Rotary Club of Letchworth Howard |
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Our Achievements | |||||
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Online ceremony
marks Rotary year-end change for Letchworth Howard Massive grins from
Arthur Jarman, new Letchworth Howard president, and his wife Anne were a
welcome sight on club members’ computer screens on Monday June 29 when
the annual handover ceremony marking the new Rotary year became an
online, virtual event. A physical handover of the chain of office by
retiring president Angela Silver was, of course, ruled out. Instead,
Anne stood in for her, having been passed the regalia, in a suitably
socially distanced manner, a few days earlier. She placed it round
Arthur’s neck as members watched the live streaming and applauded. In normal times, the club has had a garden party,
enjoying summer sunshine at the home of member Colin Green and his wife
Karen. But that Monday was unseasonally cold and very windy. So doing it
all online was not quite the sacrifice it might have been. In something of an understatement given the
situation of the last few months, Angela told members her year had been
“very interesting”. Despite problems, fund-raising events had proved
very successful, with over £6,000 raised for a range of good causes even
though the club’s normally highly popular annual quiz had – like so many
events this year – had to be cancelled. A major beneficiary of Letchworth Howard’s
fund-raising efforts was Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth, which
had received a total of £4,227. Arthur thanked Angela for all her achievements
through such a difficult period. He also thanked John Bush for his hard
work as club secretary, in which role he is continuing, and Alan Fraser
for taking over as treasurer from Paul Jeffery, who has stepped down
from that role. Thanking Paul, Arthur said he had done “sterling” work
(pun intended). He promised a full programme for his presidential
year, even if for the time being it had to be via Zoom rather than the
club’s normal meetings.
Letchworth Howard looks
to full programme despite pandemic Letchworth Howard Rotary’s 2020-21 president sees a bright future for the club despite all the problems created by the coronavirus crisis. That was the optimistic message from Arthur Jarman as he laid out his plans for his presidential year at the club’s annual assembly on June 1. It was an assembly with a difference, as members met for their second online meeting thanks to Zoom and to club IT guru Colin Green who set it all up. Members were delighted
to extend a big, virtual welcome to Mary Whitehead, District 1260
Governor, and Karin Weston, our area Assistant Governor who were logged
in to the meeting.
Letchworth Howard
deals hospice a winning hand Bridge enthusiasts played their cards right on
Friday March 13 when Letchworth Howard Rotary Club’s bridge drive raised
over £500 for Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth Garden City and
other Rotary charities. The annual event has long been a fixture on the
local bridge playing calendar and, despite the possibly inauspicious
date of Friday the 13th, was once again thoroughly enjoyed by all who
took part. In addition to the bridge tournament, there was
a raffle that alone raised £180 and participants also enjoyed a
sumptuous home-made afternoon tea prepared and served by Rotarians and
their partners. The hospice is the principal beneficiary from
the event, while other Rotary charities will also benefit.
Pantomime outing fun
Mentalist keeps
Letchworth Rotarians and Inner Wheel members guessing
Letchworth
Howard event helps young cancer sufferers The event, Sounds of the Season, featured City Chorus, one of the area’s leading musical ensembles, with a programme of Christmas music old and new performed at Letchworth Garden City Free Church. With hot mince pies – generously donated by the Letchworth branch of the Morrisons supermarket chain, which has made CLIC Sargent its charity of the year – and wine and soft drinks on sale to complement the glorious music, audience members were lavish in their praise for what was widely agreed to have been a terrific evening. The photographs show the full Choir, and of Eirra giving her performance. The event
The last photo shows a winner of one of the many spot prizes, with that T shirt nobody argued !
A smiling welcome for
Letchworth Howard’s new vice-president It was smiles all round at Letchworth Howard Rotary Club’s November 4 meeting when new president-elect Arthur Jarman was formally inducted as vice-president. Doing the honours is the current president, Angela Silver, while club secretary John Bush looks on approvingly. When he succeeds to the top role next year it will be Arthur’s second time as club president. Arthur is a former top
executive with the National Union of Teachers and has been a local
councillor in North Herts and a governor of the Letchworth Garden City
Heritage Foundation, the charitable body that is responsible for
ensuring the continuing vibrancy of the world’s first Garden City,
maintaining its distinctive atmosphere, and devoting the profits from
its large property and farming portfolio to improving well-being in the
town.
