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Cheques' Presentation Evening - March 2022

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A very enjoyable event on the evening of 8th March 2022 when he handed out cheques to some of the beneficiaries of our Christmas Float collections. Recipient charities included Willen Hospice, Talent Unlimited MK, Wolverton Inner Wheel Club, Medical Detection Dogs and Wolverton/Hodge Lea & Stacey Bushes Jubilee Parties Funds. A huge thank you to all who helped with the collections and the public for giving so generously.

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Remembered

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We remember those who passed away during the year of 2021.

Norman Cosford, an honorary and founding club member who died in October at the age of 101. Norman, of Chard in Somerset, always looked back with fondness at his time as a member of our Club.

Marshall Pobjoy PHF, an honorary member of the Club passed away on 26th August. A lovely gentleman, Marshall moved to our area to be near his son Gareth and family and subsequently joined us as a club member having previously spent many years with Melton Mowbray Rotary Club.

John Waters, a friend of Rotary and past member and Vice-President of the Club, passed away on 7th July following a short illness. John will be particularly remembered for his friendly manner, sunny disposition and sense of humour. Organiser of our 'club away' weekends we will always think of his humouress one liners!

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And those who passed away during 2020

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Alan Harradine, an honorary and past member & Club President, died on 26th December after a period of ill health. Alan, a very dedicated, inspirational and hard-working member of the Club for over 20 years, will be particularly remembered for instigating and organising the Rotary Technology Tournament which has inspired many hundreds of young aspiring engineers of the future. 

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Colin Richardson passed away in March. Colin was a very good friend to Rotary and supported many of our social and charity events.

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MK Cancer Unit Appeal receives Boost

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The Rotary Club of Wolverton & Stony Stratford has been very pleased to support the Milton Keynes Hospital Cancer Unit Appeal. The new cancer centre, which opened in March 2020, is a dedicated space offering treatment and a wide range of information and support services to anyone affected by cancer, all within a comfortable and welcoming environment. The new centre brings together most treatments under one roof, where previously cancer care was provided in different locations on the hospital site.

At a club meeting on 3rd March 2020 a cheque for £350 was handed over by President Marcus Rixon to Jenny Howells, Senior Fundraiser for the hospital charity. This will be followed by a further £650, funded out of our Christmas collections at Sainsbury’s in Milton Keynes, but a handover date has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. And finally, Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club will join with three other local Rotary Clubs (Bletchley, Milton Keynes Grand Union and Woburn Sands & District) to hand over £2,000 later in the year.

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Update: We have made a further two donations to the Cancer Unit Appeal, £650 from our Santa's Float collections last December at Sainsbury's, and £500 for our share of the MK Rotary Clubs' Joint Donation of £2,000. 

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Stony Lights Fayre Sat 30th November 2019

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Another fantastic day on our mulled wine stall at the Stony Lights Fayre dispensing warming mulled wine, shots of brandy and delicious mince pies and reindeer biscuits. Thank you to Alan Swann for organising everything, to all our helpers on the day, to MacIntyre Care for supplying all the very tasty mince pies & biscuits, and to the general public for their wonderful support. We achieved a record profit of over £1500, which will go towards all our very deserving community causes including Willen Hospice and the MK Hospital Cancer Unit Appeal.

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Team Rotary

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It might have been wet, it might have been windy, but that did not stop our team turn out to do a litter pick in Wolverton on Saturday 8th June 2019. Our club joined many other Rotary clubs throughout Great Britain and Ireland on 'Rotary Pick Up Plastic Day'. We collected twenty bags of rubbish and with perfect timing Milton Keynes Council's contractor, Serco, turned up at the end of our stint to collect the spoils. Many thanks to Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council which loaned the 'pickers', MK Council and Serco, and last but not least Rotarian Stuart who organised the whole thing and of course our team of willing volunteers.

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Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary has raised £15,800 for its 2018/19 Charity of the Year, MacIntyre Care

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We were delighted to have exceeded our fundraising target when we presented two cheques totalling £15,800, for the renovation of the coffee shop in Stony Stratford which went ahead in February2019. Thanks also to MacIntyre's own efforts the project developed over the year to include a refurbishment of the whole shop. "None of this could have happened without the generous support of club members as well as those who made donations throughout the year", commented project leader Rotarian Jim Barnes.

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At a special cheque presentation evening Club President Alan Swann said that the club had organised numerous fund raising events over the past year, and thanked everyone who had been involved for their hard work and support. He added that fundraisers had included the Christmas carol concert, Santa collections, a restaurant dinner, games evenings, a stall at the Stony Lights fayre, the annual golf day, a 'loop-the-loop' in a glider challenge, race night and a cake & samosas sale at Santander, Shenley Wood.

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Claire Kennedy, Head of Fundraising at MacIntyre, said, "We have Cloved working alongside the Club to raise these funds; it has been a real partnership and we recognise just how lucky we were to be chosen and to have been able to draw on the particular skills of club members, with a special mention for Jim Barnes, project leader. MacIntyre's coffee shops at Stony Stratford and Great Holm offer work and learning opportunities for adults with learning disabilities as well as fabulous fresh food at competitive prices. The Stony Stratford Coffee Shop has been long overdue a refit and we are delighted that this work can now take place".

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Meal at Royal Thai Restaurant - April 2019

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Thank you to everyone who supported our recent Thai fundraising to raise funds to go towards our trip to the zoo in June for disadvantaged youngsters. And thank you to Jane Lynds who organised the event which raised a profit of £350.

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Week-end away - October 2018

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Thank you to John and Ann Waters for organising a very enjoyable 'club week-end away' break at the Alvaston Hall Hotel in Nantwich, Cheshire. Plenty of good food, lively entertainment and congenial company.

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Santa's tours December 2019

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Santa and his helpers from Wolverton and Stony Stratford Rotary Club collected over 5 days at Sainsbury's, Central Milton Keynes and six evenings of tours around Wolverton, Greenleys, New Bradwell and Stony Stratford.

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Thank you to Jane Lynds for organising our evening tours of Wolverton, Greenleys, New Bradwell and Stony Stratford and Alan Swann for arranging the five days of collections at Sainsbury's. Thank you to club members/family/friends who collected and of course the general public for giving so generously. Also, thank you to Sainsbury's for allowing us to collect at its store. Santa attended all the collections and would like to say his own big thank you to all the children who came to see him, especially those who gave him letters; he found them very useful. The total raised came to over £4,200 which has now been distributed to several charities and local community organisations including Willen Hospice and the MK Hospital Cancer Centre Appeal.

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This year our evening tours were done a bit differently largely because of the very congested nature of most of our streets; we did not want Santa to cause a traffic jam! We parked up in different spots and we hope you and your young ones were able to see Santa. Below is a list of where we visited and we will review the experience of the new arrangements and consider whether to make any further changes for next Christmas.

Wolverton Monday 2nd Dec. - Agora 6.00pm, Radcliffe school carpark 6.45pm and the Galleon pub 7.30pm

Greenley's shops Thursday 5th Dec. - 7.30pm

New Bradwell near clock tower Thursday 5th Dec. - 6pm

Oakridge shops Thursday 5th Dec. - 6.45pm

Stony Stratford Friday 6th Dec. - Budgens 6.00pm, Market Square 6.40pm, High St (from St Mary & St Giles Church  to top of town) 7.15pm

Old Stratford Wed. 11th Dec. – Deanshanger Rd opposite Willow drive 6.00pm, front of Blackhorse Drive 6.45pm

Potterspury Wed. 11th Dec. – Village Hall 7.30pm

Fairfields Thurs 12th Dec. - Primary School 6.00pm

Stony Stratford Friday 13th  Dec. Mobile route around southern Stony Stratford 6.00pm – 8.00pm

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We scoop District Community Trophy

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At last weekend's district conference in Kenilworth (21st-23rd June 2019) our club was presented with the district 1260 community service cup. Pictured is Club President Alan Swann being presented with the trophy by District Governor Dave Ford for our local community work over the last 12 months. Our recent litter pick on a very wet Saturday, the MacIntyre coffee shop project, the Santa collections for local charities, the donation to the MK Cancer Unit Appeal, our use of social media and the web site plus our support of conference, were all mentioned as contributory factors to the award.

