 Maidenhead Rotarians have planted more than 7,000 crocus bulbs across the town to mark World Polio Day, on Saturday, October 24, and highlight the organisation’s ongoing battle to eradicate the disease. At the weekend about 30 volunteers from the town’s three Rotary Clubs – Maidenhead Bridge, Maidenhead Thames and Maidenhead – planted bulbs in parks and along roadside verges as part of the Purple4Polio campaign. In the spring these areas will be carpeted with purple flowers to represent the purple ink used to mark the fingers of children vaccinated in Rotary’s 30-year global campaign to end polio, which has seen the number of cases fall by 99.9 per cent. Once a worldwide scourge with 1,000 cases per day in 125 countries, more than 2.5billion children have been protected against the disease which is now endemic in just Afghanistan and Pakistan. This year saw a significant milestone in the battle when Africa was certified polio-free. The crocuses were planted outside Maidenhead Library, at the Sir Nicholas Winton Memorial Garden in Oaken Grove Park, at Bridge Gardens by the River Thames, and alongside the A308 in Furze Platt and the A4 near Maidenhead Thicket. Project coordinators Nisha Chettri and Harrie Hayward said: “Rotary in Maidenhead’s polio crocus planting saw more than 30 volunteers from the three Rotary clubs working together to plant thousands of blubs to celebrate World Polio Day and highlight the important work we’re doing to eradicate this disease from the planet. “We can’t wait to see the purple flowers bloom in the spring, sharing an important message with residents and bringing a splash of colour too.” Working with the World Health Organisation, Rotary has directly contributed more than $2billion to ending polio since 1985, including thousands of pounds raised by Maidenhead Rotarians.
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You're Invited!
Remember, if you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming meetups to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved. It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community. Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.  (Photo: Maria Scavetta) Maidenhead Boundary Walk – one of the town’s most important charity fundraising events - will be going ahead in a new ‘Bubble’ format due to Covid-19 restrictions, organisers have announced.
The Rotary-run sponsored walk usually sees hundreds of walkers tracing the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough on a single Sunday in October. But this year, thanks to social distancing rules, things will be a bit different. Instead participants can walk any time during a three-week period from Sunday, October 4 to Sunday, October 25, either on their own or in ‘bubbles’ such as families or charity groups. They can do all or just part of the 12-mile route, which is already clearly signposted, starting and finishing at any point along the way. And instead of the traditional method of signing in at marshalled checkpoints to get their completion certificates, walkers will be asked to fill out a post-walk form and take photos at key locations along the way. Everyone taking part is urged to raise sponsorship, and organisers say the Bubble Boundary Walk is the perfect opportunity for charities to replace vital funding lost due to Covid-19. Organising committee chairman Jim Howles said: “We were determined to find a way for the Boundary Walk to go ahead despite Covid-19 The ‘Bubble’ format means charities and community groups will still be able to raise much-needed funds at a time when so many are in desperate straits because of the impact of the lockdown. “The Bubble Boundary Walk is a ready-made sponsored event. Charities just need to mobilise their supporters to raise sponsorship money and walk the route – it’s that simple. It’s open to walkers of all ages and abilities and after months of lockdown it’s the chance to get out into the fresh air for a good cause.” There is a registration fee - £2.50 for adults, £1 for children and £15 for groups of 15 or more – which covers admin costs including route maps and completion certificates. All sponsorship raised goes to the walker’s chosen charity. The event, which is jointly organised by Maidenhead Rotary Club and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club, is also supported by the Louis Baylis (Maidenhead Advertiser) Charitable Trust and the Shanly Foundation. Full details about the walk and how to register can be found at www.boundarywalk.org.uk
You're Invited!
Remember, if you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming meetups to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved. It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community. Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.
Therefore I’m pleased to share this newsletter with you all and hope you enjoy it too as it is packed full of updates and articles on all the amazing things we've been doing over the past couple of months including:
You're Invited! Remember, if you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming meetups to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved. It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community. Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.  In this time of uncertainty and many members of our community having to self-isolate this is the perfect opportunity for Rotary in Maidenhead to do what it does best, helping those in our local community who might need a little extra support during difficult times. With this in mind we are formulating a community response team.
