The year of president Roger Jacobs (2008-09)
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Greeting from Rotarian Roger Jacobs
President July 2008 - July 2009
As my year as President started I wondered what I had let myself in for. The answer soon became clear. Strong team leaders are taking new Rotarians under their wings and showing them how to run projects; a new group, the “Slash and Strim Club", has been formed; last year’s recruitment drive is still ongoing and the saga of the pink ice cream van driver is now into chapter two (he is also our membership officer, a good choice I think). In addition to international projects this year’s progamme includes many local events which I hope will raise the profile of our club within our community. The Yomp team is also talking about ways to reinvent our major fund raiser. Another innovation this year is our Charter Night dinner which will be with partners at a new venue. As I stand and look at our members on club night and say "Good evening gentlemen" I know that no president could want for a better bunch of Rotarians who strive to achieve so much and at the same time dig deep into the well of humour. --President Rocky--
Events July 2008 - July 2009
Presentation of Yomp cheques
The Rotary Club of Upper Eden hosted a Presentation Evening at the Black Bull Inn Nateby on Tuesday 22nd July when the bulk of the funds raised at this year’s Mallerstang and Nine Standards Yomp were donated to the selected Charities. Cheques for a total of £4,000 were presented to the main beneficiaries: Hospice at Home, Macmillan Nurses, Water Aid and The Royal Marsden Cancer Appeal Fund.
Other donations totalling £500 were made to Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team and the Air Training Corps who provided valuable assistance on Yomp day helping to ensure the safety of the Yompers and our helpers. Yomp Committee Chairman John Andrew paid tribute to the partners of Rotarians and all of the helpers who turned out on the day to make it such a success and to Out Of Eden who had sponsored the event this year. (In the picture left to right:
Rotarian John Andrew - Chairman of Yomp Committee, Ann Thornton – Hospice at Home, Maureen Rutter - Macmillan Nurses, Neil Remmer - Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team, Mervyn Jones - Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Appeal Fund, Upper Eden’s Vice President Rotarian Ray Thornton.)
BBQ
Michael and Sally Metcalfe-Gibson hosted a barbecue for 28 members and wives at the beginning of August. After a very uncertain spell of rain, the skies cleared and a dry, although chilly, evening was enjoyed by all.
Bowls Evening
The Upper Eden Rotary Club organised a friendly bowls evening for members
and wives at Kirkby Stephen Bowls Club. After many wet days the green ran
very slowly, but the evening was fairly dry and an enjoyable time was had by
all. Following the bowls, members, six wives and a son adjourned to the
Black Bull at Nateby for dinner.
Macmillan Cancer Support
The Rotary Club had a presentation on 23rd September from Maureen Rutter, who explained the history and operations of Macmillan Cancer Support. She emphasised that the organisation was not just about nurses, but helps to support cancer sufferers from when the disease is first suspected. Prime areas of support are through information and advice, financial assistance, therapists, and support for carers, employing around 4000 health professionals. Macmillan also acts as a force for change through lobbying in the political arena, and Maureen was delighted by the Prime Minister’s announcement that day, of free prescriptions for Cancer patients, a cause that she had been fighting for.
The £100 million annual budget is all raised from voluntary donations, 73% goes direct to patient care and only 1% is spent on administration. Maureen reiterated her thanks for the generous donation made by the Upper Eden Rotary Club at the recent Yomp presentation evening. It was also pointed out that the following Friday would see the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning, where over £9 million is expected to be raised. A coffee morning will be held in Kirkby Stephen and all members were invited to attend.
John Bainbridge made a heart-felt vote of thanks to Maureen for her presentation.
Charter Night
The 29th Charter Anniversary Dinner of the Upper Eden Rotary Club was held on Friday 26 September 2008 at the Tufton Arms, Appleby. Tony Parrini, District Governor of District 1190 attended together with representatives from clubs in Accrington, Appleby, Brampton and Longtown, Carlisle Castle, Carlisle South, Kendal South Westmoreland, Keswick, Maryport, Penrith, Wensleydale, Whitehaven, and Whitehaven Castle. For the first time in the club’s history partners of Rotarians were invited and over 80 Rotarians and guests enjoyed the evening. The main speaker was John Owen, Vice-President of the Rugby Football Union, who outlined his experiences in Shap, his progress through the ranks of Rugby 
Union, and the enthusiasm he sees with youngsters in Upper Eden. President Roger Jacobs used a number of props to enhance his toast to guests and visitors, including a shooting star and an inflatable sheep. He encouraged all Rotarians with wacky ideas to mention them, as they may find support in Upper Eden. A surprise during the evening was the presentation of Paul Harris Fellowships to Roger Frank of the Upper Eden club, and John Taylor of Appleby for the efforts they have made over the past few years in providing tangible support to the people of Mali. Sewing machines were delivered in a Pink Ice-Cream Van, and a further trip is about to start, in larger vehicles delivering redundant hospital equipment for the benefit of the population of one of the poorest countries on Earth. Footnote from President Rocky - I requested the ladies "dressed to impress or look like a million dollars". How proud you made me feel when you made your entrance, PURE MAGIC.