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New Club President

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Alan Swann was elected as the new President of Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club, for the year commencing 1st July 2018, having taken over the role from Tom Green.

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In thanking Tom for his leadership over the past year, Alan said how much he was looking forward to his year as President. "We are already working on several new projects to support our local community, most notably to raise £14,000 to fund a new kitchen for the MacIntyre Care coffee shop in Stony Stratford, and a number of international humanitarian good causes". President Alan's two main aims for his year are to grow the membership of the Club and increase our presence in the community.

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A warm welcome to our newest members Stuart Clarke, who joined us on 26th June, and John Shambrook, who joined on 14th August 2018.

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Rotary presents new Blood Bike 'Sheila'

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Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club presented on 18th May 2018 a brand new specially equipped Yamaha ‘Blood Bike’ to SERV OBN, the local branch of the national charity Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers, which covers Oxon, Bucks, Berks and Northants. In line with the SERV tradition of naming their bikes after distinguished women in the field of medicine, the Rotary bike bears the name ‘Sheila’, after Sheila Kitzinger MBE, a highly respected authority on natural childbirth.  

SERV volunteers are fully qualified and experienced motor cyclists who are available on a standby rota basis to provide a rapid response transport service to collect and deliver urgent supplies of blood, platelets, baby milk and other important medical items between hospitals and health premises anywhere in the country out of normal hours, often during the night, and totally free of charge to the NHS.

At the handover, Rotary Club President Tom Green commented “This Blood Bike represents the culmination of 15 months of fundraising and we are so grateful for all the public support in helping us achieve our £14,000 target.”

In response, Kamran Irani, the Chairman of SERV OBN said “This bike will be a most valuable addition to our fleet and enable us to continue helping to meet the needs of patients and medical staff requiring urgent supplies. Our sincere thanks go to Rotary for their tremendous efforts in making this possible.”

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Pictured above is Rotary President (2017-18) Tom Green, together with club members, handing over Sheila’s keys to SERV OBN Chairman Kamran Irani, outside the Cock Hotel, Stony Stratford.

Mike Thomas, PR & Communications Officer

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President Tom could not resist having a go on the new bike; "now, can I borrow somebody's crash helmet and I'll take it for a quick spin?"

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Congratulations to Mike Thomas upon receiving a well deserved Paul Harris Fellowship award, for his outstanding service to Rotary and other local charities over 25 years. Pictured is Mike with President Tom after the award ceremony.

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Congratulations Karen

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Congratulations Karen Lower on completing the Great North Run on Sunday 9th September 2018. Karen has now collected all her sponsorship money, to the tune of £420, which will go towards our MacIntyre Coffee Shop kitchen refurbishment project.

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Update: Congratulations Karen on completing the London Marathon on 28th April 2019 achieving a sub 5 hour time. Karen was raising funds for the Headway Trust. And if that was not enough Karen one week competed in the MK Half-Marathon achieving a time of 2:19.45 - well done again Karen.

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Crazy Whist Evening

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A very enjoyable crazy whist evening on 28th September 2018 raised almost £360 for our MacIntyre Coffee Shop fund. A big thank you to Ann Waters, for organising the event, and Ken George for ensuring we all correctly followed the (crazy) rules of play.

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Rotary Technology Tournament - 2018.

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Teams from schools across Milton Keynes competed in the Rotary Technology Tournament on 14th March 2018. The annual event, organised by all the Rotary clubs within Milton Keynes, was held at Denbigh School.

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Teams of four from 25 schools were challenged to design, construct and test a launcher capable of sending a capsule into space. Marks were awarded for teamwork, design, manufacture, documentation & task completion. An enjoyable experience watching the enthusiasm and ingenuity of all the students. Cash prizes and shields were awarded to the winners of the three class categories.

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Foundation - Denbigh

Intermediate - St. Pauls

Advanced - Radcliffe

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The prizes were presented by Peter Kara, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire and Justin Pearce, General Sales Manager of Aston Martin. Congratulations to all contestants and the eventual winners. Thanks go to the event organising committee chaired by our own Alan Harradine, sponsors Aston Martin, Newport Pagnell, and local Rotary Clubs, participants, judges from the O.U., Network Rail & Rotary, and our hosts at Denbigh School.

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Did You see? our sponsored young musician Sarah Ikumu, from the 2016 Rotary Young Musician competition, go all the way to the final of  T.V.'s 'Britain's Got Talent' on Saturday 3rd June 2017. Sarah came seventh out of the 10 finalists and a professional singing career beckons.

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Donation to St. George's Church, Wolverton: In the lead up to Christmas we made a donation of £500 to help with the church's work in supporting the homeless. Reverend Gill Barrow-Jones, Rector, commented "this is extremely kind of our local Rotary club and it will make a big difference to the way in which we can help individuals in need".

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Hurricane Disaster Relief: Following the devastation caused by hurricanes in the Caribbean in 2017 we forwarded in September 2017 a donation of £1,000 to the  disaster relief charity, Shelter Box.

The green boxes are designed to help people who have lost everything and are filled with practical tools and utensils to help with everyday living.

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Bekash Evening

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A profit of over £1100 was raised at our fundraising event at the Bekash Restaurant in Stony Stratford on 31st October 2017, in support of SERV the blood bikes charity and 'Lend with Care'.Thank you to Indra Patel and his organising committee and also to restaurant owner Mr Murkit for his generous support.

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Tour of Printers: Thirty-one members, friends and relatives were treated to a most interesting conducted tour of Buckingham Colour Quest printers on 25th July 2017, followed by a very sociable evening meal at Pregos Italian restaurant. Many thanks to Baz for organising the visit and meal.

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Kids Out Day - 14th June 2017

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Chris and Judith Byard accompanied over 110 children and 90 helpers from Walnuts School on their annual day out to Whipsnade Zoo. It was all part of Rotary Kids Out Day when children throughout Rotary District 1260 get the chance to have fun and exciting experiences in the safe environment of the Zoo. In brilliant sunshine the youngsters enjoyed the huge variety of animals on display (at a safe distance!) plus the exciting train ride and adventure playground. At the end of the day there were a lot of tired but happy youngsters!

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Malcolm Poulter

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It was in March 2017 that Malcolm Poulter passed away and we still all remember him with deep affection. Malcolm was a very likeable, caring, inspirational and hard working member of our club and is still greatly missed. A past Club President he will be particularly remembered for instigating and organising our annual golf days which have raised many thousands of pounds for good causes. Pictured above is Malcolm receiving a Paul Harris Fellowship award in 2017 - an honour he so very much deserved.

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Trip to Ironbridge

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Thank you to John Waters for organising a very enjoyable weekend break to Ironbridge in March 2017. Highlights included visits to the Victorian village at Blist Hill, the Coalport China Museum and the Gorge Museum, plus of course the very comfortable hotel and convivial company. Thank you also for the excellent care extended to us throughout the weekend by Jewels Tours.

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Sainsbury's Vouchers

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Vice President Tom Green's collection of 371 Sainsbury's 'Active Kids' vouchers will soon be put to very good use in purchasing games equipment for Walnuts School. Pictured above is Tom handing over the vouchers to Jo Wates, Head Teacher, to add to the school's own collection. For details of the Active Kids programme visit: http://activekids.sainsburys.co.uk/

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Members' News

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Congratulations to John Moss on receiving the Rotary District 1260 Foundation Cup at the recent district induction dinner. John has worked tirelessly on Rotary Foundation duties throughout the year and most recently secured the provision of defibrillators at key locations throughout the district.

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Marathon Lady: Congratulations to Karen Lower on completing her first London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April 2017. Karen, a keen runner and past competitor in the MK Marathon, achieved a time of 5hrs, 4 minutes. Karen collected sponsorship money in support of Headway, the brain injury charity.