If you are concerned about going out and are self-isolating or in quarantine due to Coronavirus, Rotary in Maidenhead have a small number of volunteers who can run errands for you such as doing your shopping, collecting medications, posting letters and help walking your dog. We can even try to brighten your day just a bit by giving you a friendly call to help pass the time. Lisa Hunter, project coordinator and member of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary, commented "Our worry is that people are being told to self-isolate for two weeks and at the end of that we find out that they haven't had any food to eat or friendly support. We want to make sure everybody has got somebody to keep them supplied." If you have a need for help, or know of someone who does, please get in touch today (subject to availability) by clicking here. CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS It is times like this when communities need to come together to support each other. Therefore, we are looking for volunteers to join our team to help run errands for people who are in self-isolation or don’t want to risk going out. You will be paired with another volunteer and given the latest advice to ensure your safety. If you would like to help please complete the form by clicking here. ----- Ends ------ Rotary International is a worldwide organisation of men and women who volunteer their time and talents to serve their communities at home and overseas. Rotarians are people who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary is inclusive of all cultures, races and creeds.  What an amazing afternoon and evening of simply stunning talent. From dancing, to choirs, to opera, to Indian Dance to poetry, our young performers were simply the best at the annual Maidenhead’s Got Talent showcase on Friday 6th March. The charity event, organised by Rotary in Maidenhead, saw performers aged six to 22 appearing in a matinee and evening show at Taplow Court, in Cliveden Road. The event featured pupils from six of the area’s primary schools, two of the areas secondary schools, solo artists and a number of performance academies, totally over 500 performers! The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for performers in schools and local groups to get experience of being on stage and performing to a large audience. There’s lots of talent in Maidenhead and it’s something we should be proud of. A massive thank you to everyone who came to support the youngsters, to all the performers and all our amazing Rotary Volunteers who make the show possible. We're still adding up all the donations but it looks like, with your help, Rotary in Maidenhead will have raised £4000 to support the charitable projects we do locally, nationally and internationally. So a massive thank you from us!  The Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge invited town residents to pick up some health tips and information alongside their shopping this weekend. Over 100 people took us up on our offer, receiving blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, diabetes checks as well as advice on exercise, healthy eating and mental health. We took over a unit in the Nicholson Shopping Centre from 10.30am to offer advice and information on getting fit, eating healthily, the effects of high cholesterol and how to manage it, diabetes, and the risks of high blood pressure – all completely free of charge with no obligations. Neil Gow, event organiser, commented “After having their blood pressure checked 23 people, an increase on last year, were advised to visit their GP within a month and one was advised to visit their GP the next day! This proves that these events really do potentially reduce ill-health and save lives.” The event also offered free cholesterol checks and blood sugar tests; the team gave advice on how to lower cholesterol levels and avoid contracting diabetes, which is an increasing healthcare concern. 86 people had their cholesterol levels checked with 50% of them being told to get further tests and advice from their GP due to higher than normal readings. An additional 3 people were told to seek advice about the potential risk of diabetes after our blood glucose tests. In addition volunteers from Sport in Mind, a mental health charity that uses sport and exercise to help aid the recovery of people experiencing mental health problems, spoke to people about mental well-being, tips on reliving stress and anxiety and signposted visitors to organisations that can provide additional support. Another popular feature of the event was an onsite consultation on good posture from The Berkshire Health Clinic. The team not only gave advice to the public, but they were also on hand giving massages to people as they waited to be seen by the clinical team. Adam Hunter, assistant event organiser commented “This event is so important to the local community. Providing a confidential, free, drop-in service whilst people go about their shopping. One way our club and the Rotarians in it are making a difference.” The club are hoping to organise another health screening day on 12th September so watch out for more updates! Fit for February is just one of the many local community based activities carried out by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge, alongside a free Easter family fun day in Grenfell Park and a close working relationship with FoodShare helping to feed the hungry in Maidenhead and the immediate area.
You're Invited!
Remember, if you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming meetups to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved. It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community. Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.  ...it's the year to make it your resolution!
Here are nine reasons why volunteering is the New Year’s Resolution to make in 2020 and how getting involved with Maidenhead Bridge Rotary can help you keep it!
If you want some of the above, then we’d love to invite you to one of our events so you can find out more about Rotary, meet new people and get involved. Find out what's coming up here... |
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