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‘Rotary Serves’ at Witney’s Switch-on
At this year’s Christmas Lights Switch-on in Witney on Friday November 25th, the Rotary Club of Witney will be living up to their motto, ‘Service above Self’ in a slightly different way!
Rotarians will be running, not only their ever popular Pig Roast, but also a Barbecue stall, serving up quality beefburgers to the public at reasonable prices.
The Rotary marquees will be positioned in the Market Square and all proceeds from both outlets will go to Rotary funds, which, in turn, will benefit worthy causes such as Base 33 in Witney and PEACH, an organisation which supports parents with autistic children.
The public can be assured that treating themselves to a delicious pork roll or tasty beefburger on the night will also be helping others with different needs!
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney (Communications)
Tel: 07885 347652
Past releases
Rotary Club of Witney supports Royal British Legion Memorial Bell Appeal
The Rotary Club of Witney has presented a cheque to The Royal British Legion Memorial Bell appeal fund for £500. The presentation took place just prior to the Repatriation Ceremony for a fallen Gurkha soldier last Thursday.
Mike Henderson, chair of Oxfordshire Royal British Legion, thanked Rotary President Peter Davies for the generosity of the Rotary Club. The gift brings the total amount of money raised to over £8k, over half of the amount required to make and install the Memorial Bell, which will be sited near the Memorial Garden, Brize Norton.
Picture available
Rotary Links Youth Opportunity Competitionsto London Olympics
Witney July 2011. The Rotary Club of Witney is inviting young people in the town and surrounding areas to submit entries for its 2011/2012 program of competitions. These offer exciting opportunities to inspire learners of all ages to develop their verbal, creative and artistic skills. The competitions will focus on photography, writing skills and public speaking and will be Rotary district led. Winning entries may also proceed to Rotary nationwide level.
Since the Olympics are taking place in 2012 Rotary has adopted the theme “Olympic Spirit” for all three competitions. Entries may be on any aspect in the lead up to the event, for example, sporting hero, favorite sport, fair play, peace, healthy eating, international relationships, disability and all that may be considered as relating to the ethos of the Olympics in some form. The public speaking competition may be on any theme and need not be related to the Olympics.
The Young Photographer competition is open to 7 to 17 year olds and requires a portfolio of four different prints. The Young Writer competition is open to the same age group and entries may be anything from a short story to prose. The public speaking, Youth Speaks competition is open to 11 to 13 and 14 to 17 age groups and is comprised of teams of three entered by schools, colleges and youth groups.
For further details e-mail Rtn. Liz Zinnbauer at zprpublicity@btinternet.com or telephone 01993 704758.
Rotarians Cycle for Charity
The Rotary Club of Witney staged a special ‘send off’ for their District Governor, Laurie Cunningham, when he arrived on his bike at the Marlborough Hotel last week. Laurie, along with District colleague, Peter, was joined on the next part of his marathon – to Oxford and Thame Rotary Clubs – by Witney Rotarian, David Hansen.
The objective of Laurie’s sponsored marathon is to cycle to each of the 62 Rotary Clubs in District 1090, which includes Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, and along the way raise as much as he can for Thames Valley Life Education Centres. TVLEC, using mobile classrooms, teaches primary school children positive health messages, which encourages young people to make smart choices. TVLEC has been particularly active in Witney and surrounding areas.
After refreshments outside the Marlborough Hotel, the dozen or so Witney Rotarians who had turned out early for the occasion, watched President Brian Ford hand over a cheque for £250 towards the charity collection before wishing Laurie and co-cyclists a successful journey.
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel: 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk
Reunion at ‘Holyrood House Party’
Former residents of Holyrood House in South Leigh, now living in various parts of West Oxfordshire, had an opportunity to meet and socialise with their former colleagues recently at an annual party organised by the Rotary Club of Witney.
The ‘Holyrood House Party’ was held once again at Witney Rugby Club in Hailey Road, which kindly hosts the event each year. Entertainment was provided by Mike, the ‘Balloon Man’ and Karen Williams from Finstock, who provided the disco. Ladies of the Inner Wheel Club of Witney, led by Joyce Crozier, provided and served a delicious range of refreshments.
All of these contributions were gratefully acknowledged by the senior organiser, Rotarian Chris Dyer, who commented “For a lot of the participants, it is the only chance they get to all meet up. We should also remember that the carers get together for the event, and that has to be good for them and, consequently, those they care for.”
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel: 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk
Rotary Club Ends 2010 on a High!
President Brian Ford praised the generosity of local people who supported club charities to the tune of £2500 during the run up to Christmas.
“It’s heart-warming to see the continuing support we receive from people in Witney, especially in these times of austerity and penny-watching” commented Brian, adding “Our gratitude and thanks go to everyone who has contributed to these events and, indeed, other Rotary events throughout the year”.
Rotarians celebrated with three main events in the Christmas period and were delighted at the level of support despite the belt tightening following the financial upheaval in the country.