Sunday Lunch at Burneston
A group of around 30 Rotarians and partners took a coach trip for Sunday
lunch at the Woodman Inn at Burneston near Bedale in mid-October. This is
the new home of Jon and Jacqui, who had left the Black Bull, Nateby just a
year before. We were provided with an excellent two course lunch, even
including rice pudding and prunes for one of our number, following early
comments about their times at Nateby! An excellent event was enjoyed by all, with the opportunity for a good sleep on the way home.
Site Visit to Airstream Europe Limited
Members and their partners made an evening visit to Airstream at their Tebay Workshops on Tuesday evening and were welcomed by the Manager Mr Earle Briggs and his Assistant Mr John Davison.
Mr Earle explained that Airstream was first established in Ohio USA over 75 years ago and recently decided to branch out into the European market. European laws on road traffic set a limit on width of trailer caravans of 2.3 Metres, much narrower than the limits in USA, so Airstream decided to import the galvanized steel chassis units into the USA from Germany. Then in their Ohio factory they build on the aluminium body work and fit the interior sleeping units, cupboards and partitioning. The semi-completed units are then shipped back to Europe in batches of 100 using a roll on – roll off type of vessel.
In Tebay the units are “finished off ” with the addition of electrical appliances including fridge/freezer, cooking units, satellite TV’s and radio/CD players.
Units for the European market range from a two berth single axle Type 532 at 6.8M length to a four berth twin axle Type 684 at 8.25M length. All units have external dimensions of 2.3M width x 2.65M height.
The aluminium bodywork is manufactured from highly polished “Aircraft” grade material with 45mm thick framed walls plus 60mm thick insulation and with a special external transparent protective coating.
Our picture shows a two-berth unit outside the Tebay premises that is 40 years old and still gleaming like new in the Autumn sunlight. The second picture shows Manager Earle Briggs inside the workshop with a range of Airstream units that are undergoing final fitting out.
Presentation to Wateraid
John Howell, a Rotarian from Keswick, attended the Upper Eden Rotary Club meeting on 28 October to talk about the Rotary projects with Wateraid in Tanzania, and to receive a cheque for £1000 on their behalf. This was part of the proceeds of the 2008 Mallerstang Horseshoe and Nine Standards Yomp. Wateraid is an appropriate charity in the 2008 International Year of Sanitation. Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, where there is a severe shortage of water, coupled with a lack of awareness of the links between hygiene and health. Wateraid has asked Rotary to help with aid and has agreed that 100% of funding raised by Rotary will go to projects on the ground. Women are generally responsible for obtaining water, and as it is often some distance away, much valuable time is taken up in water carrying. Consequently, the women have little opportunity to work, or be educated. Existing sources of water are shared with animals, and are often contaminated. Hot work leads to a need for drinking and diseases develop. Wateraid appoints a local project team, which must raise some money to develop ownership of the outcome. The first stage of assistance is installation of a tube well and hand-pump, often including the appointment of a local employee to control, and maintain it. Education regarding the use of clean water follows, with emphasis on hygiene issues. The projects develop into the area of sanitation, with provision of various types of latrine. Composting toilets can have additional benefits of providing suitable fertiliser for the crops, increasing the yield and area of cultivation. The schools are key to this process with children being educated in health, hygiene and sanitation. The provision of adequate lavatories attracts staff to the schools and this gives rise to multiple benefits. The one cloud on the horizon is the prospect of Climate Change, with water provision becoming a bigger problem, and the possibility of politicisation leading to conflict. It is anticipated that the developing countries will be at a severe disadvantage. Roger Frank gave a vote of thanks, supporting much of the need for assistance in African countries, based on his efforts in providing medical equipment to Mali.
