An intrepid team of 9 volunteers from Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club braved the torrential downpours on Saturday morning to lend a hand to Longridge Activity Centre.  As part of the clubs commitment to supporting local charities and community groups the team rolled up their sleeves and helped to clear thousands of leaves from the site, ready for the winter break.
 
Working all through the morning they raked, shovelled, wheelbarrowed and tidied up the area by the river, making it safe for users of the centre, based just outside Marlow.
 
Elisa Harris, club community officer, commented “we are a very active Rotary Club with a key focus on volunteering in our local area and it’s great to see members turn up and enjoy themselves, even when the weather is against us.”
 
Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club are very active in the local community with regular volunteering commitments with FoodShare, Longridge and in the not too distant future The Animal Sanctuary UK.  The 45 member-strong club also organises its own events include the upcoming Reindeer Racing Fundraiser, The Health Awareness Day in January, The Easter Family Fun Day in Grenfell Park and many, many others to improve the local community.
 
“We’re always looking for new members to join our club and get involved in local projects, whilst at the same time as meeting new people, networking and enjoying the many social activities we organise.  So if this sounds like fun to you, get in touch with us today” Elisa continued.
 
If you’d like to get involved in volunteering, fundraising for local community projects or are looking to network and have some fun, then do get in touch with Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club today.  To find out more visit www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk or e-mail [email protected].  

October marked the beginning of the 2015 Grape Picking harvest at the award winning Dropmore Vineyard near Burnham Beeches.
 
25 Volunteers from Maidenhead Bridge Rotary, Maidenhead Rotaract and Burnham Beeches Rotary, kick-started the harvest by picking the Ortega Grape, a carefully selected grape that produces a crisp and smooth dry white wine which is perfect for fish, poultry and Pasta.
 
The day started in glorious sunshine with a full briefing from the owner, John Petersen, providing an overview of the vineyard as well as a lesson on how to pick the grapes from the vine. The volunteers were then escorted into the vineyard where a sunfilled morning of grape picking began.
 
The team worked hard on the 3 acre site and successfully harvested almost 1 tonne of quality Ortega grapes.  As a reward they were treated to a spectacular 2-course harvest lunch followed by a wine tasting, sampling of 3 of the vineyards award winning wines, Bacchus, Ortega and Pinto Blush Rose.
 
Sarah Smith, member of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and event organiser, commented “It’s great to be able to support a local business with their harvest while at the same time learning a new skill and having some fun.”
 
“Quite a number of vineyards rely on volunteers to help with their harvest by picking grapes. No-one would deny that some serious work is involved, however, it's combined with a great team spirit and a huge sense of satisfaction” Sarah continued.
 
John and Feona Petersen, owners of the Dropmore Vineyard, commented,  “We are delighted with the enthusiasm and support the vineyard is receiving from our local community, from the students who work with us through the summer months to Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and friends who helped kick-off our harvest season so successfully.”
 
Maidenhead Bridge Rotary are committed to supporting the local community, and that includes the independent business community as they support Rotary in so many different ways, the club believes that’s its always good to give something back, supporting our local economy at the same time.
 
Matthew Burdett, Maidenhead Rotaract President, commented "It was really rewarding to work together as a team to harvest the grapes much faster than expected, and a real insight into such an interesting agricultural business on our very doorsteps!".
 
If you’d like to get involved in volunteering, fundraising for local community projects or are looking to network and have some fun, then do get in touch with Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club today.  To find out more visit www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk or e-mail [email protected].  

The Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge was out in force last Sunday as they embarked on re-organising our local food bank, along with some help from Maidenhead Rotaract.
 
20 volunteers arrived bright and early at 8am at the FoodShare store on Queen Street ready to sort through all the donated food, ensuring it was still in date, and to dismantle and re-assemble the shelving units.  The club, open to anyone locally who is interested in volunteering, recognised that a little order was needed in the store to ensure that all donated food is given out to needy families, rather than being on the bottom of a shelf underneath newly donated goods and going past it’s best before date.
 
Over the course of the day some 35 volunteers spent 8 hours, in shifts, taking all the food off the shelves, sorting it into date order, fixing shelves and then putting all the food back on the shelves in a new processing system ready to be given to local people.  The team also cleaned the store so it’s ready to receive its first visitors this week.
 
Maidenhead Bridge Rotary have an ongoing volunteer commitment with FoodShare, with members of the club helping to collect and sort donated food each week, which is just one of the ways the club supports the local community.
 
Adam Hunter, President of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club, commented “we’re so pleased to be supporting FoodShare as there is a real need in our community to support local families who are struggling to feed themselves.  This is just one of the ways in which we can help, and we are very happy to do so.”
 
