finding the current economic climate reducing the level of donations, some £2m being needed each year. The result is that they are now only opening four days a week. A cheque was presented to Sophia by the President.
Tuesday 20th. This was the evening for our latest recruit, David Brown, to give a "My Job Talk". David had for most of his career been involved in the design of earthmoving equipment, and his last job was with JCB on the Fast Trac side. David explained some of the problems that had arisen in developing the machines, and also the luck with competitors choosing the right moment to drop out of the market!
Tuesday 27th. Some 20 Members and Guests were welcomed at the Marston Brewery in Burton. After a tour of the plant, mainly to see the more traditional methods of brewing, we settled down to a supper of bangers & mash, washed down with samples of Marston's beer.
August 2010
Tuesday 3rd Brian Bowker, from Water Aid updated us on the actvities of the Organisation. Brian has been a long term supporter of bringing fresh water to difficult areas, and has visited many countries on behalf of Water Aid. He has had particular interest in Ethiopia and Kenya, having visited these countries many times. As evidence of our continued support he was presented with a cheque
Tuesday 10th. Tonight was declared as a Scatter Night. As result Members visited Ashbourne, Leek and Stone Clubs.
Tuesday 17th. Intended mainly as a fellowship evening, the Club welcomed a return visit from Matt Dimbleby from Dovegate Prison where he is coordinator of aspects of Education. This is supported by the Club with regular visits.
Tuesday 24th Our guest speaker for the evening was Emily Hancock, who spoke of her experiences in Kenya.
Tuesday 31st Following the August Bank Holiday, there was no meeting.
September 2010
Tuesday 7th Our guest speaker for the evening was Chris Evans from Shugborough Hall. He told at some length of the work that had been done in restoring the gardens, particularly a walled garden area.
Tuesday 14th This was the evening for our second Business Meeting of the year. The "busy" time for the Club would be in October to December and many of the reports reiterated plans already made. The issue of our support for the Pune Eye Hospital, and the matching grant that had been applied for, was finally put to bed; funds from RI were not available. The meeting was attended by a Rotarian from the Phillipines, Joe Chamberlain, formerly from Alton, and it was agreed that some of our funds ringfenced for the Pune Project would now be used to support projects initiated by his Club
Tuesday 21st As a social evening it had been arranged for Members to meet at the Cine Bowl and enjoy a few games of Ten Pin Bowling. A dozen Members, accompanied by partners/friends, accepted the challenge and prizes were awarded. Modesty prevented the winner and runner up being named. A buffet at the Golf Club completed the evening..
Tuesday 28th A visit to Morgan Cars had been arranged by the President. 12 Rotarians, plus one guest, travelled down to Malvern, and following an excellent pub lunch, arrived at the factory for an afternoon visit. After a brief film we were taken on a tour of the factory.The guide proved highly knowledgeable, both on the history of the Company and the method of traditional assembly. The overall impression left was of a very successful company using seemingly outdated methods, but producing cars that are very much in demand, evidenced by up to two years waiting list.
October 2010
Tuesday 5th There was an exceptional attendance with only 5 apologies this evening, following several weeks of not Meeting at the Robin Hood. An update was provided to Members on future key events, in particular Charter Night and Race Night, where numbers were down. Following Club Business this year's RYLA candidate,Christine Broadfoot, spoke, with the assistance of slides on her experience. Clearly she had benefitted every bit as much as previous candidates.
Tuesday 12th. Glyn Johnson, the District President, was our guest this evening. Glyn gave a briefer report than usual on the RI Message, which was appreciated by the Members. He then entered into a discussion with the Club on our relationship with District, which had been soured over the last year. This proved quite a cathartic process and by the end of the meeting it was generaly felt that many bridges could be rebuilt.
Tuesday 19th. There was no Meeting as this preceded Charter Night.
Saturday 23rd. Our Charter Night this year celebrated our 75th Anniversary. As in past years, the Dinner Dance was held in the Platinum Suite at The Racecourse with the now traditional meal of roast beef, carved at the table, being served. Following the meal guests were entertained by Jean Martyn, of Brewood Rotary, playing a variety of music on her Concert Keyboard Organ, including some very suitable music to dance to!
Tuesday 26th Harry Glover, Head Boy at Thomas Alleynes School, came to talk to us about his visit and work experience in Tanzania. The three week visit had been organised through the School and involved almost 20 students, each one having to find some £2,000 to fund the trip; the Club had made a donation. Clearly it had been a beneficial experience and Harry gave a very confident presentation, with photos taken during the visit.
November 2010
Tuesday 2nd The evening was given over to a discussion on Membership, lead by JVP Alan Durose. Having "lost" three members at the start of the year the discussion centred on our need to clarify the direction of the Club, how it should meet the current Members needs, and how it presented itself to possible new members. There were constructive and positive contributions from many of the Members and the general consensus was that a lot of "air had been cleared" and a number of uncertainties laid to rest.