Wine & Savouries Evening
The Rotary Club of Upper Eden held its annual Wine & Savouries evening on Saturday 1st November 2008 at the Upper Eden Rugby Club. A selection of cheeses, crackers, chocolate coated grapes, stuffed olives and a host of other savouries were provided by the Ladies, with a free wines and soft drinks bar until 9.00pm. The party was enlivened by a visit from a Halloween group, who steadfastly refused to be photographed with Glynn Jones, the undertaker. During the evening the winning tickets from the Christmas Raffle were drawn
and the winners announced. The first prize of £100 went to Alan Bainbridge. The second prize of £50 was won by Valerie Ewin and the two third prizes of £25 were won by Chris Metcalfe-Gibson & Louise Bainbridge. Proceeds from the raffle will go towards providing Christmas parcels for senior citizens in
the Upper Eden area. The prizes will be presented at the Co-op on Tuesday 11 November. The Rotary Club express their sincere thanks to the Coop for providing the vouchers and allowing the Club to sell tickets in the Store during mid October, and thanks all those who gave their support and helped to make a success of both the Raffle and the Wine & Savouries evening. Special thanks go to Colin & Jean Jenkinson whose efforts underpin the success of the evening.
Visit to The Linen Press
Thirty members and partners from the Upper Eden Rotary Club visited The Linen Press in Hartley, where Christine Thornborrow explained the development of this thriving business from the supply of bed-linen to design and procurement of a clothing range. The business is primarily based on mail-order sales, but there is a retail outlet at the premises in Hartley Fold. Visitors had the opportunity to see the web-site, warehouse and shop, and many wives expressed a wish to revisit the shop at their leisure for a closer look.
Induction of Ian Udale
Following the visit to The Linen Press the party adjourned to the Black Bull for the weekly dinner. This was a special meeting, as John Andrew, 2nd Vice President had the honour of inducting Ian Udale as a new Rotarian member of the Upper Eden Club. Members of the club expressed a warm welcome to Ian and look forwarding to working with him in future.
Cheque presentation to 1st Kirkby Stephen Scout Group
Four Rotarians from the Upper Eden Club attended the meeting of the 1st Kirkby Stephen Cub Pack on 6th November to present a cheque for £250 to purchase cooking equipment for camping. The money came from the Sid Rowe legacy, a fund administered by the Upper Eden Rotary Club, for expenditure on significant and permanent items for groups in Kirkby Stephen and area. Bill Barr, the club treasurer, made the presentation to Lois Wiseman, Cub Scout Leader.
Aid to Mali 2008
With the preparations for the Mali Aid trip all completed Saturday 8th November 2008 saw the official send-off for the six intrepid adventurers from the Eden Valley in their three vehicles.
Roger Frank, John Taylor, Alan McVeity, Arthur Littlefair, Dr Carl Hallam and Gerald Braithwaite have spent many weeks refurbishing vehicles, planning and packing the trucks for what they hope will be a three week journey to Bamako, the capital of Mali. They are driving two 7.5 tonne trucks and a mini-bus all packed tight with approximately six tons of medical equipment. This includes eighteen hospital beds, forty five wheelchairs, two incubators and two resuscitation units for babies, all of which is redundant equipment from a main UK hospital, all in first class condition and saved from being thrown on the scrapheap when the hospital was closed down. The medical instruments, dressings plus several thousand syringes and needles that complete the load, have all been donated by medical centres throughout Cumbria and will soon be distributed amongst some of the poorest clinics in the world.
Four members of the team are Rotarians and the trip has been facilitated by the Rotary Clubs of Appleby and Upper Eden Rotary aided by their contacts within Rotary International. The Rotary Club of Amitie, established in Bamako the Capital of Mali, will welcome the party and that Club aided by the five other Malian Rotary Clubs, will be responsible for the distribution of the medical equipment throughout their country. The three vehicles will not be returning to the UK but will be donated to the Amitee Club who will arrange to auction them and will oversee the distribution all of the money raised for local community projects such as the sinking of wells, staffing clinics and providing local schools with essential equipment. Border Television interviewed the team this week and on Saturday they set off from Braithwaite’s Garage, Newbiggin at 8.45a.m. They spent a half hour in Appleby from 9.30 to 10.00 a.m.with a send-off by the Lady Mayor and the final local stop was a half hour in Kirkby Stephen Market Square from 10.30 to 11.00 a.m. The team expect to reach Plymouth by Saturday evening ready to cross the channel to Santander on Sunday from where they will continue the long journey through Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and finally into Mali. Overall the trip is expected to take about four weeks with a return to UK scheduled for 4th December (this year we hope). For progress reports please visit website at:-
http://www.pdcinfo.info/fieldreports/9331fr.htm