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Welcome to our two new club members, Baz Curryer and Nick Drury, who joined us in March 2017.

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Congratulations to Chris Byard upon receiving a Paul Harris Fellowship award in March 2017 in recognition of all his work for the club over the past 20 years, most recently steering the sensory room project for Walnuts Care.

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Chinese Evening - 28th March 2017

Thank you to everyone who supported our Chinese Meal evening on 28th March 2017. A profit of just over £540 was raised in aid of children's charities. Thank you also to the Kam Tong Garden restaurant for putting on a splendid meal and to our generous sponsors and raffle prize donors.

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Donations were made to several local charities in January 2017, from the proceeds of our Christmas Float collections, most notably Willen Hospice (£1,000), Tools-for-Self Reliance, Wolverton Scouts, Wolverton Moles, Wolverton Inner Wheel, Wolverton-in-Bloom, Stony-in-Bloom and Super-shoes, plus a grant of £500 to the club's sensory room project.

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Grand Autumn Draw - 2016

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Thank you to everybody who bought raffle tickets in our Grand Autumn Draw. The draw generated a profit of over £800 which will go towards the purchase of equipment for a new sensory room, for autistic youngsters, based at Walnuts Care in Galley Hill, Milton Keynes.

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Clay Shoot Contest - 23rd October 2016

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Captain Bob Russell carried off the spoils at our recent clay shoot competition, with an impressive 10 out of 10 score. No doubt his previous army service had a lot to do with this success. A very enjoyable morning's shooting, with thanks to Barry Love for organising the event.

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Thank you: It was best foot forward on our walk along the canal at Cosgrove on 23rd August 2016 followed by a delicious meal at the Barley Mow. Thank you to Ann for organising a splendid evening.

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Golf Day at Farthingstone - October 2015

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Another damp day for our Autumn competition at Farthingstone Golf Club on 15th October (we will have to hold it a little earlier in the year next time!). An enjoyable event rounded off with a lovely meal in the evening and plenty of lively banter. The day raised £200 for community and youth service projects. Thank you to Allan Nall (organiser), Malcolm Poulter, Jim Barnes, the players and all who helped on the day.

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Boost for Little Lives

Pictured above (centre) is Vice-President Marcus Rixon presenting a cheque for £630 to staff at 'Little Lives MK Hospital neo-natal unit'. The money, raised at our Christmas Float collection at Sainsburys' store in MK, will fund much needed state-of-the-art new equipment for the ward. Marcus was acompanied by Club Treasurer Malcolm Poulter (pictured far right).

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Cruise on the Ouse - 31st May 2016

Club members and guests recently enjoyed, in spite of the torrential rain showers, an afternoon cruise on the Great Ouse in Bedford. In true British spirit a good time was had by all, despite the inclement conditions! Thank you to John Moss who organised the trip.

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Movember

Rotarians, Barry, Marcus and Mike, all did their bit for men's health by being allowed to grow their moustaches for Movember raising £169 for Prostate Cancer UK charity.  Well done gents.

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Club learns of Rotary in Action in India

Our club was privileged to receive a visit from Amil Patel, President of the Ahmedabad Sterling Rotary Club, last September.  As one of several Rotary clubs in Ahmedabad (the largest city in Gujarat, northwest India) the Sterling club was formed just two years ago and already has built up a flourishing and enthusiastic membership of 29.

President Amil described how his club had been actively involved in supporting the Co-Curricular Centre at Gokul Ashram Shala, a boarding school for children from 'below poverty level' families.  Amongst the many 'extra curricular' activities currently provided by the club are sports, cooking, physical education, sketching, singing and computer work, with others such as photography, performing arts and capentry planned for the future.  The Sterling club is also justifiably proud of the school's new toilet facilites it has recently funded.  Our club has agreed to support this project, and assist with a Rotary 'matching grant' application..

Rtn Mike Thomas, Club PR Officer

Pictured receiving our club banner from President Jim Barnes is President Amil, together with colleagues Ashvin Patel (left) & Ashok Sheenam (right)

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Air Ambulance Fundraiser - Oct 2013

A charity dinner held last October at the Bekash Restaurant in Stony Stratford raised nearly £600 for the Thames Valley & Chilterns Air Ambulance Trust, known locally as 'BOB' (Bucks, Oxon & Berks).

Club President Jim Barnes said "all guests had a very enjoyable evening and we thank Mr Mukit, owner of the Bekash, for his hospitality in making this donation possible.  'BOB' Air Ambulance is a tremendously important service that relies totally on donations". A ceque was presented to Tony Franklin from 'BOB', who gave a very informative talk on the work of the Trust.  Other funds raised on the evening went will go towards our Indian School project.

Rtn Mike Thomas, Club PR Officer

Bowling for Fun & Prizes

An enjoyable evening was spent Ten Pin bowling in Milton Keynes last October. Participants were awarded prizes for most stylish, funniest, lowest and highest scores.  There was talk of a 'ringer' amongst the players who had turned up complete with own bowling shoes and then won top prize!  Kevin's guide dog thoroughly enjoyed himself barking at the bowls all evening.

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New Man at the Helm for 2013/14

Outgoing President Malcolm (pictured left) handed over the chain of office to incoming President Jim Barnes at a special meeting of the Club on 2nd July. 
 
Malcolm thanked everyone for all their hard work over the past year and said how much he had enjoyed his year in office.  President Jim welcomed in his new team and said he was looking forward to the year ahead, continuing with all our work for local and international good causes.  Bob Russell was inducted as the new Vice-President.

 

Golf Day at Abbey Hill - 6th June 2013

 
A fantastic day with nearly sixty players participating - over £3,200 raised for 'Kids Out', the fun and happiness charity for disadvantaged youngsters.

 

Donation to 'Stony Stratford in Bloom'

 

In June 2013 we donated £100 to 'Stony in Bloom'.  Pictured is the planter at the junction of High Street/Church Street, on which our club name plaque is currently located.

 

 

And our congratulations to SSIB who have just won the Thames & Chilterns Small Town Britain in Bloom award for the fourth year running - and once again with a coveted Gold Award

 

 
Loop-the-loop in a Glider Challenge
 
 
At the third attempt, due to improved weather conditions, the loop- the- loop challenge was held on Saturday 7th July 2012. Six flyers completed two loops each (including Rotarian Chris Byard) before relaxing for a more gentle flight over the Dunstable Downs.  A seventh participant flew on an earlier date.  Chris joins an elite group of club members (John Moss and John Woollett) who have previously undertaken this hair-raising challenge.

The event raised over £3,400 split between the Club and participants’ own charities.  An additional £704 was raised through ‘Gift Aid’ which went towards Rotary International’s ‘End Polio Now’ campaign.

 

Our grateful thanks go to the London Gliding Club, to all participants & their sponsors, to everyone who helped with the arrangements and to Rtn. John Moss who organised the whole event.

 
 
 
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The Group Study Exchange Team from New Zealand pictured with President Malcom and Vice-President Jim after their tour around Milton Keynes Museum
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Cheese & Wine Evening - 5th March 2013
A cheese and wine evening was held at the home of Chris and Judith, with almost 40 members, partners and guests attending.  A profit of over £370 was raised for 'international' good causes. 
 
Thank you to all who supported the event, to Judith and Pat who provided the catering, to Brian Stuart and John Waters who ran the raffle, and to Costco, Milton Keynes, who donated raffle prizes.
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Visit to Aston Martin
What a change from our usual Tuesday evening meeting.  A tour around Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell and its heritage centre, with lots of very expensive cars on show.  And followed up with a delicious meal at Robinsons.
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News 2012-2022

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Marathon Lady

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Rotarian Karen Lower has hit the road again, this time completing two marathon runs in one go!  She completed the Milton Keynes Autumn Marathon on Sunday 2nd October, and on the same day competed (virtually) in the London Marathon.

