​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:

• Welcome from Club President
• Health Awareness Day
• Maidenhead Pancake Race
• Maidenhead’s Got Talent
• Rotary District Conference
• Social Media Hub at Conference
• Volunteering: Covid-19 Response
• Welcome to our new members
• Social: Heart UK Quiz
• Why I Joined Rotary

​
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!
​

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

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.