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There’s still time to sign up for the 40th anniversary Boundary Walk next month. But did you know the popular charity fundraiser has its roots in a much older local tradition?

Hundreds of walkers are expected to be stepping out to raise money for their favourite good causes when they take part in the Rotary Boundary Walk. The event, on Sunday, October 3, has become one of the town’s biggest charity fundraisers and this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the addition of a new 5km route for families.

But walking the main 13-mile route following the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough harks back to the very origins of Maidenhead itself and the granting of a ‘Charter of Incorporation’ which brought the Borough of Maidenhead into being in 1582.

It became a tradition for the Mayor to get beaters to drive square-headed nails into posts and walls along the boundary route, each bearing his initials on its head. So was born the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’.

By 1934 the boundary of the borough was marked by stones – many of which can still be seen today – and during the walk the mayor would tap each one with the ceremonial mace to ‘reinforce’ the boundary. The last official ‘beating the bounds’ was in 1973, when Euphemia Underhill was Mayor.

But in 1982 the Boundary Walk as we know it today was resurrected by Rotary and the East Berkshire Ramblers to help mark the 400th anniversary of the granting of the charter and became an annual fundraising event.

Originally held on the last Sunday of September, the date was changed to the first Sunday in October as it clashed with Harvest Festival church services. While other changes over the years have included a shift to online booking and sponsorship, the event remains at its heart an opportunity for people to walk in aid of their chosen charities.

Now run as a joint project by Maidenhead and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Clubs, the Boundary Walk will be back to normal in October after being held in a ‘bubble’ format last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Boundary Walk chair Jim Howles said: “We are delighted the Boundary Walk is back in its usual format this year. So, individuals, groups and families are all invited to take part in this little bit of Maidenhead’s history and at the same time raise money for their chosen causes.”

Both routes start and finish at Boulters Lock car park and follow a fully signposted path with checkpoints manned by Rotary marshals. The family route is a nice circular stroll via Guards Club Park, Oldacres and the A4.

There is a registration fee to take part which covers administration costs including route maps and completion certificates. All sponsorship raised goes to the walker’s chosen charity.

For more details and to register see www.boundarywalk.org.uk

You're Invited!
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 events 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.
 
We hope you enjoy reading it and if you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved with any of our volunteering opportunities, or attend one of our meetings, please do get in touch; and feel free to share our newsletter with others too.

​You're Invited!
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 events 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.
 
We hope you enjoy reading it and if you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved with any of our volunteering opportunities, or attend one of our meetings, please do get in touch; and feel free to share our newsletter with others too.

This year’s Rotary Boundary Walk, which took place in a new ‘Bubble’ format due to Covid-19 restrictions, has been declared a resounding success by organisers.

Nearly 200 people took part in the 12-mile charity sponsored walk over three weeks in October, raising more than £7,000 for a range of good causes.

The event takes its name from the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ - an annual walk around the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough – and follows the same route.

Usually it sees about 600 participants setting out on a single Sunday in October to walk a fully marshalled route with checkpoints and road crossings manned by Rotarians.

But this year, due to social distancing rules, walkers were given a three-week window to complete a non-marshalled route in ‘bubbles’ of up to six people, such as families or charity groups.

“We were absolutely delighted with how the ‘Bubble’ format worked,” said organising committee chairman Jim Howles. “With the Boundary Walk impossible to run in the normal way, having 200 people still take part and raise so much money for charity in such a difficult year is a fantastic result.

“Lots of charities rely on it as a major fundraiser and we were determined to find a way for it to go ahead despite the restrictions.

“We’d like to say a huge thank-you to all the walkers who took part and to the Louis Baylis Trust and Shanly Foundation for their support.”

The Boundary Walk is jointly organised by Maidenhead Rotary Club and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club. They hope that by next year it will be able to return in its usual format but are thinking about introducing a longer window for walkers who are unable to take part in the main event.