Karen has undertaken a number of marathons now, all for charity, but on this occasion she dispensed with the sponsors sheet and just competed in Sunday's race for the sheer pleasure of it!!  Well done Karen.

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Citizens Advice MK.

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Pictured above is Citizens Advice Milton Keynes Director Ben Thomas receiving a donation of £200 from President Stuart at our club meeting on 12th July 2022. This important service is particularly needed at present, and many do not realise it is a charity but is one that Rotary is very pleased to support.

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Queen's Jubilee Parties 2022

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The Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club was especially pleased to support some of the local celebrations organised by Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council that took place in June on the occasion of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.  The sum of £1,000 was donated towards a Special Needs Jubilee Party at Stacey Bushes Meeting Place and an Older Persons Tea Party at the Old Bath House Community Centre.  A further £310 was given to Frederick Smith Court in Hodge Lea as a contribution to its residents' Jubilee Party.

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Stony Stratford Christmas Light Fayre 2021

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We were out in force, braving the very chilly wind, on the day of Stony Lights Fayre keeping the public well served with piping hot mulled wine, mince pies and gingerbread reindeer. A big thank you to all for your support and purchases on the day.

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Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary - Balloon Race

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Thank you to all who bought balloons in our VIRTUAL BALLOON RACE for the chance to win cash prizes.

http://www.balloonrace.com/WSSRRotary

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The race started the day of our Open Evening on Tuesday 26th October 2021 when members of the public had the opportunity to see the charities we support locally, nationally and internationally and what fun we have doing so!  The three winners have all been notified and our charity fund has benefitted from a proportion of the monies raised.

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Santa's Tours 17th/18th/21st December 2020

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Santa and Wolverton and Stony Stratford Rotary Club have finished their tours of Stony Stratford, Wolverton and New Bradwell.  Santa and Rotary usually call on each household as they pass, raising money for local good causes including Willen Hospice.  However, this time because of Covid-19 restrictions we did not knock on doors nor collect cash on our Santa Float, but instead we undertook ‘drive pasts’ to give everyone a chance to still see Santa and give him a wave from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Despite the lock-down restrictions we still wanted to spread some festive cheer and to help deserving good causes, because charities like Willen Hospice have suffered a huge drop in their fundraising income this year.

Listed below were the dates, times and routes for our drive-past tours, and hope that the young ones were able to catch sight of Santa.

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Thurs. 17th December 6.00pm start - Stony Stratford

Friday 18th December 6.00pm start - Wolverton

Monday 21st December 6.00pm start - New Bradwell

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The first of July 2021 marks the start of our new Rotary year, with a new President taking up office. 

Pictured (left) is new President Alan Swann receiving the chain of office from retiring Club President Stuart Clarke; congratulations to Alan.  We all look forward to the opportunity of undertaking a full programme of fundraising, helping our local community and supporting international humanitarian good causes as we emerge from the pandemic social distancing regulations.  Oh, and not forgetting the chance to re-start our programme of social events!

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Covid-19 Update

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Despite the restrictions currently in place on people's movements and activities, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are doing our best to continue to serve our local community. Although our club members are unable to meet physically they continue to do so digitally and via online platforms. We have made donations to the following local charities which are working hard during these troubled times:

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'We Are Wolverton', community support group

MK Food Bank

MK Act, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services

Ox, Bucks, Beds & Northants Blood Bikes (SERV)

PACE, children's charity

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Members of the Rotary Club have also clubbed together and made a donation of £500 to MK Hospital Charity's Covid-19 Appeal in appreciation of all the heroic work being done by our local NHS staff. Our grateful thanks to you all.

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New Rotary Year & New President for 2019/20

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The beginning of July marks the start of a new Rotary year, with a new President taking up office. Pictured (left) is retiring President Alan Swann congratulating new President Marcus Rixon, following the handover of the chain of office. In turn, President Marcus was pleased to hand over the Vice-Presidency role to Stuart Clarke. Congratulations to both of them and we look forward to another year's full programme of great fundraising and social events, helping the local community and supporting international humanitarian  good causes.

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Welcome to Two New Members

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Before handing over the Presidency of the Club Alan Swann had the pleasure of welcoming two new members, Andrew Hulme and Rachael Wilson. Both commented that they were looking forward to helping support the local community, and of course having fun.

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It's official, MacIntyre Cafe now Open

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On Thursday 5th September 2019 MacIntyre were delighted to welcome the Milton Keynes Mayor, Sam Crooks, members of Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary and others who have contributed to the refurbishment of MacIntyre's Coffee Shop in Stony Stratford to celebrate the official opening. The refurbishment was completed in late Spring and has been doing a roaring trade since then; please go and visit for a very warm welcome and some delicious food.

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Christmas Carols Service

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We all enjoyed a very traditional Christmas Carols Service at Furtho Manor Farm Church, followed by an evening meal and entertainment, on 11th December 2018. Thank you to David & Diana Sansome, our hosts, and to the Cosgrove Church Choir. Thank you to Rotarian Ann Waters for organising the event in collaboration with Cosgrove Church and to all who attended or helped on the evening. Proceeds from ticket sales and the prize draw raffle raised a profit of £1800, which was split equally between our MacIntyre Café kitchen refurbishment project and the Cosgrove Church repairs appeal.

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Santa's Float Collections December 2018

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Thank you to everyone who donated to our Christmas Float collections; with the generous support of the general public we raised approximately £6,000 which will go towards our appeals for MacIntyre Care, Willen Hospice and other Rotary supported charities. Our mobile tours this year included Wolverton, Stony Stratford, Old Stratford and New Bradwell and were ably helped by Santa's elves & members and friends of Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club. Our static collections included Sainsbury's in CMK (5 days) and Cofferidge Close in Stony Stratford (2 days). Thank you also to Sainsbury's for allowing us to collect at the CMK store.

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Stony Lights Fair - Nov 2018

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We were rushed off our feet dispensing warming mulled wine, shots of brandy and delicious mince pies at our stall at the Stony Stratford Christmas Lights Fayre on 1st December 2018. Thank you to Bernard Garvey and Alan Swann for organising everything, to all our helpers on the day, to MacIntyre Care for supplying some very tasty produce and to the general public for their wonderful support. We achieved a record profit of over £1400, smashing by far previous records, which will go towards our MacIntyre Care Café kitchen refurbishment project.

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Kids Out Day 13th June 2018

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Our group of 100 children from Walnuts School had a splendid time at Whipsnade Zoo; so too did President Tom & Jacky, Chris & Judith and almost 100 helpers from the school. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. The huge range of animals and attractions never ceases to amaze, and we have been taking the children from 'Walnuts' to Whipsnade now for 20 years! Thank you to Alan Tarsey and his team from Dunstable Rotary Club for organising the whole event.

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MK Schools' Young Musician Competition

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The Milton Keynes Secondary Schools' Young Musician of the Year competition took place on 7th February 2018 at Ousedale School. The event, supported by local Rotary clubs, attracted very gifted vocalists and instrumentalists from schools across Milton Keynes.

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The eventual winner was pianist Anais Stanners, from Oakgrove School, and the runner-up (winning vocalist) was Kiera Baird, from St. Paul's School. Both went forward to compete in the Rotary District 1260 Young Musician competition, held on 25th March. Well done Kiera and Anais on your success.

Pictured above is Kiera (sponsored by our Club) performing at the District competition on 25th March. Whilst she raised praise from the judges for her performance she did not make it through to the next stage. District Governor Elect Derek Ford has asked her to perform at one of his district conference events in 2019!

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Chinese Meal at Kam Tong Restaurant

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Thank you to everyone who supported our Chinese evening on 10th April 2018 to raise funds to go towards our trip to the zoo in June for disadvantaged youngsters. A profit of £540 was raised at the event.

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Drinks Galore at Stony Lights Fayre

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We were rushed off our feet dispensing warming mulled wine and delicious mince pies at our stall at the Stony Stratford Christmas Lights Fayre on 2nd December 2017. Thank you to Alan Swann and his organising committee, to all our helpers on the day and last but not least to the general public for their wonderful support.

