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‘Bouled’ Over!

Boules Competition 24/05/23 (1)
Competition in full flow!
Boules Competition 24/05/23
Boules Competition 24/05/23

Swanage beach was the venue for the inaugural Club Boules competition this week, superbly organised and run by one of our new members, Helen Hardy.

More than 30 Rotarians and guests assembled on the main beach, competitive juices flowing, for the event held on a beautiful late May evening with sunshine a-plenty and virtually no wind to spoil it.

Competitors drew partners from a hat (well, a tin actually!) and were split into four groups of three pairs teams. Each team played each other over 4 ends to decide the quarter final line up.

Boules Competition 24/05/23
Boules Competition 24/05/23

The knockout stage saw the eight remaining teams battle it out, leaving just two to contest the final.

President Chris LeFevre and his partner, Rotarian Peter Davies, were the ultimate victors, defeating husband and wife team Robin and Pam Briggs in what can only be described as a one-sided affair, winning 7-1.

Grateful thanks go to Helen for an excellently organised event and one which we are sure will be repeated.

Boules Competition 24/05/23
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Powering Support for Ukraine

The ongoing situation in Ukraine continues to hit the headlines and leave us all wondering what we can do to help.

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary are proud to have been able to find funds from our activities over the past year to send to an organisation called Generators4Ukraine, which is using all the money that they are receiving to provide generators such as the one pictured above to provide power to areas where the main power supply has been cut off.

These will be vital in helping homes, shops and public buildings such as hospitals to continue to function while the conflict continues without any sign of ending.

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Celebrating Our Community

Presentation Night (1)

Rotarians and members of our community came together in Mid March to celebrate the achievements of the past 12 months.

Presentation Night (2)
Presentation Night (3)

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary’s Presentation Night is an opportunity to recognise everything that has been done with local groups to try and make things better for the community.

Representatives of many of the groups who have helped or been helped by Rotary attended and we were delighted to welcome Swanage Town Mayor Tina Foster and some of our Business Partners too.

After enjoying a sumptuous buffet, lovingly prepared by our very own ‘catering dream team’, attendees sat down to hear about the key arms of Swanage and Purbeck Rotary’s activities – Community, Youth and International – the chair of each committee highlighting their major events from the past year.

Presentation Night (5)
Presentation Night (8)

Then it was the turn of International and Foundation Chair Maggie Hardy to deliver the annual ‘surprises’ of Paul Harris Fellowships (the highest honours in Rotary) to members of the community who had demonstrated going above and beyond.

Incoming President Dai Hounsell concluded the formalities with an overview of the way in which Rotary interacts with so many other groups in the community, following which many remained to network with other groups (and make sure that the buffet didn’t go to waste!).

Many thanks go to everyone who attended to make it such a positive evening. Rotary is now starting preparations for the next 12 months of service and looks forward to seeing many more people out and about in the coming months.

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Silver Saturday Success

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary were delighted to host their annual Silver Saturday event at the end of February, celebrating the older members of our lovely community.

A gathering of over 100 people, including guests, Rotarians and entertainers, assembled at the Emmanuel Church in Victoria Avenue, our usual venue for this event, to enjoy a sumptuous afternoon tea, with sandwiches, cakes and other goodies a-plenty, lovingly prepared by our catering dream-team!

Entertaining those present was renowned local magician and entertainer Kevin Burke, who amazed those present with his sleight of hand, and the Ukelele Band, playing many of their favourite tunes. We were delighted that Swanage Town Mayor Tina Foster was also able to join us and cut the cake celebrating the 118th birthday of the Rotary movement.

Town Crier Andrew Fleming was on hand to ensure that everyone knew what was happening.

Generous donations amounting to over £320 were collected from the attendees, which will go towards local good causes supported by Rotary.

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Swanage Community Once Again Rises to the Challenge

One of the younger members of our community donating!

We have all seen the horrific pictures of the aftermath of the earthquakes in Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and Syria, and many people are desperately trying to find ways in which they can help.

Last weekend (Friday 10th and Saturday 11th February) members of Swanage & Purbeck Rotary were out in Swanage Town Centre collecting funds to pass on to ShelterBox, who are experts in providing shelter and equipment to those affected by natural disasters.

And once again our local community rose to the challenge, donating in their droves, with many putting £10 and £20 notes in the collecting buckets.

Every penny counts, of course, and all donations, however much people were able to give, were gratefully received. We are delighted to advise that we will be making a donation of £5,500 to ShelterBox as a result of the collection.