Fund raising kicked off with a ‘Pig Roast’ at the Town’s Annual Christmas Lights Switch-on in November. Generous sponsorship from the Marlborough Hotel, and Hall Construction of Burford, meant every penny raised on the night went directly to the many worthwhile causes supported by the Club.
A further boost to funds came from the Rotary Christmas Concert, an enjoyable evening of entertainment provided by Ducklington C of E School Choir and ‘Voicebox’ Choir, led by Leslie Morris and Keith Harris.
The Christmas Street Collection, on behalf of ‘Base 33’ and other local charities, took place (with Santa Claus in attendance) on a cold crisp Saturday. The amount collected exceeded expectations and will be a welcome addition to the coffers of Base 33, one of the Rotary Club’s chosen projects this year.
Started in Witney eleven years ago, Base 33 provides support for young people in achieving improved self-esteem, gaining motivation and taking responsibility for their lives. Overall encouraging a more positive view of life and developing social skills.
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel: 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk
Rotary, Santa and ‘Base 33’
On Saturday (December 11th), members of the Rotary Club of Witney will be seen in Witney town centre wearing their distinctive yellow tabards and Santa hats, collecting for one of the Rotary Club’s chosen charities this year, ‘Base 33’. However, one person without the trademark yellow tabard will be Santa Claus! He will be delighting children with samples from his sweets supply at the entrance to the Woolgate shopping arcade (High Street end) from 9.00am to 3.00pm.
‘Base 33’, now recognised nationally for their work in and around Witney, provides support for teenagers and young people with a broad spectrum of social problems. As David Cameron recently commented, “ Base 33 plays an important role in the community and offers hope and support to young people who have lost their way”.
The Rotary Club of Witney is hoping for a bumper collection in light of such a worthy cause.
Caption for Photograph supplied:
Look out for Rotary’s Santa Claus in Witney on Saturday
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Santa Claus visits Witney Rotary’s stall at last week’s Christmas Lights Switch-on
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel: 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk
Carterton CC and Burford School Speakers Triumph Again
For the second year in a row, Carterton Community College and Burford School both won their respective categories in the Local Area Final of ‘Youth Speaks’. As last year, the Corn Exchange was the venue for the event, organised by the Rotary Club of Witney (with refreshments from the Inner Wheel Club of Witney).
Teams of three speakers from five local schools competed for the Intermediate Competition, with the winning team of Rachel Tozer, Kier Campbell and Megan Rockett representing Carterton Community College. Their presentation, entitled “It’s all a load of rubbish” encouraged the audience to make full use of the Council’s recycling services for the sake of the environment.
Three teams entered the Senior Competition, with the winners, Toby Walker, Maddie Harris and Charlotte Allcock, coming from Burford School. In their talk, entitled “The merits and influence of the Harry Potter Books”, members of “the Harry Potter generation” extolled the stories which describe the defeat of the forces of evil by good and the love of friends.
An eminent panel of judges presented their findings and announced the winners, who were then presented with their trophies by President of Witney Rotary Club, Brian Ford. The winners go forward to the Zone Final, to be held in the Corn Exchange, Witney, at 7pm on Tuesday 8th February next year. Potentially, the winners could progress to the District, then Regional and, ultimately, the National Final of ‘Youth Speaks’. We wish both teams every success in the forthcoming rounds of this excellent competition!
Caption for Photographs supplied:
28a – Winners of Senior Youth Speaks Area Final, Burford School (L to R, Maddie Harris, Toby Walker, Charlotte Allcock)
38a – Winners of Intermediate Youth Speaks Area Final, Carterton Community College (L to R, Rachael Tozer, Keir Campbell, Megan Rockett)
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Contact: John Milnes, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel: 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk
‘Youth Speaks’ Local Final
Once again, Witney Corn Exchange will be the venue for the 2010 Local Final of Rotary’s ‘Youth Speaks’ Competition, organised by the Rotary Club of Witney.
‘Role Models’ and the ‘Equality of Women’ were the topics chosen by the two winning teams in last year’s final.
The winners of the Intermediate Competition last year were from Carterton Community College. The team, consisting of Chair, Ellen Moore, Speaker, Mark Eales and Vote of Thanks, Thomas Browne, questioned the type of individuals being held up as ‘Role Models’ in modern society.
Winners of the Senior Competition, representing Burford School, were Chair, Jessica Harris, Speaker, Harriet Allcock and Vote of Thanks, Antonia Ansell. Their chosen subject “Are Women Considered Equal to Men?”, led to a highly entertaining and thought-provoking presentation.
This year’s entrants are drawn from seven local secondary schools. The winners in each section will progress to the Zone Final and thence, possibly, to the finals of the national competition.
The evening starts at 7.00pm on Wednesday 24th November and is open to the public at no admission cost. Refreshments will be available, courtesy of the Inner Wheel Club of Witney.
Caption for photograph:
The Winning Team from Burford School at last year’s Local Final of ‘Youth Speaks’
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Contact:
John Milnes, Communications Officer, Rotary Club of Witney
Tel. 07885 347652
Email: john@johnmilnes.freeserve.co.uk