Elisa Harris, Community Co-ordinator at Maidenhead Bridge Rotary commented “we were thrilled that Maidenhead Rotaract were able to join us with this very large project, the saying is very true….many hands do make light work and we really look forward to working with them on future community projects.”
 
Nigel Cohen, Trustee of Open Kitchen and FoodShare commented “Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club are amazing in the way they support not only FoodShare.  Their support is invaluable not just in terms of money, but also time spent volunteering and offering advice. It is a pleasure working so closely with them and in supporting those in our society who need our help the most”.
 
If you’d like to get involved in volunteering, or fundraising for local community projects then do get in touch with Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club today.  To find out more visit www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk or e-mail [email protected].  

Dozens and dozens of Easter Bunnies came to life in the Nicholson Centre at a special Easter craft session last Saturday as Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club brought fun and laughter into the town centre.
 
The community-based club organised the free session to give our young Maidonians a chance to let out their creative sides without creating a mess at home and were thrilled to see so many people, young and old, transform their masks into very impressive bunnies!
 
Adam Hunter, event organiser, commented “It was loads of fun and great to see the smiles on everyone’s faces as they went crazy with glitter, cotton wool and feathers!  We’re really looking forward to seeing all our newly created bunnies hop down to Grenfell Park on Easter Saturday to join in the free Easter Family Fun Day”.
 
This is the second year the club has organised this free craft session as a pre-cursor to their FREE Easter Family Fun Day.  For the fourth year in a row the fun day is being held in Grenfell Park on Saturday 4th April from 11am to 3pm.
 
This year the event is going to be even bigger and better than in previous years and will include an Easter-themed treasure hunt, face painting, bouncy castle, fairground rides, football training, patch the pony and many other side stalls and children’s activities. 
 
GKR Karate are joining the fun for the first time by doing demonstrations throughout the day, as well as Sima’s Action Kids doing a free 30 minute active movement session. 
 
It’s going to be lots of fun and something not to be missed, so hop on down to Grenfell Park to join in THE event of the Easter break!

THE ROTARY CLUB OF MAIDENHEAD BRIDGE INVITED TOWN RESIDENTS TO PICK UP SOME HEALTH TIPS AND INFORMATION ALONGSIDE SALE SHOPPING THIS WEEKEND.   OVER 100 PEOPLE TOOK THE ROTARIANS UP ON THEIR OFFER, RECEIVING BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS, CHOLESTEROL CHECKES AND ADVICE ON EXERCISE, DEMENTIA AND DIABETES.
 
The Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge invited the community of Maidenhead to kick off 2015 in a healthy way with a free, informal Health Awareness Day in the Nicholson Centre last Saturday, joined by teams from Heart UK, Dementia UK, Diabetes UK, and The Stroke Association.
 
The Rotary Club took over a unit in the Nicholson Centre from 10am to offer advice and information on getting fit, eating healthily, the effects of high cholesterol and how to manage it, diabetes, the risks of high blood pressure and how to support people with dementia, as well as ways to reduce chances of suffering from dementia in future years – all completely free of charge with no obligations.  Over 100 people took the club up on their offer, with a handful being given an urgent referral to their GP for following blood pressure and cholesterol checks.
 
This is 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 Open Kitchen helping to feed the hungry in Maidenhead and the immediate area.
 
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.
 
Rotarians are a cross-section of the local community.  The regular meetings are a great way to keep in touch with what is happening in your local area and beyond.  A Rotarian is welcome at any Rotary meeting anywhere in the world.  

The Full Farmyard quiz organised by Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club on Saturday 9th August raised over £300 for charity Send a Cow. 

Teams took part in rounds such as Moo-vies and Moo-sic and with many answers loosely related to farmyard animals, the evening was full of groans and laughs at the ‘terri-bull’ puns. A craft round to make farmyard creatures from a small selection of materials generated a lot of entertainment and some interesting creations.

Ros Marks, President of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and co-organiser of the event, commented “It was a fun night and we’d like to thank the generosity of everyone who attended the quiz, as well as all the companies and individuals who donated raffle prizes. It has taken our total fundraising for Send a Cow so far this year to over £1600, another step closer to reach our goal.”
 
Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club is aiming to raise £2000 for Send a Cow, to pay for a farmyard to support a community in Africa. The UK-based charity provides livestock, seeds, training and ongoing support to families in Africa to help them become self-sufficient and leave poverty behind for good. Members of the Rotary Club are also taking part in the 50km Thames Path Challenge in September as part of their fundraising efforts.