From all of us in Swanage & Purbeck Rotary, we would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who donated. Every penny raised will go towards helping those in desperate need in the affected areas.

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Musical Youth!

Swanage and Purbeck Rotary held its annual local heat of the Rotary Young Musician competition on Sunday 5th February and we were once again overwhelmed by the depth and range of talent on display.

Performers playing and blowing instruments and singing demonstrated their prowess at Swanage Methodist Church with an enthusiastic audience of family and friends enjoying every minute.

President Chris LeFevre was on hand to present certificates to all participants and the awards for the winners, who will proceed to the District Final at Canford School in Wimborne on Sunday 19th February.

We would like to extend our grateful thanks to St Mary’s Junior Choristers and the Purbeck Youth Choir for performing during the interlude.

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The winners were as follows:

KS2 – 1st Place: Guiliana Forte; 2nd Place: Indiana Sanders-Wishart; 3rd Place: Hannah Kent; Highly Commended: Lily Fawcett

KS3 to 5 – 1st Place: Martha Harwood; 2nd Place: Nicholas Aiko Dando; 3rd Place: Abbie Yew; Highly Commended: Rosie Kent & Suzanne Lejeune

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Merry Christmas!

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Santa is Happy!

Well, the Big Day is almost upon us and we hope that everyone has done everything that they need to do to prepare for it.

We’d just like to say, whether you bought something from our Pop-Up Charity Shop, posted your cards with our Charity Mail service, took part in or attended the Christmas Market or came out to see Santa and his Elves when the Rotary sleigh toured our area, that we are so grateful for the incredible generosity of our lovely community once again.

Especially this year, with finances being so stretched, with your help we have raised thousands of pounds which will go towards supporting local worthy causes and important projects further afield.

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we are all looking forward to what we hope will be a much better 2023.

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A Big Thank You to Humphries Kirk!

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President Chris Le Fevre receiving the cheque from Mari Wilson of Humphries Kirk

Among the many stalls at the Rotary Summer Fête and Craft Fair, held on Sandpit Field on Thursday August 11th, was a popular tombola stand set up and run by local solicitors Humphries Kirk.

The money raised was recently presented to Swanage & Purbeck Rotary and we were delighted to receive a cheque for over £220!

Rotary President Chris Le Fevre said “We are hugely grateful to Humphries Kirk for their very generous donation which will go towards local projects. Humphries Kirk have been a long-standing and valued Rotary Business Partner and their continuing support is much appreciated.”

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Music to Our Ears

We were delighted to resume after our summer break with a talk from Tim Arnold.

Tim has been involved for many years in the promotion of music for younger people in the Purbeck area and especially in local schools. Seeing the problems specific to our area in terms of a shortage of both teaching resources and instruments, Tim, together with representatives ‍of ‍Purbeck ‍Art ‍Weeks, ‍Swanage ‍& ‍Purbeck ‍Rotary, ‍the ‍Purbeck ‍Instrument ‍Loan ‍Scheme ‍and ‍other ‍educational ‍organisations, has set up Purbeck Youth Music in order to try and help and encourage young people in our area to take up music.

And early results are very encouraging. To date there has been a healthy take up by youngsters interested in leaning brass instruments which has resulted in a series of brass beginner groups. There are now plans for similar presentations for strings and woodwind to schools across the Purbeck area throughout the autumn.

Tim’s passion is very apparent and it is hoped that this initiative will help to stop the decline in young people taking up music in our area and identify hidden talent that can be nurtured in the years ahead.

Anyone interested in learning more about PYM and how they may be able to help should go to their website for more information.

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“Rotary In Action” Helping the Pakistan Floods

We’ve all been hearing on the news about the devastating floods that have hit Pakistan in recent days.

And this is where Rotary comes into its own.

Through its partnership with ShelterBox (who provide boxes similar to those shown in the picture which can provide temporary shelter and support for up to 10 people) aid can be provided extremely quickly to areas that desperately need it. ShelterBox works with Rotary clubs local to the area where the help is needed to deploy these boxes.

And thanks to the support that we have received from the Swanage and Purbeck community through events such as our Christmas activities and the recent Summer Fête, Swanage and Purbeck Rotary CIO (the fundraising arm of Swanage and Purbeck Rotary) have been able to fund three ShelterBoxes for urgent deployment to the devastated area.

Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for enabling us to be able to demonstrate Rotary In Action.