Rotary providing opportunities for everyone

For the second year running, Royal Wootton Bassett & District Rotary Club, Linda Locke, put out an appeal to the residents of Royal Wootton Bassett and surrounding villages for new and nearly new toys, to give to the Swindon Refuge.

Linda Locke with her van full of toys to take to the Swindon Refuge.

Parents were asked whether their children could sort through their toy boxes and pick out any toys they no longer wanted, and to make room for any gifts Santa may bring on Christmas Day.

On two different occasions in December, Linda collected the donated toys. The collections were so successful that she managed to fill two van loads with toys.

Thanks to Linda and all who supported her, no child at the Swindon Refuge was left without a present this Christmas.

Rotary Club of Newent and District has also organised a series of activities to help children in difficult circumstances.

The club hosted events to raise funds for the Children in Need charity. Events included a classic car rally in August and a countryside ramble around the village of Hingham in October.

Andy Wilson from Yorkshire Cancer Research with Emma Fulton.

In November the club took Pudsey bear to their local Primary Schools, where they were met with lots of enthusiasm and joy from the children. Pudsey also helped with turning on the Christmas lights in Newent.

In total the Rotary club raised in excess of £9,000 for Children in Need helping change young lives all across the UK.

Richmond Rotary Club has recently received a talk from Andy Wilson from Yorkshire Cancer Research (YCR).

Andy outlined the organisation’s history of funding drugs to treat cancer. YCR has had great success globally with developing Tamoxifen and Lymparza for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.

However, today the cost of developing new drugs is beyond the organisations budget.

As a result, the new mission is “Everyone in Yorkshire will have the best chance of living a long and healthy life with, without and post-cancer.” This involves funding prevention awareness activities and supporting screening and clinical trials in the region.

The talk done by Andy was eye-opening and as a thank you, at the end of the evening Richmond Rotary President Emma Fulton presented Andy with a cheque for £500.

Emma said, “It is a pleasure to support a world-renowned organisation that is making a difference to people’s lives in Yorkshire”.