CLUB NEWS: Quarter 1 - 2010
Club News as it Happens
28th March, 2010 - All the curlers at the start of the 21st World Curling Championships at Dewars Centre - Perth.
24th March, 2010 - Mrs Elsa Sinclair a voluntary worker at Rachel House in Kinross, one of the CHAS hospices, gave a very warm and heartfelt talk on life around the hospice, emphasising that though it was a respite home and the children were termanilly ill, it was also a place of great laughter and joy. We all expect children to grow up healthy and strong, but sadly though some parents are living with the knowledge that their childs life will be short. When it is known that life is going to be short, two things become important; the quality of life and the enjoyment of the time that is left. This is when Rachel House becomes a home from home for families, a place to relax and recharge their batteries, a refuge shared with friends.
11th March, 2010 - Craig Mathieson the first Scotsman to reach the South Pole and also the first Scotsman to reach both the North and South Poles, gave an truly inspirational talk on what it was like to have stood where the great Antartic Explorers like Roald Amundsen, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and the legendary Captain Robert Falcon Scott had stood and in Scott’s case died. Craig is an exceptional character, who mentored a young (waste of space) man with very low self-esteem to knuckle down and work hard and train for two gruelling years to walk to the North Pole. Craig is now working with the Inuit peoples in Greenland through the Northern Lights project, whose aim is to highlight climatic change through exploration of the Arctic. Through the sharing of knowledge and experience with traditional indigeounous communities, they will work with young people to harness the message and lessons from people who still live in touch with the environment, and whose traditional way of life is being directly affected by environmental changes.
27th February, 2010 - Twelve Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Perth, collected from the public in the glass entrance at the Tesco - Crieff Road Store to raise funds for the Thanks for Life Campaign to eradicate Polio. Perth's two other Rotary Clubs - St. Johns and Kinnoull, collected at the Tesco Edinburgh Road Store. We also sold Purple Pinkie Quizzes for the children at 50p, and a prize of a gift token for a Games Shop will be purchased and sent to the winner.
The Club were well prepared with lots of posters and pull up stands advertising the fact that we were collecting for this specific purpose, after a pretty slow start in the morning; we got things moving and collected in excess of £530 including some Euro notes that will have to be exchanged for Sterling.
We also had membership posters and leaflets to offer the public, but this proved more difficult, as the footfall into and out of the store was massive. Still you never know who might have seen the display, and might want to contact us in the future. Tesco have further offered us another collection day over the next couple of months.
25th February, 2010 - Gayle Pearson gave a most touching insight into how deprived the peoples of Africa are, she and another two colleagues chose to offer their services and assist at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar. They worked in the physiotherapy department under the supervision of Dr Hassan, a physiotherapist based in the hospital. Gayle chose to go to Zanzibar for a number of reasons. Firstly, she wanted to go to a developing country to experience first-hand what the health care system, or lack of system, is like. Secondly, she wanted to work with people who were less fortunate than herself and in need of help. As Zanzibar is one of the poorest places in Africa, she felt this was an ideal choice.
Gayle saw a lot of interesting paediatric cases of hydroencephalitis, cerebral palsy and just general poor development, all of which were really common there. Cases of talipes (club foot) were also frequently seen, and a separate room in the department was used to apply casts on those babies. Here in the UK, physiotherapist do not apply casts so getting the opportunity to do this there was an excellent experience! Patients have to buy their own plaster casts, and some could not even afford the 12p that it cost. It was heartbreaking that parents were not able to get their children treated as they did not have the money. Gayle used to help these mothers out by giving them the money to buy the plaster cast, as from a physio’s perspective, these poor children’s walking could potentially be affected for life if not treated.
18th February, 2010 - President Bill advised the club that Siobhan Fyffe of Stampaholics - who has supported the Club in the past by donating LOTs to the Silent Auction, held a Sale of Second-hand Stamps (Stamps used in Card making) at her Princes Street Shop in Perth on Saturday 23rd January. Customers who had been stamping for some time, gifted stamps they bought early on and no longer used and gave them to the shop free, so they could be sold to raise money on this special event day, with all the proceeds received, going to our Club for disbursement to local Charities of our choice.
Unfortunately due to business comitments Siobhan could not be with us herself to present the cheque, but had asked Jimmy Robertson to present the Cheque for £518.25 to the Club on her and her customers behalf.
President Bill further stated that this was again a marvellous example of a small business in the community making a difference! Their effort is much appreciated by the club and asked Jimmy on behalf of the Club and all members to thank Siobhan and her staff at Stampaholics, plus all her customers for this wonderful and generous gesture; and to be assured that the money will be well spent.