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Super Sausage Café collection for SERV

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Pictured above are President Tom, Nick Drury and Simon Webb, together with members of the blood bikes charity, SERV, taking a well earned break from their collection duties on 1st October 2017. Thanks to the generosity of bikers and other visitors to the Super Sausage Café in Potterspury over £300 was collected over the weekend which will go towards our project to buy a brand new bike for SERV.

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Further funds were raised a few weeks later when we collected from bikers at Jack's Hill Café, near Towcester. Thank you to the bikers, and to Nick Drury who organised the collection.

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Santander Collection for SERV

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Pictured above are Kevin with guide dog Ellie and Rotarian Barry Love together with Alistair from the blood bikes charity SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers). Thanks to the generosity of staff from Santander, where Kevin works, the fantastic sum of £1139 was collected on a 'dress-down' day on 24th February 2017. This sum will very nicely kick-start our next big club project, which is to buy a new motorcycle for SERV.

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New Club President

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Tom Green has been elected as the new Club President for 2017/18. He takes over from last year's President, Marcus Rixon.

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It's been another very busy year for the club, which has included the provision of a new sensory room at Walnuts Care in Galley Hill, our annual charity Golf Day and Christmas float collections, and the installation of a new defibrillator in Stony Stratford" commented Marcus as he handed over the chain of office to incoming President Tom.

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Annual Golf Day - Wed. 7th June 2017

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When Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club held its 10th annual charity golf day at Abbey Hill Golf Club in Milton Keynes it was a day of mixed emotions for many in that its founder and organiser over the past nine years, Rotarian Malcom Poulter, had sadly passed away earlier in the year and so the day was designated as a special testimonial to Malcom for all his hard work and dedication over the years.

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Fortunately this year the sun shone for the 17 teams playing and, together with sponsorship, the day was expected to raise a total of £4,500. A significant proportion of this sum will be allocated to the club's current project to raise £14,500 for a specially equipped motorcycle for the local branch of SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers) who deliver blood and other medical items out of hours around the country.

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Commenting on the day, Rotarian Jim Barnes said "through Malcolm, our charity Golf Day has become a very well-supported regular feature in our club calendar and I am so pleased that it was his family's wish that not only should we continue holding the event this year as a fitting tribute to Malcolm but that they also wished to actively help on the day,  for which we are hugely appreciative. Our thanks also go to all the players and our sponsors for their support in making the day such a success".

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The winning team, 'The Normans', were awarded the Roger Borley Cup and the best Rotary team, 'Swanning Around', were awarded the Malcolm Poulter Memorial Cup. Thank you to all players,  event sponsors, helpers on the day, Abbey Hill Golf Club and last but not least event organiser Jim Barnes.

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New Sensory Room at Walnuts Care

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A new Sensory Room at Walnuts Care in Galley Hill was officially opened by Milton Keynes Councillor Zoe Nolan, Cabinet member responsible for Children and Families on 16th January 2017.

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Brimming full of the latest computerised sound and vision technology the specially converted room has been jointly funded by Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club and the Kids Out charity. Jerry Aldous Manager of Walnuts Care said "We are extremely grateful to the Rotary club and Kids Out; this room is a wonderful addition to our facilities which will enhance the range of services we provide and the experiences of the children and young people we support".

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Organiser of the project to fund the new room, Chris Byard, said "I am very grateful for the huge support from the Rotary club over the past year. The money was raised from a  very varied selection of sources including games night, golf day, district grant, carol service, Christmas float collections, grand autumn prize draw and car boot & internet sales of donated goods. This project will enormously help disadvantaged youngsters to get a better start in life".

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Warm Welcome at Stony Lights Fayre

We were rushed off our feet dispensing mulled wine and mince pies, plus the occasional shot of brandy, to the general public at the Christmas Lights Fayre in Stony Stratford on 26th November 2016. Thank you everyone for your fantastic support in particular Barry Love and his organising committee.

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Handover to Marcus - July 2016

Pictured below is retiring President Ann Waters handing over the role of Club President to Marcus Rixon outside the club's meeting venue. President Marcus said how much he was looking forward to his year and continuing our service to the community both locally and through our international projects.

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Annual Golf Day - 1st June 2016

Our ninth annual golf day held at Abbey Hill Golf Club on 1st June was a huge success with a record 18 teams competing. An enjoyable day's golf, despite the weather, spiced up with 'nearest pin' and 'longest drive' challenges to test our finest. Funds raised were in aid of four very deserving charities; Hope for Hollie Foundation, Kids Out Charity, Imogen Hannah Appeal and Growing People. Top prize went to the 'Neath Hill Fish & Chips' team. Thank you to organisers Malcolm Poulter & Jim Barnes, to everyone who helped on the day, to Abbey Hill Golf Club & our generous sponsors, and finally to all our golfers.

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MK Schools' Young Musician Competition

Sarah Ikumu, vocalist from The Hazeley Academy, won the Milton Keynes Schools' Young Musican of the Year' competition held at Ousedale School on Tuesday 9th February 2016. Congatulations to Sarah and runners-up Rosia Li (piano) from Ousedale and Isabella Norwood (Cello) from Denbigh School who all went on to compete in the Rotary District 1260 finals on 28th February.

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Pictured above is Sarah, with her proud parents Grace and Alex and her music teacher Dianne Weir, holding the MK Schools' Young Musician Winner's Shield.

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District 1260 Young Musician Finals

Our club decided to sponsor Sarah Ikumu in her quest to go on and win the Rotary District Young Musician Finals. The two runner-up contestants from the Schools' Competition, who also went through to the next stage, were sponsored by other local Rotary clubs. On Sunday 28th February 2016 Sarah competed with 14 other contestants at the District Finals, held at Dr. Challonner's School in Little Chalfont, and came away with the ruuners-up prize in the Vocalist section. Sarah, together with three other contestants (winning vocalist and winner/runner-up instrumentalists), then went on to compete in the Rotary Regional Finals held in Dulwich on 20th March where she achieved second place. Congratulations to Sarah on her stunning performances.

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Hazel's Ambulance Appeal

Over sixty club members, friends, hospice staff and distinguished guests, including MP's Iain Stewart and Mark Lancaster, Milton Keynes Mayor Councillor Keith McLean and Rotary District Governor Prue Dixon, assembled at Willen Hospice's Wellbeing Centre on Friday 26th February 2016 for the handing over of a brand new ambulance. This was the culmination of our year-long fundraising project in memory of Rotarian Brian Stuart's wife, Hazel, who passed away at the hospice in November 2014.

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Brian commented "My family and I wanted to do something really special for the hospice and I was so pleased when my fellow Rotarians all agreed that buying a new ambulance for Willen would be a great project, albeit a very challenging one for a club of our size. It has taken just over a year to reach our target of £34,000 through numerous fundraising events and donations. We are extremely grateful for all the help and support received in making this possible".

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Responding to Brian, Paul Hinson, the hospice's Chief Executive, said "This is a marvellous achievement and I congratulate the Rotary club on all its efforts and dedication to this project. The new minibus will be a fitting and timely replacement for our existing vehicle and will enable us to continue providing an important transport service for the patients who would otherwise have difficulty in getting to and from our Wellbeing Centre, for the various day care facilities we provide".

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Read all about Rotarian Brian's amazing story in strarting off this project, successfully raising over £7,000, before his Rotary Club adopted and officially took the appeal under its wings with fundraising ventures throughout 2015. For the full story visit:

http://wolvertonandstonystratfordrotaryclub.co.uk/page12.html

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LATEST NEWS FROM WILLEN

Helen and Bob from Willen talk about their new ambulance. Go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF3yRFdPB7E

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Bekash Evening - October 2015

Over 40 guests attended our successful Bekash evening meal, which raised £484 for the Rotary Foundation charity. Thank you to all who supported the event, to our generous host Mr Mukit and to Indra and his International Committee.

