Anushka Sharp, a pupil at St Augustine’s Catholic Primary school in Hythe, Kent, recently succeeded in her local Rotary Young Artist competition.
Anushka Sharp with her winner’s certificate.
Anushka was presented with a new painting kit and a winner’s certificate as her prize during her school assembly by a representative four local Rotary clubs: Folkestone Rotary, Folkestone Channel Rotary, Hythe Rotary Club and Romney Marsh Rotary.
The Rotary Young Artist competition takes place every year across the country and aims to encourage young people to be creative and express themselves through art.
This year’s theme was ‘Colours of Nature’, which Anushka expertly portrayed through her winning piece.
Deputy Headteacher Mrs Sarah Cross said she was proud of Anushka’s accomplishment and that she hopes it leads to the other pupils of St Augustine’s taking an interest in Rotary projects.
Folkestone Channel Rotary have also been busy on a visit to their twin club in Mechelen, Belgium to celebrate the memory of their late Past-President Frederik Mortlemanns. Frederik was always looking to organise events that brought the twin clubs together through his years as President.
Hundreds of members and their guests attended a dinner at the beautiful Salons Van Dyck restaurant, giving everyone the chance to share fond memories of Frederik.
The eleven members of Channel Rotary that travelled to Mechelen also got to experience a boat trip through local canals and enjoy the brewery attached to their hotel.
Representatives from Folkestone Channel Rotary at the Salons Van Dyck restaurant in Mechelen, Belgium.
Channel Rotary President, Alan Myers, said: “We may no longer be in the EU, but the links with like-minded Rotarians continue and we know we are always guaranteed a warm welcome by our friends in Mechelen.”
Staying on the South East Coast, Bexhill Rotary President, Perry Puddefoot, has now completed over half of his target for his walking campaign, ‘The Long Road’.
Perry’s aim is to walk 1,000 miles before his time as President of Bexhill Rotary ends and he recently completed another chunk of the journey, stepping out onto Bexhill Colonnade for a walk to Hastings and back accompanied by six other keen walkers.
Perry is taking part in this campaign to raise money for a variety of causes including learning disability charity Mencap, Bexhill Foodbank local youth organisations.
If you want to find out more about how you can support Perry on his campaign then head over to the Bexhill Rotary website.
Up in the North of Wales, Llandudno Rotary Club have recently launched the ‘Friends of Rotary’ scheme, aimed at those who want to support Rotary but may not be able to fully commit their money or time to full membership.
Being a “friend” of Llandudno Rotary allows people to join an e-mailing list that lets them know what activities or events the club is planning and inviting them to take part in whatever suits them – no financial commitment required.
Signing up to this scheme also gives people insurance cover from Rotary, should they want to volunteer at an event, and an invitation for them and a friend to take part in Llandudno Rotary’s social events.
Harry Saville, a Llandudno resident and early “friend” of Rotary, proclaimed: “Friends of Rotary is a great way to support their fundraising and community work.”
The scheme has not been set up to discourage members of the public from becoming members of Rotary, this is merely a way of introducing people to the benefits of being a Rotarian without forcing them to make a full-time commitment. You can find out more about the scheme here.
Rowcroft Hospice representative Debbie Shotton being presented with two cheques by the Rotary Club of Torquay.
Finally, down on the South-West coast of England, the Rotary Club of Torquay have presented two cheques to Rowcroft Hospice.
Rowcroft Hospice is an independent charity dedicated to providing specialist care to adults living with debilitating illnesses across South Devon.
They are able to provide care at their patient’s houses and last year they provided support for over 2,000 people across the region.
Torquay Rotary presented Rowcroft Hospice representative Debbie Shotton with two cheques adding up to £2,600 that will help prolong the valuable role the hospice plays in their local community.