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

...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!
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1. You can contribute to a cause that you care about: Whether your chosen cause relates to supporting education, health, or arts and culture charities, tackling homelessness or other equally worthy causes, you can find Maidenhead Bridge Rotarians working in all these areas, doing good and making a difference.
2. You will be doing good: Wanting to do good is the most common reason people give for volunteering. Volunteers make an incredibly important difference to charities and voluntary organisations across the UK – many rely on us to keep going.
3. Use your skills to make a positive difference: Your financial expertise and the skills that you use on a daily basis in your working life can be of great benefit and help make a real difference.
4. It’s good for your health and wellbeing: A range of research has demonstrated that volunteering can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. Volunteering can improve mental health and help you live longer. The NHS recognises that helping and supporting others is good for mental wellbeing, recommending volunteering as a way to achieve this.
5. Work as a team to achieve a worthwhile goal: Teamwork is important in the majority of job roles and so the experience you will get of doing this while volunteering will be CV enhancing.
6. Meet new people: Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, whether they are the people you’re supporting or others that you’re volunteering with. It provides a great opportunity to  make new friends outside of your everyday social circle and feel part of a wider community.
7. Try something new: There are many diverse volunteer opportunities out there – while some of them may be connected to your day job, others may be something completely different. Either way you will find yourself in a new environment, approaching issues from a different perspective.
8. Learn new skills and boost your career: Volunteering will not only give you the opportunity to enhance existing skills but will also mean you learn new ones and gain experience in a different sector.
9. Worthwhile way to spend your time: Doing something to support others is undeniably an important and worthwhile way to spend your time.  No matter what time you have to spare there will be a volunteering opportunity to suit…

 
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...

It was a race to the finish line at the annual Reindeer Race in the Nicholsons Centre on Saturday.
 
Organised by Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club for the seventh year running, the festive, fun-filled event pulled in the crowds to watch competitors wind toy reindeer and sleighs across the finish line.
 
Races lasted approximately 5 minutes each and brought lots of laughter and festive fun to the masses.  Shoppers also got to meet Bruno, the mascot from the charity Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, where all money raised at the event will be donated.
 
James Berkeley, Rotarian and event organiser, commented, “The dog mascots definitely help to pull in the crowds and to see the joy on children’s faces as they rush to give them a hug is priceless.  Thank you to the generosity of shoppers the day raised over £150 for the charity, which we are thrilled about”.
 
If you’d like more information about Maidenhead Bridge Rotary please email events@maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk or call Lisa on 07876 341334.  Find out more about the club at www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk

​What an amazing night of simply stunning talent.  From dancing, to choirs, to opera, to African Drumming our young performers were simply the best  at the annual Maidenhead’s Got Talent showcase on Friday 1st March.
 
The charity event, organised by all of Maidenhead’s Rotary clubs, saw performers aged six to 22 appearing in a matinee and evening show at Taplow Court, in Cliveden Road.  The event featured pupils from five of the area’s primary 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 £6000 to support the charitable projects we do locally, nationally and internationally.  So a massive thank you from us!

​It was a race to the finish line at the annual Reindeer Race in the Nicholsons Centre on Saturday.
 
Organised by Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club for the sixth year running, the festive, fun-filled event pulled in the crowds to watch competitors wind toy reindeer and sleighs across the finishing line.
 
Races lasted approximately 5 minutes each and brought lots of laughter and fun to the masses.  Shoppers also go to meet Bruno and Patch, mascots from the charity Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, where all money raised at the event will be donated.
 
This year we had extra special guests join in the fun in the form of two puppies in training.  Ozzy a one-year old Black Labrador and Leighton a five-month old Cocker Spaniel stole the hearts of many shoppers and were only too happy to roll over and have their tummies stroked!  Both dogs also loved their larger-than-life-sized mascot friends with Ozzy playfully tugging on Patch’s tail!
 
Adam Hunter, Rotarian and event organiser, commented, “The dog mascots definitely help to pull in the crowds and to see the joy on children’s faces as they rush to give them a hug is priceless.  Thank you to the generosity of shoppers the day raised over £200 for the charity, which we are thrilled about”.

It was a race to the finish line at the annual Reindeer Race in the Nicholsons Centre on Saturday.
 
Organised by Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club for the fifth year running, the festive, fun-filled event pulled in the crowds to watch competitors wind toy reindeers and sleighs across the finishing line.
 
Races lasted approximately 5 minutes each and brought lots of laughter and fun to the masses.  Shoppers also go to meet Bruno and Patch, mascots from the charity Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, where all money raised at the event will be donated.  Lisa Hunter, Rotarian, commented, “The dog mascots definitely help to pull in the crowds and to see the joy on children’s faces as they rush to give them a hug is priceless”.
 
“Thank you to the generosity of shoppers the day raised over £225 for the charity, which we are thrilled about”, she continued.
 
If you’d like more information about Maidenhead Bridge Rotary please email events@maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk or call Lisa on 07876 341334.