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We scooped top score in the Vote

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Pictured above was our stand in the Stony Stratford branch of Lloyds Bank as we launched our appeal for votes in the bank's 'Community Funds' appeal. Customers and the public alike were invited to choose their favourite charity from a shortlist of four by voting in branch, SMS texting and going on-line. We secured the most votes in very close competition with three other local charities. A cheque for £3,000 was received. Thank you very much to everyone who voted for us and thank you to Lloyds for their generous sponsorship. We were bowled over with the public response!

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Stony Lights Fayre

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Hot mulled pies, krispy wine and minced doughnuts raise over £500.  Perhaps it was the novel way our Club plied its wares to an amused public at its stall at the Stony Stratford Christmas Lights Switch On (30th Nov. 2015), or maybe the public starting to get into the festive spirit despite a rather chiily day.

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Whatever it was, the stall was a great success in making over £500 profit and ended up a complete sell-out just before darkness fell and the lights were switched on.  Starting the day off with 84 bottles of mulled wine to sell in hot cups, some totting bottles of brandy and whisky plus several boxes of minced pies and Krispy Kreme doughnuts to sell seemed quite a daunting task, especially as business was slow at first.  But rade soon picked up and by lunchtime it became a real job to keep up with demand.  Our thanks to organiser Rtn Sue Curryer, Glen Cattermole, all our helpers and the general public for their support.

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Philippines Typhoon Haiyan

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In response to the terrible disaster of last year's typhoon (November 2013) we sent two disaster boxes (Aqua Box & Shelter Box) containing vital shelter and humanitarian items.

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Supporting Aqua Box

We have regularly supported 'Aqua Box'. a major disaster box relief charity which sends boxes worldwide in response to earthquakes, floods and refuge displacement.

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Milton Keynes Foodbank

We regularly organise collections for Foodbank.

Rtn Sue Curryer pictured next to one of our collections.

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Chinese Meal Evening

A brilliant night of fundraising at our second Kam Tong Chinese Restaurant event in April 2013.  A total of £652 raised to support 'MK Act' and 'Kids Out'.  It was lovely to see representatives from MK Act and Walnuts School as well as ex-Rotarians, friends of Rotary along with all our other guests.

Thank you to all who helped with organising the event, to local businesses for donating the wonderful prizes and to Kam Tong Restaurant for agreeing to run the event for us.

Pictured above are Rotarians Sue Curryer and Ann Waters in final preparations for the evening

Rotary Clubs of MK - Technology Tournament

Twenty teams from schools across Milton Keynes competed in the Rotary Technology Tournament in March 2013.  An annual event, this year's contest was held at Denbigh School for the fourth year running.

The challenge, for the teams of four, was to construct a vehicle, from the materials provided, powered by a weight and capable of propelling itself a given distance up a sloping surface.

The tree winning teams were as follows:

Foundation Level - Radcliffe School

Intermediate Level - Oakgrove School

Advanced Level - Oakgrove School

Congratulations to all competing teams and the eventual winners in what proved to be an exciting contest.  Thank you to the judges, event sponsors and our hosts for the day, Denbigh School.

Many hands make light work.  Pictured is one of the powered vehicles nearing completion (picture by courtesy of MK Rotary Club)

Schools in KwaZulu Natal

The new kitchen building at Ntabankulu Primary School funded by our £5.000 donation was completed in September 2011.  Since then we have provided new equipment for the kitchen, with the support of Harpenden Rotary Club, and funded the tiling of the kitchen floor.  These projects were inspected by a Club member in February 2013 (whilst on holiday) who reported that the School Principal was delighted with the improvements.  A large number of books was also handed over to the students during this visit.

Young Musician of the Year Competition

The Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year competition, now in its third year, took place in February 2013 at the Chrysalis Theatre.

Five students from the Milton Keynes Music Service participated, all of whom played an excellent standard of music.  This made the job of the judges more difficult.  This was a joint event supported by the six Rotary clubs in the Milton Keynes area.

The winner was flutist James Westlake and runner-up was pianist Joseph Hyde.  Congratulations to the winners and all the participants for reaching the local finals.

 
Pictured are the finalists with the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Clr Catriona Morris and Rotary District Governor Debbie Hodge
 
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Well done Andrew

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Well done to Rotarian Andrew who completed an epic sponsored cycle ride from London to Bruges in three days and raised a whopping £8,500 for Parkinson's UK to help fund vital research into this condition.

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Poppy Appeal Sales 2021

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Your local Rotary Club helped the Royal British Legion by hosting the poppy merchandise stall at Wolverton Tesco's Store for 10 days.  Thank you to all who visited our stall and kindly donated. 

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Cheers everyone

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Members raising their glasses at one of our club meetings on Zoom shortly before we started meeting up again face-to-face after pandemic social distancing regulations.

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Keep Britain Tidy Campaign

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Out collecting litter again!  On 5th June 2021 we were litter picking in Ouse Valley Park and along Stratford Road near Wolverton Mill.  All in support of Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean campaign supported by Milton Keynes Council.

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MK Litter Pick Weekend

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Working with Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association your local Rotary Club helped with the great MK litter pick that took place the weekend of 27/28th March 2021 - picking up the litter near your homes! 

About a dozen Rotarians, including Club President Stuart (pictured) and partners picked up litter near their own homes so they remained Covid compliant but could support this superb event.

Working with Saeed Nazir, President of AMYA MK, our President, Stuart Clarke, joined on a wonderful community project and great collaboration between community based organisations.

Thanks to all who helped.

And our last meeting of 2020 was also our Christmas party again on Zoom. Members dressed up in festive gear for the occasion but held back from the temptation to engage in carol singing! President Stuart wished all club members and their loved ones a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  Which one is the real Santa?

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Ice Bucket Challenge – Sun. 19th July 2020

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"My name is Rachael Wilson, some of you will know me as your neighbour, architect and maybe some would even admit, friend.

I put myself forward for this challenge, for two reasons. Firstly, to continue to raise some money for charities both local and international which have really suffered through this current pandemic.  To this effect, my version of the Ice Bucket Challenge was one with a difference, I did not make anyone else get wet! Thank you to everyone who sponsored me and to those who turned up on the day to see me get a soaking. Those who know me well will know I am not a great lover of the cold.

ALL of the money goes to good causes 100% and in some cases, there is match funding so the overall amount could be higher!  I am doing this through Rotary which Andrew and I joined just over a year ago and we have been very moved by the excellent work which has been going on for so many years. This is my second reason, to ask you to take a look at our local Rotary pages on this site and on Facebook - see link above. For anyone who is willing and able to give a little of their time it is a great chance to meet like minded people and socialise too. The money raised will go towards the many marvellous charities which Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club supports."

On behalf of the Rotary Club a big thank you to you Rachael for undertaking this wonderful sponsorship challenge. Rachael raised over £675 having bust through her original target of £250; well done. We look forward to your next challenge, whatever it might be!

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ice-bucket-challenge

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Donation of Equipment to Willen Hospice

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Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 1260 (Herts, Beds and Bucks) joined forces to apply for a grant from Rotary International to support hospices throughout the district. On 16th July 2020 we joined with our District Governor, Vijay Patel, and representatives from four other local Rotary Clubs (Leighton Linslade, Newport Pagnell, Woburn Sands and Winslow) to present equipment worth £8000 to our own local Willen Hospice. Pictured above is Nikki Poole and other staff at Willen receiving the donation. The amount raised within our district was boosted by matched funding from the Foundation of Rotary International and a donation from the Rotary Club of Bloomington, USA.

A socially distanced presentation took place and a plaque handed over to commemorate the occasion.

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Our New President

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Pictured above is a screen shot of our Zoom meeting on 30th June 2020 when retiring President Marcus Rixon had the pleasure of (virtually, because of Covid restrictions) handing over the chain of office to newly elected President Stuart Clarke (pictured top first left). Alan Swann takes over the role of Vice President. Congratulations to both Stuart and Alan, and thank you to Marcus for stewarding the club over the past 12 months. We look forward to another year's programme of great fundraising and social events (social distancing regulations permitting), helping the local community and supporting international humanitarian good causes.

