Maidenhead Bridge Rotary hosted a One Big Thank You Event on Sunday 25th July to recognise all the amazing volunteers who stepped forward from the community to help them deliver their Covid-19 Response Project over the last 18 months.  Held at Moor Hall in Cookham guests were treated to a variety of delicious cakes including chocolate cake, lemon drizzle and the most popular of all carrot cake!
 
The event was primarily to thank club members and volunteers for being part of the project which saw more than 120 people join forces to support more than 150 households with errands such as shopping, prescription collections, dog walking and befriending.  The amazing team ran more than 1,245 errands which equated to over 2,500 hours given in service.  In addition the club also provided weekly food parcels to 23 families who lost access to free school meals throughout the pandemic.
 
Lisa Hunter, event organiser and Covid-19 Project Manager, commented “It was so lovely first of all to see people face-to-face, I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed seeing people!  Secondly it was so special to be able to thank our wonderful volunteers who enabled us to support our community, putting faces to names that I’d been emailing or calling for months. It was a perfect afternoon.”
 
“This project proved the power of Rotary, the difference we can make to improve lives when we work together, use our skills and knowledge and take action to get the job done.  It’s one reason why I’m proud to be a Rotarian and today I couldn’t be prouder of everyone in the room.  Thank you for being superheroes.” Lisa continued.

Also at the event outgoing President Victoria Williams presented incoming President Nas Parkes with the ceremonial chain of office and a special gift was handed over to Victoria in recognition of the amazing job she did leading the club over the last year.
 
If you’d like to get involved in local projects, want to volunteer, raise funds for charity or simply meet new people, make friends and expand your horizons, then get in touch with Maidenhead Bridge Rotary today and discover what opportunities await you.

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 been an amazing 12 months at Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club with numerous charity challenges, reindeer and health checks being just some of the many activities the club has been involved with.
 
On the 23rd November the club celebrated their sixth birthday, and there’s lots to celebrate as the group of young professionals and volunteers have somehow managed to fit in more than 190 events over the last 12 months ranging from hands-on volunteering such as supporting FoodShare and the Waterways Project, to socials including walks in the countryside and plenty of pub visits, to fundraising for local and international charities, to networking!
 
The club organises several key events each year including the Easter Family Fun Day in Grenfell Park which now attracts over 800 local families each year, as well as the annual Health Awareness Day in February which gives advice to Maidonians about blood pressure, healthy hearts, diabetes etc with the support of professional organisations. 
 
The members of our club are an amazing group of people; they inspire me and motivate to help make the world a better place

A couple of weeks ago, one of my longstanding wishes was fulfilled, when Nisha told me about a “Visit My Mosque” event after that morning’s club meeting.  Rebecca, Nisha and I had a really interesting afternoon.  The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, and the place was full of people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
 
We saw displays about the key points about Islam, as well as some beautiful old manuscripts dating back hundreds of years.  There was a talk by the imam, and we heard a recitation from the Koran from a schoolboy.  One young man told us how he had cycled to Mecca for the Hajj, and we heard about a Scout group associated with the mosque. 
 
The Prime Minister was there –as you will see from Nisha’s photos!  The mosque also provided some home cooked refreshments, which were extremely popular.It was an enjoyable afternoon, and a great opportunity to learn more about one of the world’s biggest religions.
 
Sushi

It’s been an amazing 12 months at Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club with numerous charity challenges, reindeer and health checks being just some of the many activities the club has been involved with.
 
Today (23rd November) the club celebrates their fifth birthday, and there’s lots to celebrate as the group of young professionals and volunteers have somehow managed to fit in 198 events over the last 12 months ranging from hands-on volunteering such as supporting FoodShare, to socials including walks in the countryside and plenty of pub visits, to fundraising for local and international charities, to networking!
 
In addition, the club also welcomed six new members to their fold, Debbie Ingledew, Mesude Ipek, Catherine Young, Matthew Loughman, Nas Parkes and Karen Faul, taking their total membership to 45!
 
Club President Michael Atherton commented “we’ve certainly lived up to what we set out to achieve 5 years ago having donated over 7,526 volunteer hours in that time and an incredible 1,145 hours so far this year.  We have supported a wide variety of charities close to members hearts…and we’ve all had so much fun doing it.”
 
The club organises several key events each year including the Easter Family Fun Day in Grenfell Park which now attracts over 800 local families each year, as well as the annual Health Awareness Day in the New Year which gives advice to Maidonians about blood pressure, healthy hearts, diabetes etc with the support of professional organisations. 
 
The biggest event organised by the club in the last year was their 24 Challenges event, which saw members take on 24 different challenges including swimming, Zumba, trampolining, mental challenges and Tai Chi over a 24-hour period, all in aid of The Rotary Foundation and End Polio Now.  This single event raised over £2,800 and brought members closer together at the same time.
 
Michael continued “the members of our club are an amazing group of people; they have inspired me and motivated me.  I could not have asked for a better group of friends and I am very much enjoying leading the group this Rotary year.”