Rotary Club of Gloucester

Much has been accomplished.
* On the fellowship/social front, the great support and response Joy and I had to our Music Hall incoming party, and the Chavenage visit, which was its usual success;
* On the projects front, the work put in on the provision of Shelter/Aqua boxes and on our projects in Ecuador and Kenya, and also youth projects such as holidays for disadvantaged youngsters, promotion of innovation in design, and cricket;
* On the practical front, there has been continuing great work on club communications, the updating of our archive, finding speakers of interest, not to mention the sudden move to a new venue and the efforts of House Committee in settling us smoothly into our new, albeit temporary, home.

I am truly grateful for the work of members towards these and other ends, and appreciate the support I have received

Much planning is in progress for upcoming events. Some of these will have happened by Christmas: a lot of our community effort for the year, both locally and internationally, rests on the success of our Christmas collections.

We have already raised £2,000 for my charity of the year, the Acorns Children's Hospice, and we are also hoping to raise substantially more with the Cotswold Savoyards concert next month.

The Easter Party and Kids Out will provide rare pleasure to the elderly and disadvantaged youth of our community respectively. Fun and fellowship will be enjoyed at dinners, theatre trips and social and sporting occasions.

Joy and I wish all members and their families a restful and happy Christmas and a year ahead of health, prosperity and peace. Let us all hope and pray that peoples around the world be spared the suffering of disasters that seem to be increasing in frequency and severity.
?? In lieu of sending cards to members, Joy and I propose to send a donation to the treasurer for the club's charitable account.

FOR many local families struggling with the round-the-clock demands of a life-limited child, Acorns' new children's hospice is, quite simply, 'a lifeline.' After six years of planning and building, the charity opened the 10-bed purpose-built facility in March this year.

Since then, a number of Gloucestershire families have either visited or stayed at the hospice, which is only a 30-minute drive from Gloucester on the south side of Worcester.

Although these families' needs are different, they all say the same thing - that Acorns' new hospice is just what they have been waiting for.

Fourteen-year-old Craig Morris, from Gloucester, is a regular visitor to the new hospice. Craig, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (a progressive condition that gradually weakens the muscles in the body) used to stay at one of Acorns' other children's hospices in Birmingham.

He now visits Acorns in Worcester for respite care and has already made lots of friends with the nurses and other young people who use the adolescent's facility at the hospice. This gives teenagers like Craig more privacy and space away from the younger children.

Craig said: "I really enjoy swimming in the pool. I also like playing computer games and having wheelchair races in the corridors when I go to stay!"

Craig's parents Lorna and Roy Morris think that Acorns is a positive experience for their son. "Craig's confidence is growing through doing new things and meeting new people. It's helping him become more independent," says Roy.

Acorns' personal approach is something Lorna appreciates. "We know Craig is in good hands and will be well looked after when he stays. Staff have really taken time to get to know him. It's the little things that makes Acorns so special."

The family is also supported by an Acorns' community worker, Joy Davies, who works specifically with Gloucestershire families.

Lorna adds: "It's good to talk to someone about the practical things that will make Craig's life easier. Joy is like a friend. She will always try to help us or put us in touch with someone who can."

The new hospice also means that Craig's sisters, Kirsten and Kimberly can join in the many activities Acorns organises for siblings.

The Hughes' from Kingsholm are another local family to benefit from the hospice.. Bob and Jayne stayed there during the first week it opened with their 10-year-old son, Jake, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy and has no speech or mobility.

"We can leave Jake in the hands of skilled and caring staff and also enjoy some quality time with him away from home. He particularly enjoys the multi-sensory room, with its sound effects and bright colours," says Jayne.

"Respite care is vital for families with a life-limited child, "says Bob. "It gives us chance to recharge our batteries. We can also spend some quality time together as a couple and with our eight-year-old daughter Alice which is really important."

The hospice provides respite, emergency and terminal care across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. A community team at the hospice, also works with local families, offers 24-hour emotional and practical support as well as special support for siblings and bereavement counselling.

There can be no doubt the new hospice is making a big difference to local children's lives, but as head nurse Angela Mercer explains: "With less than 10% of our funding coming from statutory sources and the hospice costing 00 a day to run, we rely on the continued support of local people, groups and businesses to ensure we can keep the hospice up-and-running.

"We are delighted that Gloucester Rotary Club's President has chosen Acorns as his charity for this year. It's just the kind of support and commitment we need. On behalf of Acorns' children and families, thank you."

ACORNS FACTFILE
* There is no charge to families who use Acorns' services.

* Acorns Worcester is the charity's third hospice.

*60% of the children using Acorns hospices are aged 11 years or above. One of its children will die each week.

* Acorns is committed to working with families regardless of culture, race, religion, beliefs or individual circumstances.

* Acorns relies on public donations for 91% of its funding.

* It currently costs 00 a day to run one of Acorns hospices.

* If you would like to find out more about Acorns visit www.acorns.org.uk

The smiling lad in the middle of this picture is 14 year old Craig Morris with his sisters Kirsten and Kimberly. Their picture was taken at the Acorns Children's Hospice at Worcester which is President Howard's chosen charity for this year.

Craig has a progressive condition which gradually weakens muscles in the body and is a regular visitor to the hospice for vital respite care. He and his family live in Gloucester and to them - like other local families with life-limited children - the charity is a lifeline.

Thanks to Rotary, the proceeds of a sportsmen's dinner (nearly 00) have already gone to the charity and money raised at last Sunday's Salvation Army concert has also been earmarked for the hospice.