Tuesday 9th. A visit had been arranged to the new JCB Academy at Rocester and it was very well supported by 40 Members and their Partners. After an introduction by Jim Wade the group split into two halves and were given a guided tour of the premises. The work that had been carried out to convert the old mill into modern school premises impressed everyone, style and finish being of the highest standard. The equipment available to the students, both for academic and practical work, was equally outstanding. The working day was longer than normal school hours and the year was split into four terms. The Club left with an impression of an ethos that would give the students every opportunity to outperform.
Tuesday 16th. This was arranged as an evening of Fellowship, with no outside Speaker. There was some discussion on the planned Swimathon, due to take place in February. Members present were asked to "spread the word"
Friday 19th.Race Night. This was again held in the JCB Hospitality Centre, courtesy of Mr Anthony Bamford. The event was well supported with almost 200 "punters" attending. The evening followed the well tried format of screened races with a two course meal served half way through. Betting, as always, was brisk and the Club eventually saw over £2,000 added to its Charity Account
Tuesday 23rd. This evening was an evening of Fellowship. However Neil Allen did give a run down of the progress of the Swimathon, scheduled for February 2011
Tuesday 30th.
December 2010
Saturday 4th. The Old Peoples Party was again held in Wilfred House. Despite the adverse weather conditions, with snow and temperatures below freezing, almost 50 guests attended and were served with Turkey and Christmas Pudding. As a change from the normal Members performance, entertainment was provided by y"Kesh" the Vicar of Rocester. His crooning to backing tapes, interspersed with some entertaining stories, was enjoyed by all
Tuesday 7th. A Special General Meeting where the Officers for the year 2011-2012 were confirmed.
Wednesday 14th-Saturday 17th The Santa Claus Sleigh was again in use. Judging from the weather conditions, temperature being well below zero, a Sleigh was appropriate. The three weekday evenings were spent in Birdland and also in Pennycroft area with Santa entertaining the children and Members doing a door to door collection. Saturday was spent in the Maltings. Despite the weather the Club was delighted with the success of their efforts with over £1300 being raised.
Tuesday 14th. The Christmas Party was held this year at Weston Hall. It was extremely well supported with over 90% of the Members, and partners, attending and the.the three course, a la carte, meal was much appreciated. Entertainment was again coordinated by Messrs Ryder and Davies, with the cooperation of a numbers of members; scripts were made available a little belatedly! The high point proved to be a cake icing contest involving the President, resplendent in a chauvinistic apron.
Tuesday 21st. The Robin Hood had laid on a traditional Christmas Meal for our final Meeting of the year.
Tuesday 28th. Following Christmas, there was no meeting.
January 2011
Tuesday 4th. Following New Year there was no Meeting.
Tuesday 11th. The New Year's Message was given by the Rev Kesh Govan, Vicar of Rocester. His somewhat unusual approach ensured the Club was entertained as well as enlightened. An excellent start to the New Year.
Tuesday 18th. Tonight was the opportunity to formally welcome Dave Reeves, who had already attended a number of Meetings, as a new Member. Paul Archer also spoke about the upgraded Website .
Tuesday 25th. A Business Meeting. Primarily as a review of our activities over the Christmas period and and update on future Events
February 2011
Tuesday 1st. Ten years ago, at the Millenium, predictions had been made of where Uttoxeter would be in 2010. These were read out, but few had proved accurate. A similar exercise was carried out, to be opened in 2020
Tuesday 8th The Guest Speaker was Gordon Bradley, whose family had been involved with the Shrovetide Football at Ashbourne for many years. Gordon spoke with passion about the Game and its History; he also explained the Rules, or rather lack of them. He had brought with him a number of memorabilia, including the Balls themselves.
Tuesday 15th The annual theatre visit was to the Victoria Theatre and "Bus Stop". Different to the normal Musical but found entertaining by most. An excellent meal was had, pre-theatre, at La Favorita,
Tuesday 22nd Our speaker for the evening was Alan Higgin on the First World. His talk was based on the personal diaries of his grandfather, on which he had based a book. Alan spoke with passion of the traumas suffered by soldiers in the trenches of Northen France and brought to life msy of their moments.
Thursday 24th, Friday 25th, Sunday 27th On these three days The Leisure Centre had donated over five hours of Pool time for our Swimathon, a new venture for the Club. Despite some initial trepidation, good support was generated with almost 100 swimmers taking part. The basic arrangement was for Teams of up to six people to be sponsored to swim as many lengths as possible in one hour in one lane. Other variations were adopted and over 50 miles were claimed by the end of the Event. Sponsorship proved very successful with £10,000 being raised for the Donna Loiuse Trust.
March 2011
Tuesday 1st. This evening the Club hosted two guests who had benefitted from awards by The Princes Trusts. Several Members act as Mentors to young people who had been awarded funds. Stafford Edge, a plasterer and Samantha Hartshorne, a beautician, spoke on the process they had to go through to get their funding. The concensus of the Club was that the support was very worthwhile.