Letchworth Howard
keeps it in the family It
was all in the family at Letchworth Howard Rotary Club’s handover
evening on Monday July 1 when president Tony Silver stood down at the
end of his year of office – to be succeeded by his wife, Angela. The sun shone – mostly – and threatened rain held
off as Rotarians and guests enjoyed a garden party at the home of club
member Colin Green and his wife Karen to mark the Rotary year end. Among the guests were representatives from various
organisations the club had fund-raised for during the year, who were
presented with ceremonial cheques. Sue Plummer, chief executive of
Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth, received a cheque for £2,883;
Faith Hojeer from Herts Home-Start, the charity that helps families with
young children, was presented with a cheque for £500; and Ray
Shakespeare-Smith, chairman of Helping Herts Homeless, received a cheque
for £205. The club also welcomed Sean Abbiss and Peter
Mountney, winners – both on points and in level of sponsorship moneys –
of its darts marathon evening in November, who were presented with their
prizes. The event came a day after club members had enjoyed
a fascinating visit to the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance base at North
Weald, which left everyone far more knowledgeable about the invaluable
work of the air ambulance service. The only sadness was that the
ambulance normally based at North Weald had been called out just as club
members arrived, continuing its vital life-saving work rather than being
available to inspect. The pictures show: 1. Guests at the Garden party. 2. Darts winners Sean Abbiss (in the dark shirt)
and Peter Mountney receive their prizes from outgoing Letchworth Howard
president Tony Silver. 3. Sue Plummer, chief executive of Garden House
Hospice Care, with Tony Silver 4. Faith Hojeer, from Home-Start Hertfordshire,
tells Rotarians and other guests a little more about the charity. 5. Tony Silver presents a ceremonial cheque to Ray
Shakespeare-Smith, chairman of Helping Herts Homeless 6. Having told guests that the Rotary president’s chain of office was actually deceptively heavy around the neck, outgoing Letchworth Howard president Tony Silver has difficulty removing it as he passes the presidency on to his wife, Angela. Club gains
Rotary public relations award Letchworth Howard
Rotary Club has been named winner of the 2018 public image award in
Rotary District 1260, which covers 59 Rotary clubs across a wide swathe
of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Letchworth
Howard quiz raises £1,500 They may not have known
all the answers but enthusiastic quizzers came up with the right result
on Saturday March 30 when Letchworth Howard Rotary Club raised around
£1,500 for charitable causes. The principal beneficiaries from the club’s
annual quiz night will be Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth Garden
City and Mary’s Meals, the charity that provides a sustaining daily meal
to over 1 million schoolchildren worldwide who would otherwise stay
hungry or be unable to attend lessons. With 14 teams of eight players, St George’s Church
Hall was filled to capacity as they tested their knowledge across a wide
range of topics and enjoyed a luxury ploughman’s supper during the
midway interval. The fund-raising was boosted by a raffle that
contributed £243 to the total. The picture shows contestants enjoying a good tuck-in as they get their brains in gear for part two of the quiz. Race fans
deliver £400 prize for Letchworth Howard pantomime outing Letchworth Howard Rotary Club’s annual pantomime
outing for under-privileged children was the clear winner at the club’s
race night on January 26, which produced net proceeds of £400 to pay for
this year’s visit to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Gordon Craig
Theatre, Stevenage. The evening included a bumper raffle which saw one
lucky punter have no fewer than three of the tickets in his strip of
five drawn for a prize. He
insisted that two of them be discounted and tickets re-drawn. Working in conjunction with Home-Start, the charity that helps families with young children, the club had already taken 22 local children and nine accompanying adults to the Gordon Craig show earlier in the month.
Hospice scores again at darts marathon There was another great score for Letchworth
Garden City’s Garden House Hospice at Letchworth Howard Rotary Club’s
darts marathon evening, which raised an estimated £2,000-plus for Rotary
charities with the hospice the principal beneficiary. The event, at the town’s Broadway Hotel on November
15, attracted some 70 participants playing in 13 teams across two
sessions in a lively, fun-filled atmosphere. The full financial results will not be known until
January when all the sponsorship monies come through, but the total is
thought to have been at least £2,000, including about £250 from the
raffle. The club has another charitable event coming up. On January 26, is a race night to raise funds for
the annual pantomime visit for under-privileged children organised by
the club. Other Rotary charities will also benefit. Tickets are £10, which includes supper (though it’s bring your own drinks). The evening starts at 6.30 for 7.00, See our Special Events page for details.
Award for Service above self. The picture is of Rotarian Colin Green (left) receiving from President David Glanville the award of the Paul Harris fellowship, which is the highest award an individual Rotarian can receive. Only a maximum of 150 are awarded each year by the Board of Rotary International.
Colourful
quilts assure winter warmth for hospice patients Patients at Garden House
Hospice in Letchworth Garden City can look forward to a cosier winter
following the presentation of eight colourful patchwork quilts by
Letchworth Howard Rotary Club member Mary Rawlins. The quilts – two with special Christmassy designs
– are designed to keep legs or shoulders warm and comfortable when
patients are, for example, sitting up enjoying a meal or relaxing with a
book or magazine. Mary, pictured (right) with Helen Clark, Garden House’s head of
operations, with one of her beautiful creations, is a highly
accomplished quilt maker. Used on patients’ beds, the quilts will also
bring a splash of added colour into the Hospice and help make rooms look
nice and homely after some curtaining and carpeting had to be replaced
by hard floors and blinds to meet health requirements.
Hospice donation follows long tradition
at Letchworth Howard Our picture shows David at Garden House with Jayne Dingemans, Director of Patient Care. |
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