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Rotary Technology Tournament - 2020

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Teams from schools across Milton Keynes competed in the Rotary Technology Tournament on 11th March 2020. The annual event, organised by all the Rotary clubs within Milton Keynes, was held at Walton High School, Brooklands

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Teams of four were challenged to design, construct and test a pendulum and lighting device capable of performing to the specification stipulated. Marks were awarded for teamwork, design, manufacture, documentation & task completion. An enjoyable experience watching the enthusiasm and ingenuity of all the students. Cash prizes and shields were awarded to the winners of the three class categories.

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Winners

Foundation: St. Pauls School, team1

Intermediate: Lord Grey School, team2

Advanced: Denbigh School, team3

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Home Improvements?

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Like most other charities and voluntary organisations, the Pandemic has effectively put a stop to traditional fundraising but your local Rotary Club has come up with something a little different.  Is this something that may interest you?

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Having been at home for some time now, you may have been wondering what could you do to improve your home by making some alterations or perhaps adding an extension, but feel that you need some professional advice as to how this could best be done. So, what if you could achieve this AND at the same time give something to a worthy cause?

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One of our members is a local Chartered Architect with 35 years' experience in the profession and is prepared to visit your home, within the Milton Keynes area, following socially distancing rules, to talk through possible ideas, designs, budgets and planning issues for up to one hour. That member has kindly offered to donate the discounted £75 fee for this service to Rotary charities. Is this of interest? Please let us know via our Facebook page at

http://www.faebook.com/wolvertonandstonyrotary

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Sixty Years & still going strong

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On Saturday 19th October 2019 we had a fantastic party at the Holiday Inn, Milton Keynes, to celebrate our 60th anniversary. We were joined by District Governor Mary Whitehead, and representatives from Wolverton Inner Wheel and other local Rotary clubs. We were entertained by the Sloop Groggy Dogs (above) with a very varied selection of sea shanty songs plus a bit of audience participation spliced into the act. Also very entertaining were the antics of some of our guests trying to master the rocket balloons!

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It was a wonderful opportunity to honour one of our own. President Marcus and District Governor Mary had the pleasure of awarding a Paul Harris Fellowship award to John Welch who has clocked up well over forty years' service to the club. In addition, the club was presented with a certificate marking its sixty years' service to the community signed by Rotary International's President.

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Kids Out Day 12th June 2019

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Under the very able stewardship of Rotarian Jane we took a group of 106 children from Walnuts School for a day out to Whipsnade Zoo. Every June Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland together with the Kids Out Charity organise for 25,000 disadvantaged children to go on a fun day out. The weather was kind, and the rain held out until our group of children were well on their way to the coaches for the return journey home. We have been taking the children from 'Walnuts' to Whipsnade now for over 20 years! Thank you to Alan Tarsey and his district team for organising the whole event.

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Donation to Cancer Unit Appeal

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Pictured above is President Alan Swann presenting a cheque on 15th April 2019 for £1,000 to representatives from the MK Cancer Unit Appeal looked on by fellow club members and Sainsbury's Store Manager Rob Johnson.

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The money was raised on one of our collection days with Santa at Sainsbury's, in the run up to last Christmas, and was gifted to the Cancer Unit Appeal, Sainsbury's charity of the year.

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We are most grateful to customers at the store who gave generously to our collections, with proceeds from the other collection days going to our charity project of the year, the MacIntyre coffee shop refurbishment (Stony Stratford) and other local charities including Willen Hospice.

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MK Schools' Young Musician Competition

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The Milton Keynes Secondary Schools' Young Musician of the Year competition took place on 6th February 2019 at Ousedale School. The event, supported by local Rotary clubs, attracted a very gifted vocalist and instrumentalists from schools across Milton Keynes.

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The eventual winner was clarinet player Alex Pembery, from Shenley Brook End School, and the runner-up was classical guitarist Fergal MacManus of Ousedale School. Both will go forward to compete in the Rotary District 1260 Young Musician Final in March. Alex will be sponsored by Newport Pagnell Rotary Club and Fergal will be sponsored by our Club in the next round. Highly commended was Alistair Hindley, from Oakgrove School, who played the tenor horn. Well done Alex, Fergal and Alistair on your success.

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Cheques Presentation Evening

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Very enjoyable evening on 19th February 2019 handing out cheques to some of the beneficiaries of our Christmas Float collections. The recipient charities on the evening were Willen Hospice, Talent Unlimited, Stony-in-Bloom, Stony Stratford Cricket Club and Inner Wheel Club of Wolverton. A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the collections and the general public for giving so generously.

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And the following month (5th March) a cheque was presented to Wolverton & Greenleys-in-Bloom, again funded by the Christmas collection proceeds.

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Indonesia Quake/Tsunami Sept. 2018

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We were all shocked to see the scenes of utter devastation following the tsunami in Indonesia. We donated funds to two of the immediate response charities, AquaBox and ShelterBox, to purchase life saving water and shelter kits to the value of £1,000.

http://www.aquabox.org

http://www.shelterbox.org

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McCarthy & Stone's Generosity Boosts Rotary's MacIntyre Project

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McCarthy and Stone, the housebuilder behind the new Retirement Living Plus development Elizabeth House in Stony Stratford gave the Rotary Club of Wolverton and Stony Stratford  a most generous donation of £500 towards its  MacIntyre Coffee Shop kitchen refurbishment project (24th July 2018)

Several Rotarians and MacIntyre staff  gathered at the Coffee Shop in Stony Stratford High Street when McCarthy and Stone’s Sales Executive, Teresa Staroscik, presented Alan Swann, President of Wolverton and Stony Stratford Rotary Club, with the cheque.

Alan said: “This is a wonderful gesture from McCarthy and Stone. We are well on our way to reaching our target and this donation will be a great help in bringing the much needed new kitchen that much nearer to completion. On behalf of Rotary and MacIntyre we say a very big thank you. ”

McCarthy and Stone Sales Executive, Teresa Staroscik, added: “As a company, we appreciate our responsibilities go further than building quality retirement apartments, and we also seek to create a positive legacy in the communities in which we build and so it was an absolute pleasure to present this donation.  The team at McCarthy and Stone’s Elizabeth House development wishes Alan, his members and everyone at MacIntyre every success with the project.”

Further information about the Rotary Club, MacIntyre and McCarthy and Stone can be found at www.wolvertonandstonystratfordrotaryclub.co.uk ,  www.macintyrecharity.org, www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk.  

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Bekash Fundraiser 2018

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A big thank you to all 60 people whop attended our fundraising dinner in October, which raised a marvellous £780 to go towards the Club's current project to refurbish the kitchen in MacIntyre's Coffee Shop.  Thank you also to Mr Mukit, owner of the Bekash Restaurant in Stony Stratford which hosted the event, and to Rotarian Indra Patel for organising the event. 

Pictured above are club members and staff from Macintyre Care with Mr Mukit.

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Games Night

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We are looking forward to the next opportunity to defend our cup from fierce competition from other local Rotary clubs including Newport Pagnell, Woburn Sands & District and MK Grand Union at our annual fun games evening. The winner's cup came back home to our club in May 2018), and with it the responsibility for organising the next competition! The winning team (club team 2) comprised Tom, Eric, Dave, Chris & John Woollett.

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Crazy Whist Evening

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A very enjoyable crazy whist evening on 28th September 2018 raised almost £360 for our MacIntyre Coffee Shop fund. A big thank you to Ann Waters, for organising the event, and Ken George for ensuring we all correctly followed the (crazy) rules of play.