Howard's also hoping that some of the money raised by the club's Christmas supermarket and street collections will also find their way there.

However, the big event Howard has organised for Acorns is a concert by the Cotswold Savoyards at Dean Close School, Cheltenham on Saturday, January 28.

The music will be a wide ranging and though much of it will be Gilbert and Sullivan there will also be items from composers as diverse as Verdi and Gershwin.

The price per ticket is 0......a small price to pay for helping such a vital charity. Howard's hoping for a big turn out. Let's make ensure we help Howard help the hospice.

THE challenges facing the Church in a society which is becoming less Christian was the subject of a thought provoking talk to club members by the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev. Michael Perham.

A former active Rotarian when he was Dean of Derby and now a Friend of the Rotary Club of Gloucester, the Bishop spoke with passion and conviction on the ways in which the church could move forward.

In a wide ranging address he said that the church should build confident Christians, willing to articulate their beliefs. The church should also be willing to meet people and worship at times and in places other than churches and on a Sunday.

The Bishop stressed the need for more people to be ordained and said he still hoped to have a priest as a spiritual leader in every village even if he or she was not paid.

A continuing part of the church's mission was to be represented in deprived areas. Far from pulling out, Bishop Michael spoke of the need to put resources into such areas.

Although churches would, inevitably continue as places of worship, he wanted the buildings opened up to more community activities even if this meant disposing of rows and rows of 19th century pews.

He also spoke of the need to reach out to the young through schools, education and youth workers and to encourage young people to worship in their own way.

The Bishop stressed that the church should have a 24x7 mission but within this mandate he hoped that Sunday would continue to be regarded as something special.

Among the other problems facing the church was a hostile national media, disunity in the church and between denominations and passionless preaching.

Yet he was confident that things could change and that was the reason he had accepted the call to come to Gloucester 18 months ago.

Bishop Michael was introduced and thanked by the President Howard Johnson.

INSTEAD of presents for her 60th birthday disabled Gloucester woman Cathy Ford has provided enough money to fit 16 limbless people in the Third World with new legs.
It was a cause close to Cathy's heart since she has a congenital disease which has meant that both her hands and feet are deformed.

Cathy who now lives at St Mary's Close near Gloucester Cathedral has had specialist treatment for arthrogryposis all her life and has had to wear special shoes to maintain her mobility.

When she approached her big 60 she decided to support the work of Rotary's Jaipur Limp Project which she heard of the project at the Gloucester Natural Therapies Clinic at Kingsholm where she goes for treatment. Instead of presents her scores of friends were invited to give money instead

As the project's name suggests. it was started in India where there are now 14 centres providing amputees with new limbs.

Of these Jaipur is the largest of its kind in the world, with thousands receiving help every year. Over 80% of the patients treated are victims of road and railway accidents. Only a few are incapacitated through disease. The centre also provides crutches, where necessary.

At a meeting last month Cathy presented a cheque for £400 to David Seed who is the project's national chairman. It's not the first time Cathy has helped Rotary. She has also filled an aquabox, gathered books and collected bags of used clothing for another Rotary appeal.
Although she's now retired Cathy continues to care for those less fortunate particularly in the Third World through regular contributions to Oxfam, Save the Children, Children of the Andes and Age Concern's outreach work abroad with cataract operations.,

To show its gratitude to a remarkable lady the club will be presenting Cathy with a Certificate of Appreciation.

A beautifully illustrated talk on his trek in the Himalayas captivated members when Geoff Ramshaw (pictured on the left) a friend of President Howard's, paid a lunchtime visit.
His trek in Nepal encompassed a range of different landscapes from the tropical to a point well above the snow line.

Starting from the capital Katmandu the 13 trekkers with a support team of 23 took in the lush scenery of a national park with magnolias and rhododendrons before making their way via plank bridges and isolated wood powered and prayer flagged villages to the Everest base camp and to an eventual high point of 5,360 metres.

Everywhere the trekkers were greeted with awe inspiring sights of flora and fauna, tea houses, yaks and Tibetan snow cocks, mountain torrents, snow and boulder strewn landscapes, precipitous passes and glaciers.

It was certainly a trek to remember for both Geoff and - thanks to his presentation - for us as well.

DURING our club's scatter week at the beginning of last month Roy Lewis visited Stroud Rotary Club. Living locally, he had seen in the local press reports of their imaginative Trafalgar anniversary meeting, when their members all attended in naval dress.

Congratulating them on the success of that meeting, he addressed President Jim as Admiral, which greatly amused the meeting.

Then, referring to the Stroud club's successful annual fundraising Fireworks display, Roy confessed that from his grand perch at home high up at Whiteshill, he has a magnificent free view of the display, and proceeded to show his gratitude by presenting the club with a cheque for £25 for their funds.

Congratulations and thanks to Roy for making the effort to take our scatter meeting seriously and for showing the true spirit of Rotary in the process. Not that we expected anything else from our oldest and most vibrant member

Although Dominic is a Cheltonian most of the other members of the group live in or near Gloucester.

Members were told that the group's three week visit would be centred on Tuvalu which is about 1,000 miles of Fiji. It has a population of only 10,000, a land mass of 26km and its highest point is only 4.1metres above sea level. It has only three shops and only 200 visitors a year.

While there the group, aged between 15 - 25, will learn a number of basic survival skills as well as coming to grips with a vastly different culture and way of life.

Which will no doubt be echoed in 2007 when a group of young people from the islands take the 20 hour flight via Australia to spend time on an exchange here in Gloucestershire