Rotary Review

CLUB MATTERS:
At this time of the year Club Council meet to discuss their plans for the next 12 months but there are no activities apart from the weekly meeting. Speakers have attended 3 of these meetings.

SPEAKERS:
1 Rob Spivey from the Mali Development Group spoke about conditions in that country and its main needs. Mali is a landlocked sub-Saharan Country about 10 times the size of the UK and its capital, Bamako, has a population of about 2 million. An ex-French colony , it gained independence in 1960 and in 1991 it adopted a democratic constitution. Although politically stable at present it is amongst the poorest countries in the world with an average life expectancy of 51. Outside the capital there is little modern development with the main form of transport being mopeds with some buses and a few cars. The Group's main objectives are tto improve the ststus of women by better education and health, increase education for children, teach better agricultural practice and improve water retention. The Group is based in Oxford and has a membership of 200 volunteers who raise money through their own activities and channel these funds to a local Mali charity. He illustrated his talk with slides collected during his visits to Mali.

2 Peter Castle, Club member, described the development of the Great Central Railway from its beginnings in 1890 until it amalgamated with other companies during the 1920s.It's original route was Manchester to Lincoln via Nottingham and Sheffield but in it's heyday it had an extension to London Marylebone, eventually running through trains to Penzance using other companies tracks. A small section remains today as a tourist attraction running between Leicester and the outskirts of Nottingham via Loughborough.

3 Malcolm Crowe, a retired teacher, talked about his second career as a toymaker. This started in the 1970s with doll's houses built to represent the purchaser's own house. He moved on to puppetmaking and now teaches puppetry in schools as well as expanding into high quality wooden toys and games. He ssupplies a few shops but sells mainly through craft fairs. Members were impressed with the selection of items which he displayed. These included old fashioned spinning tops, wooden vehicles, jigsaw puzzles, solitaire and chinese chequers. He also produces wooden train sets and house name plates to order. His next visit to Hadleigh is likely to be at next year's May Show - visit him in the craft tent.

MEMBERSHIP:
The Club would like to hear from anyone, male or female, who wishes to know more about Rotary. At Hadleigh you have a chance to listen to a variety of interesting speakers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere whilst also having the opportunity to give a little back to the community by joining in the Club's charitable work. You lose nothing by coming along to a meeting and may gain much by way of new friends and activities. We look forward to seeing you.

For all information relating to Hadleigh Rotary Club please contact Rotarian Alan Williams Tel no 01473 830229.

Royal British Legion - Hadleigh Branch & Club

Branch News
Meeting held on the 3rd of August, next meeting to be held on the 7th September at 7p.m. If you would like to join the committee, have any questions or some suggestions, please contact the Branch Secretary Sabine Harvey on tel,: 01473 827743

Club Chairman’s Report
Hope you all are enjoying the summer break, not too good for our trade, we miss out with not having space for outside drinking and socializing. On the sporting side the Legion Legends still top the Summer Darts League, the Legionnaires about half way but both sides enjoying Thursday evenings. Some joined us for the cricket match verses The George Wyatts select eleven, the match was real thriller going George’s way by just one run, we must have a re-match! See you in the bar. Arthur Bell.

Sept 10th - Pig Racing Evening
Sept 17th - A Wii Night
Sept 18 - Fagan - Music at its best
September 25 - Kudos
Oct 1st - Special Needs Party
Oct 2nd - Music by De Ja Vu

Legion Women’s Section
Next meeting to be held on the 7th September at 7.30p.m., there will be a Quiz after the meeting, please bring a raffle prize.

Further news
As the Royal British Legion Hadleigh and District are now affiliated with the Hadleigh Army Cadet Force, we are holding a fund raiser for the Cadet Force on the 10th September 2010 at 8p.m. in the Royal British legion Club in George Street. This Fund Raiser will be a funny and entertaining Pig Race and a raffle. Feel free to attend and join in with the fun. Raffle tickets will be on sale from the 3rd of September onwards. If you would like to donate a prize for the raffle (preferably a bottle of plonk or a box of chocolate), please drop these off at the club.

Can I take worms to Britain?

A meeting of the Fidelis ladies is always a lively and informative occasion and this month was no exception. Stepping in at short notice when the scheduled speaker was unable to attend, fellow member Jan Devey entertained us all with her often hilarious account of her time as the Information Librarian at the British Embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Over thirteen years Jan was involved in many aspects of Embassy life from grand receptions, diplomatic visits, business conferences, and trade promotions to assisting bewildered, and often distressed, British tourists. Sitting at a front desk, armed only with a phone, a typewriter and a pile of rather dull official leaflets, Jan dealt with the random enquiries that poured into the Embassy each day. Requests for information on the right way up to hang a Union Jack, or how to get tickets for Wimbledon paled in comparison with, for example, the demand for assistance from a bank robber who had been mugged and lost all his loot!

As technology improved better resources became available such as glossy literature and CD’s which helped greatly with the promotion of British interests. Jan recalled other moments too, such as the emotional public reaction to the news of the death of Princess Diana, or the soggy reception for the Queen’s birthday, where distinguished guests had queued for a long time in the pouring rain to get in, or the day there was a full-scale bomb alert caused by an Irish man parking his battered car illegally outside the Embassy while he chatted to some builders working on a site nearby.

At the end of the talk Jan showed us her scrapbooks and the book she had written, in retirement, called “Can I Take Worms to Britain?” This is a collection of some of the more bizarre enquiries she had received in the course of her work. Jan also provided us with some very helpful travel information. This delightful evening, which was much enjoyed by all, was rounded off with tea, biscuits and the customary socializing.

Marion Jackson

Hadleigh Healing Society

September, the time of mellow fruitfulness. For some the most beautiful time of the year, with its changing colours in the countryside. For others, the thought of long, dark days and cold weather is most depressing. Some young people will be starting on a new adventure in their life going to university or travelling during a gap year. There are so many horizons open to young people these days in spite of the financial climate. The older generation shake their heads and say “it was not like this in my day, we left school one day and started work the next”. Times and attitudes change and it is not always possible to keep up with them. Some things never change. We, the healers at The Bungalow are always there to listen and help those who feel they cannot cope with change. Everything is in the strictest confidence and no judgements made. If you feel we could help you please telephone for an appointment 01473 823282 (answer machine) or log onto our website www.hadleighhealingsociety.org. You are not alone.