Tuesday 8th. The Meeting was transferred to Wednesday 9th for the Graham Barker Award.
Wednesday 9th. This was the night for the Graham Barker Award to be decided. The location was the Town Hall and suitably the Mayor was in attendance to present the Certificates and the Award itself. This year there were five candidates with differing claims, all proving meritorious. The local papers, the Advertiser and the Post & Times had both carried resumes and were there for the Presentation. The winner was Izaak Bailey who had been extremely active in fund raising for the Donna Louise Trust.
Tuesday 15th. The Club Quiz Team had reached the latest round in the District Competition and were due to act as Host for this area. The chosen venue was The Golf Club and over a dozen Members duly turned up to give support, Sadly this proved inadequate as the team only managed fourth place
Tuesday 22nd Tonight was scheduled as a Rotary Awareness Evening with Members inviting some 8 guests who had expressed an interest in Rotary. The speaker was Clayton, an ex-boxer and clearly a man of many parts. His involvement with celebrities in a close protection role provoked much discussion.
Tuesday 29th The Village Hall at Kingstone was the venue for a light hearted Games Evening. Supported by a Fish & Chip supper Members and partners entered into the spirit playing tiddly-winks, darts, ludo and similar games.
April 2011
Tuesday 5th Sue McGarry and Zoe Hall of Rakemark were the speakers for the evening. Both had experiences of school age handicapped children and recognised the need for support during the holidays. Their professional approach in establishing the facility and in meeting all the many needs clearly impressed the Members. A cheque was presented to them at the end of the evening
Tuesday 12th David Parkesof the Redfern Museum came to give a talk on the History of Uttoxeter. His wide ranging and knowledgeable approach, covering several thousand years history, kept Members enthralled.
Tuesday 19th This was a Business Meeting. It also provided the opportunity to induct our latest Member, Richard Buttiege.
Tuesday 26th. Following Easter there was no Meeting
May 2011
Tuesday 3rd. A Business Meeting, mainly to review the year to date and also finalise details of the remaining Events.
Tuesday 10th The main feature of the evening was a My Job Talk by a new Member, Dave Reeves. His involvement in passenger transport began at an early age and progressed to the point of starting his own bus company just over ten years ago. Despite all the tribulations it has expanded and he now has an operation of over a hundred busses covering North Staffordshire and also the West MidlandsStories and photos of its growth provided a very entertaining evening.
Friday 13th A Bavarian Evening was again held in the Kingstone Viilage Hall. Well over a hundred Members and their guests were entertained by Von Winkler's Oompah Band in true Bavarian style. An excellent Hog Roast kept everyone fortified and a not insignificant profit was made on the Bar. An excellent fund raising event.
Tuesday 17th The annual Youth Speaks Compettion was held this year at the JCB Academy. The compeition is open to 11-13 year old and almost a dozen students participated. The winner came from Abbotsholm School.
Tuesday 24th A second Business Meeting this month, this time to hear the Committee Reports of plans for 2011-2012.
Tuesday 31st. Following the Spring Bank Holiday there was no meeting
June 2011
Tuesday 7th This was Club Assembly and District was represented by Assistant Governor Gordon Crier. A resume of the various Committee plans had previously been forwarded and were referred to by Gordon. He also commented on the plans District has in hand for the forthcoming year.
Tuesday 14th This year it was our turn to provide the venue for the Young Innovator Competiton, held jointly with Blythe Bridge and Cheadle Clubs. We were extremely fortunate to have the facilities of the JCB Academy in which to hold the event. There were almost 20 entries and Denstone College, representing Uttoxeter secured first and third place
Sunday 19th This was the day of our Five A Side Junior Football Tournament, held on he JCB Sports Fields at Rocester. 45 teams had been entered in ages ranging from 8 to 15 years and in the six hours nearly 150 games were scheduled. This being our fourth year for the Tournament much of the arrangments had been well practiced and there were many complimentary remarks on our organisation! As a result of Members efforts some £2,200 was raised for donation to our Charities
Tuesday 21st Tonight it was the turn of Stephen Herbert to give a talk entitled " My Westfield". Most of the members were already aware of Stephen's new hobby, a very lightweight sports car which he had taken on various time trials. A certain amount of "petrolhead" talk was inevitable and Stephen, as always, kept the Club well entertained.
Sunday 26th President Ted's Valedictory Party was held at Kingstone Village Hall and was attended by some 60 Members and wives. An excellent meal had been prepared to a large extent by his wife and Inner Wheel President Lesley, supported by IW Members; they also produced the inevitable mouth watering range of puddings. Apart from his "thank yous",President Ted was also able to announce the nomination of Graham Kerby as a Paul Harris Fellow. Graham had been Club Treasurer for over 13 years.
Tuesday 28th The President's valedictory Party last Sunday was in place of our normal Meeting date.