18th February, 2010 - Chief Superintendent Craig Suttie - Tayside Police gave a really interesting and informative talk on the changing role of Policing in Perth & Kinross which include Community Safety, Antisocial Behaviour, Youth Justice, Road Safety right up to Anti Terrorism responsibilities. A high priority within the City of Perth is to ensure that the Police are aware of the needs and concerns of the communities they serve. To achieve this there are now 20 Community Crime Officers who have been given the responsibility for policing a particular area of the city. These officers liaise with members of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes, Community Safety Panels, Community Wardens and other community groups in order to promote public safety and maximise understanding and co-operation in dealing with community problems.
The officers are deployed on foot, pedal cycles and motor scooters as well as motor vehicles. This form of patrolling increases mobility & visibility and encourages an open contact with the public which has proved popular and effective. Staffing priorities have also changed with more emphases on having the right number of officers working at the times of most need, weekends, later at night etc.
- Steve Manion proposed the vote of thanks.
17th February, 2010 - Wednesday, saw the annual Snooker and Pool Evening at Riley’s New Yorker. The traditional level of skills were there for all to see. The overall winners with 4 wins out of 4 were David Robb and Neil Rowlands. David also had a break of 14, which would have been enough to win the John McEwan tankard most years (last two winners had 13 and 9!) but this was surpassed by Ian Inglis with a splendid 16.
Thanks to successful arrangements made with the manager of Riley’s, which included a year’s free membership for all those who took part, the sum of £60 was also raised for our charity funds. The evening concluded with an Indian buffet next door at Manzil’s Restaurant.
28th January, 2010 - Kay Lamb from Perth & Kinross Council gave an interesting insight into the workings and status of Cittaslow. In late 2005, Perth & Kinross Council and Scottish Enterprise jointly commissioned a study to identify ways in which other areas of the UK support and promote their local food and drink businesses. This study highlighted how Ludlow had gained Cittaslow status and outlined the benefits that this had brought to the town. The study also highlighted how Cittaslow could support wider local initiatives in areas such as waste management and environmental protection. In mid 2006, it was agreed to put Perth forward as an applicant for Cittaslow membership. A local Steering Group was formed to manage this application. This comprised representatives from over a dozen local business and community organisations. Local figureheads such as MPs and MSPs also expressed their support for Perth joining the Cittaslow network. It was hoped that they could learn from best practice elsewhere in the country and although still at an early stage in it's development Cittaslow Perth is showing great promise.
23/24th, January, 2010 - Club member Mike Hope organised a special collection at Dobbies Garden Centre to raise funds for the purchase of more ShelterBoxes to send to the devastated Island of Haiti after the catastrophic earthquake.
Mike and another 21 Club Members plus two wives volunteered for 1 hour shifts, some doing double shifts over the two days. The members and friends raised enough to purchase at least a further 3 ShelterBoxes in addition to the 2 that we had sent immediately on first notification of the disaster.
Dobbies Manager Elaine Faulds and trainee Manager James Sockell have been exceedingly helpful, as have all the Dobbies Management and Staff, and advised that they were delighted to be involved in the exercise.
We were given space to display a ShelterBox; which Mike is convinced helped with the public's donations. The Collection at Dobbies raised £1278.49, over the two days, this has since further increased by £138 from the Wishing Well within Dobbies. Several club members made personal donations totaling £390 and one club member made a £200 donation, raising the total to £1976.49, what a brilliant effort! Well done again.
21st January, 2010 - Provost Dr. John Hulbert gave a very interesting update on the Perth 800 Celebrations and Perth's effort to regain it's City Status. Perth 800 is a year long programme of events which will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Burgh Charter to Perth by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1210. An exciting and ambitious programme on the themes of heritage, sport, arts and culture and the local economy will see more than one event a week being held throughout Perth and Kinross during 2010. These will be aimed at engaging with local communities, encouraging civic pride, stimulating the local economy through tourism, enhancing the national and international profile of Perth and Kinross and creating a foundation for Perth to bid for formal city status.
14th January, 2010 - President Bill presented Dr Alison Morrison, Consultant at the newly opened Cornhill Macmillan Palliative Care Unit at the PRI with a cheque for £8500.00, at our lunchtime meeting at MacDairmid Park. He also presented another cheque to Alfie Iannetta from the Black Watch Heritage Appeal at Balhousie Castle, again for a similair amount, £8500.00.
These were the two main charities to benefit from the Club's 2009 - Perth Silent Auction run in partnership with the Perthshire Advertiser which raised an amazing Grand Total of £22,600.00. Other local charities and organisations will also benefit from this marvellous effort.
7th January 2010 - President Bill received a very pleasant surprise for the start of the New Year a cheque from Mike Hope for £2030.24 from his Dobbies initiative. Raised through the community Rotary partnership developed by Mike with our local Dobbies Garden Centre, the cash was been raised from a three pronged effort, the Wishing Well sited at Dobbies plus one weekend and a separate day collecting at the Dobbies store by Mike his wife Annette and a few of our club members during the last few months of the year.