Dunstable Rotary Club recently completed a large project to refurbish a school pond with the help of a District Grant. 

Lancot School in the Bedfordshire town uses the area to teach over 400 youngsters from four to 11-years-old about life cycles and growing foodstuffs.

The area had fallen into disrepair and needed a complete renovation.

Using some Rotary magic, the Dunstable Rotarians turned a few hundred pounds into a multi thousand-pound project, which saw a completely new environmental area with raised planters and a brand new pond.

The Head of Nursery unit, Sam McCook, said the children really enjoyed seeing frogspawn turn into tadpoles and then frogs, and are benefiting from the generous gift that Rotary has given them. “It’s really making a difference,” she said.

Soldiers from the nearby Ministry of Defence base at Lyneham in Wiltshire answered a call from Rotary clubs in Royal Wootton Bassett to repair their aged Santa sleigh.

The sleigh, used by Royal Wootton Bassett & District and Royal Wootton Bassett Town Rotary clubs, has been in service for many years to fund-raise for local charities.

However, before the recent festive run-out, the sleigh required a major renovation. So, Linda Locke, President of Royal Wootton Bassett & District Rotary Club, asked Head of Establishment at MOD Lyneham, Colonel Paul Johnson, if some of his soldiers could help Rotarians with the repairs.

Colonel Johnson, a newly-appointed honorary Rotarian, agreed. He enlisted

Major Chris Marsh and Staff Sergeant Robert Hollis to bring the sleigh and sound system to full working order. Rob Hollis did an outstanding job rebuilding the chassis, sound system, lights and safety features, so Santa has many years to continue raising funds for local charities.

The Rotary Club of Beckenham are now aiming to hit £100,000 with their fund-raising for the Poppy Appeal, after announcing recently that it had raised £91,000 from its 2023 appeal.

The Kent club has been involved with poppy collections since 2004. In 2014, it took over the organisation for the Beckenham area, initially with Rotarian Peter Duncan, and five years later the baton was passed to Bill Fairhall.

Bill estimates that in the past 20 years Rotary Beckenham has collected about £500,000 for the Royal British Legion. What began as raising £3,700 in the Elmers End district in 2004 has grown. The club now collects around Beckenham, Bromley and Chislehurst, supported by Rotary clubs in Bromley, Langley Park and Chislehurst.

Though the appeal takes over a two-week period up to November 11, organisation takes three months. Approximately 100 volunteers are recruited, half of whom are Rotarians, with donation cans and poppy trays delivered to 470 collection points.