Rotary Club of Maidenhead Thames

Many of our family will be singing carols at Sainsbury's in Maidenhead in the days leading up to Christmas, with the help of Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band.

Please come and support us!

We have been lucky enough to secure Santa and his helpers to visit Maidenhead over the Christmas period.

Come and visit him in the Nicholsons Shopping Centre on the dates below.

This December, Ascot Brass is presenting our annual Christmas Concert with Taplow Choirs supporting the work of Rotary Club of Maidenhead Thames. The concert will feature a selection of festive favourites from both the band and the choirs and will raise much-needed funds for local charities, Thames Hospice and Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service.

Our Christmas Concert is one of our most popular events of the year and is expected to be a sell-out, so don't delay in reserving your tickets online at:

ascotbrasstickets.org.uk

Dear Rotarians, Partners & Honoured Guests

We are short of volunteer Readers at Maidenhead Schools. 10 Schools have requested Readers to spend an hour a week term times listening to children reading.

As you no doubt are aware, reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success, more than the school they go to, more than parents’ educational background or their income.

You no doubt also appreciate that the problems engendered by poor reading permeate all areas of one's life, affecting mental health and children’s futures. Research has shown that children who are the most engaged with literacy are three times more likely to have higher levels of mental well-being than children who are the least engaged. The stigma, frustration and anxiety associated with poor reading can be hard to lose.

Besides, around 10% of Primary-age children nationally have been reported to have fallen behind in their reading skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you know anyone who is likely to be interested in volunteering as Reader, please ask them. I have attached guidance notes for their information and follow-up.
Thank you.

The Rotary Club Cookham Bridge, Rotary Club of Maidenhead Thames and Marlow Thames Rotary this week confirm the final arrangements for the Rotary Cookham Regatta. The event will take place on Saturday 2 September - the first race starts at 10.00am and the event closes at 5.30pm.

Keith Miller, Regatta Committee Chairman comments: “This is a great annual fun event for families, friends and organisations alike. And we in turn provide funds for - and raise awareness about - charities both at home and overseas.”

The lead charity this year will be the One Can Trust – providing support to local families struggling to feed themselves in these difficult times. More information on the charity can be found on:

www.onecantrust.org.uk

A wide range of other mainly local charities will also benefit.

Keith went on to say: “Throughout the day there will be a variety of races on the river and all sorts of teams will have a go at competing in dragon boats. The deadline for race entries is looming and we encourage teams to go to the website and register as soon as is possible.” He added: “Team entries will be accepted on a first come basis - so check out the options on the website and get your entry in as soon as you can”.

Interested organisations and teams will find full details on:

www.cookhamregatta.org.uk

In addition to the river competitions there will be a wide range of land-based activities – appealing to all ages. These will include various attractions just for kids, fair rides, classic car display, fun dog show, charity stalls, a range of children’s activities, a silent auction, brass band, a good selection of food stalls and much, much more. Keith also recommends bringing your dog along and entering it into the various show categories. You never know - Pooch might just win and earn the family a very modest prize!
A brass band will also entertain as attendees enjoy a variety of interesting food stalls, a tea tent, bar and Pimms tent. All available throughout the day. But if you want to bag a riverside spot - you need to get there early!

The organisers are delighted with the support received from local organisations, and yet again the Shanly Foundation has taken on the role of lead sponsor. Their generosity has allowed the event planning to proceed without risk, and will eventually benefit many smaller charitable organisations.

Families can benefit from a family ticket (just £12 for 2 adults and 2 children). Otherwise adult entry is £6 and child entry £2.

Full details can be found on www.cookhamregatta.org.uk

At our Club Meeting last night (Monday 21 August) at Fredrick's Hotel we enjoyed a two-course meal of roast chicken and sticky toffee pudding and ice cream. There was lots of conversation and laughter, as usual!

Barnaby Briggs, Executive Chair of The Climate Partnership spoke to us about the work of this marvellous Community Interest Company, and about various projects being run and planned for the future.

This included supporting MaidEnergy Coop's large scale solar project at Furze Platt Senior School, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)'s Engaging with Nature project, and SaveEnergy, who aim to deliver a fair approach to decarbonising homes.

If you would like to join us for a future meeting and come along and see what's happening - all are welcome at Rotary! All you need to do is message us.

Our next Club Meeting is on Monday 7 August 2023 at 7:30pm-9:30pm at Fredrick's Hotel.

Following our usual two-course meal, Amy Lovell from GoodGym Windsor and Maidenhead will be speaking to us. GoodGym are a group of local residents who run, walk or cycle to help out community projects and older people in Windsor and Maidenhead. She promises to be very entertaining!

If you would like to join us for a future meeting and come along and see what's happening - all are welcome at Rotary! All you need to do is message us.

Our next Club Meeting is on Monday 17 July 2023 at 7:30pm-9:30pm at Fredrick's Hotel.

Following a delightful two-course meal, Gillian Pearce will be speaking to us about the Rotary Voluntary Health Training Support programme in Uganda.

Come along and see what's happening - all are welcome at Rotary! All you need to do is message us before 12 noon on Thursday 13 July to reserve your meal.

We had a delightful evening filled with sumptuous food and pleasant and friendly company as they celebrated President’s Night and the official handover of leadership for the club year.

The evening took place at Maidenhead Golf Club in Shoppenhangers Road, during the President’s Night on Friday 30 June.

The event marked the handover from outgoing President Grant Oliver to incoming President Mark Loader.

Grant Oliver, who served as President for 12 months, reflected on the challenge of coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and focused on the impact of the club’s activities, including the successful Santa’s Grotto in the Nicholsons Centre, the Christmas concert with Ascot Brass and Taplow Youth Choir at St. Mary’s Church, supporting meals for asylum seekers in the town, the Mathemagical schools competition, the return of the Annual Quiz Evening, and helping to marshal at the Royal Windsor Endurance Fundraiser.

Mark, who assumed responsibility as President on 1 July, outlined the busy schedule of events and activities that Maidenhead Thames Rotary will organise or support, as well as the causes they aim to champion in the next twelve months.

Photos: Lucy Badham Photography www.lucybadham.co.uk

We are People of Action.

We are rooted within our community of Maidenhead, but with a global outlook.

Our members volunteer their time and talents to tackle challenges at home and abroad in our cause areas:

- Promoting Peace
- Fighting Disease
- Providing Clean Water
- Supporting Education
- Saving Mothers and Children
- Growing Local Economies
- Supporting the Environment

We are People of Action, ready to turn our ideas and vision into lasting change, by creating opportunities, supporting those who need it most and transforming their lives.

Where others see problems, we see solutions: tapping into our professional skills, expertise and knowledge to make a difference. People of Action use their time, energy and passion to mobilise their communities to get the job done.

There are so many projects and activities for you to get involved in as part of Rotary. Our impact starts with you.

If you would like to join Rotary, please message us for details.

Our next Club Meeting is on Monday 19 June 2023 at 7:30pm-9:30pm at Fredrick's Hotel.

Following a delicious two-course meal, Rotarian Fred McCrindle will be speaking about the LaunchReading Initiative that helps new businesses in Reading by offering free access to community support to help them get started, so that we can think about similar initiatives in our town of Maidenhead.

Come along and see what's happening - all are welcome at Rotary! All you need to do is message us before 12 noon on Thursday 15 June to reserve your meal.

http://ukraine.thamesvalleyrotary.info

Generators for Ukraine We are delivering Generators to Hospitals in Ukraine