Today has been really hectic. Gail and I have accompanied the RIBI President, John Minhinick and his wife Sheila on the first full day of their visits across the District. We started off at 10.15am at Hayward House Hospice, situated within the grounds of Nottingham City Hospit. The Rotary Club of Bulwell and Basford have for some time now been maintaining the garden for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.
It is a wonderfully peaceful spot and the management are really grateful for the work done by Rotarians. This gratitude was admirably expressed by Dr Bisharat El Khoury, the consultant for the hospice who attended the ceremony.
President David Smith was present with a number of Rotarians whilst RIBI President John planted a tree in memory of a past resident at the hospice, Bill Oliver. Members of Bill's family were present for the ceremony. The local press was also present.
After the tree planting ceremony was completed, we travelled over to the Westminster Hotel, where Rts. David Pedlar, Noel Harrison and Mike Lucas gave a presentation on the District Business Initiative. A number of members of Bulwell and Basford came along to hear what the project was all about.
President John listened with great interest to the presentation and asked a number of questions afterwards. I am sure he will be going back to RIBI with some interesting reports about what 1220 is doing to address the membership issue.
A very tasty, informal lunch with President David and members of Bulwell and Basford followed the presentation and many thanks for their generosity
The afternoon saw us getting a tram into the city where we went to the premises of Base51, a charity aimed at homeless young people in Nottingham, but one that provides, much, much more than just basic help to the homeless. Rtn Damian Chapman took a delight in showing us their new premises. These provide many opportunities for Nottingham's young people with a gym, a dance studio, recording studio, cafe area, quiet rooms, safe outdoor area and many more features.
Whilst we were there the President of the Rotary Club of Sherwood Sunrisers presented BASE51 with a cheque for £500 to help with their work. He also handed over a dozen food parcels, one of the basic ways in which Base51 make initial contact with the city's young homeless. Damian thanked the club and stressed how important their continued support was.
In the evening President John and Sheila were guests at a joint meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Belper & Duffield and Amber Valley. President Graham Wright (B& D) chaired the meeting, which was also attended by rotarians from Amber Valley, Ripley, Alfreton and Hucknall. After a tasty meal of either sea bass or chicken President John Addressed the meeting, concentrating his speech on the issue of falling membership which is a top priority for Clubs and Districts throughout RIBI. John presented Graham with a "Peace through Service" bannerette as a souvenir of his visit.
PP David Harris gave the vote of thanks.
Hope you manage to get a well-deserved rest soon. I enjoyed tonight immensely and I guess RIBI John's visit has been a real highlight for you (although hectic)
ReplyDeleteIt's been very tiring, but most enjoyable. Thanks for your comments.
Delete