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6th June 2018

Well done to all who played at our 11th annual charity golf day at Abbey Hill, to the eventual winners and to everyone who supported the day and attended our prizegiving evening. Conditions could not have been more perfect though several players were overheard blaming their occasional bad shots on the very gentle breeze!! All the proceeds from the day will go towards our kitchen refurbishment project for the Macintyre Café in Stony Stratford. http://macintyre.org

Huge thanks to all our sponsors, to Abbey Hill Golf Club, to everyone who helped on the day and last, but not least, to event organiser Rotarian Jim Barnes.

Update June 2019: we regret that we were not able to organise another competition this year, as we simply did not have the resources available to do so. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope for better news next year.

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Loop-the-Loop Fundraising Challenge

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Now in its sixth year, the sponsored 'loop-the-loop' in a glider event organised by Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club together with Milton Keynes Satellite RC attracted six willing volunteers, including our own Indra Patel. It was touch and go, however, whether the event on 25th May 2018 would go ahead due to low cloud cover. But then, after a seemingly very long wait, the clouds began to break up much to the relief of flyers and organisers alike. The flights took place courtesy of the London Gliding Club at Dunstable Downs with each participant experiencing at least two exhilarating full loops in the glider, but seasoned flyer Indra (well, he has done this challenge before in 2016) completed four!. Half of their sponsorship will be shared equally between our MacIntyre kitchen project and MK Satellite Rotary Club's Indian school venture and the other half of each individual flyer's total to a charity of their own choice. The event was rounded off with the traditional barbecue.

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After the flights the organiser, Rotarian John Moss, thanked everyone who made the event possible, especially all the brave and enthusiastic 'loopers' and their sponsors, and the London Gliding Club and its pilots."

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Pictured above left to right are the flyers, looking remarkably relaxed before their flights, Donna, Ross, Indra, Mukesh (seated), Sally and Vivek.

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MK Dons Sports Education Trust

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Pictured above is President Tom presenting a cheque for £700 to Kelly Day, Volunteer Fundraiser for MK Dons SET, with Shelley Day, Sainsbury's PR Ambassador, together with SET volunteers and players. Keeping a close eye on proceedings are MK Dons mascots Mooie and Donny.

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The money was raised on one of our five collection days with Santa at Sainsbury's, in the run up to Christmas 2017, and was gifted to MK Dons Sports Education Trust, Sainsbury's charity of the year.

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We are grateful to customers at the store who gave so generously to our Christmas collection, with proceeds from the other four collection days going to our charity project of the year, 'Blood Bikes - SERV', and other local charities including Willen Hospice.

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Santa's Tour

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Huge thanks to all members of the public who gave so generously to our Santa Sleigh when it toured around the northern parts of Milton Keynes and local supermarkets during December 2017.

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Santa's tour raised the magnificent total of £5,875, which was distributed to various charities and local community organisations including Willen Hospice, Kids Out, SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers - 'Blood Bikes') and MK Dons Sport & Education Trust.

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Special thanks also go to those who helped our members with the collections and to the management & staff of Budgens in Stony Stratford and Sainsbury's in Central Milton Keynes for kindly allowing us to collect at their stores.

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Christmas Quiz

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Our Rotary Christmas Quiz provided considerable entertainment for some, frustration for others, but at least something to while away any dull moments over the festive season. Several hundred copies were sold and 36 entries were returned of which 6 were 100% correct. With the answers there were some very imaginative, even strange, parts to some people's bodies!!

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The winning entries were

221 - Helen B,  223 - Jim B,  266 - Jenni D

482 - Peter A,  216 - Kevin M,  260 - Marion C

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Rather than divide the prizes (as stated in the rules) we will give £10 to each successful competitor. The competition raised £307 overall and with a 2 for 1 matched funding donation from the Bill Gates Foundation a whopping total of over £900 has been raised for good causes. Thank you all for your support.

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For all the correct answers click the link below:

http://www.wolvertonandstonystratfordrotaryclub.co.uk/xmas-quiz.pdf

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Cowper Museum

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Members, friends and relatives were treated to a very interesting conducted tour of the Cowper Museum in Olney on 26th September 2017. Then it was a short walk across the High Street for a delicious evening meal at the Donzella Italian restaurant. Thank you to Ann Waters for organising the visit and meal.

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New Defibrillator in Stony Stratford

Sixteen representatives from Rotary, Stony Stratford Town Council, Milton Keynes Council and BP assembled at the BP Filling Station in London Road, Stony Stratford in May 2017 for the official presentation of a new defibrillator.

Arranged by our Rotary Club in conjunction with the Town Council and the Community Heartbeat Trust charity, and funded by a grant from the Rotary International Foundation, the defibrillator is prominently located on the garage forecourt and will be available 24/7 for use by the public to treat anyone who is in cardiac arrest by giving a high-energy electric shock.

John Moss, the club’s Foundation Chairman said “We are really pleased to have been involved with this project and are most grateful to BP for agreeing to have this important life-saving equipment on their premises”.

In order to provide awareness and training so that people have confidence to use defibrillators, and have more people in the community able to offer CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation), the public were invited to a CPR information meeting run by the Community Heartbeat Trust at Stony Stratford Library in June.

Pictured above is Cllr Joan Walker MBE, Chair of Stony Stratford Town Council cutting the ribbon to officially launch the new defibrillator, accompanied (L to R) by Rotary Club Vice President, Tom Green; Milton Keynes Deputy Mayor, Cllr David Hopkins; Rotarian John Moss and Rotary District Governor, Chalmers Cursley.

Mike Thomas, PR & Communications Officer

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Waitrose Donation: Thank you to Waitrose, Oakgrove Store, for the very kind donation of £174.00 towards our kids out day at Whipsnade Zoo in June 2017 for disadvantaged youngsters. This was the amount raised for our charity from the store's 'community matters' green token scheme, which asked shoppers to vote for one of three featured good causes during the month of May.

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Rotarian Simon getting in the Moo'd

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With sponsorship from the Rotary Club of Wolverton & Stony Stratford, Simon Webb had no hesitation in donning his gold wig and frilly tutu to join over 1,000 others for this year's Willen Hospice Golden Midnight Moo on 15th July. Traditionally a walk exclusively for women, Simon was one of a maximum of only 50 men allocated a Gold Band to participate in the walk this year to mark MK's 50th anniversary.

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After the walk, Simon said "I always like to keep fit and this seemed a great way of combining that and my club's ongoing support for Willen. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk, the night was so well organised and, of course, I am most grateful to my fellow Rotarians for agreeing to support me in this way."

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Mike Thomas, PR & Communications Officer

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Rotary Technology Tournament - 2017

Teams from schools across Milton Keynes competed in the Rotary Technology Tournament on 15th March 2017. The annual event, organised by all the Rotary clubs within Milton Keynes, was held at Denbigh School.

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Teams of four were challenged to design, construct and test a vehicle to travel along a pipeline and move debris. Marks were awarded for teamwork, design, manufacture, documentation & task completion. An enjoyable experience watching the enthusiasm and ingenuity of all the students. Cash prizes and shields were awarded to the winners of the three class categories.

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Foundation - Ousedale

Intermediate - Ousedale

Advanced - Radcliffe

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Congratulations to all contestants and the eventual winners. Thanks go to the event organisers, sponsors, participants, judges, and our hosts at Denbigh School.

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Loop-the-Loop has raised over £3,000

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Now in its fifth year, the sponsored 'Loop-the-Loop' in a glider event organised by Wolverton & Stony Stratford Rotary Club continues to attract more willing volunteers, including this year four members from our own club and Rotary District Governor Chalmers Cursley. A total of 13 flights took place courtesy of the London Gliding Club at Dunstable Downs on Friday 12th August 2016 with each participant experiencing at least one exhilarating full loop in the glider. Half of their sponsorship goes to Rotary's worldwide Polio eradication campaign, the other half to a charity of their own choice. The event was rounded off with the traditional barbecue.

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Organiser, Rotarian John Moss, said "It was a fantastic evening with perfect weather conditions and a great opportunity for my club to help raise funds for charity. Thank you to everyone who made the event possible, especially all the brave and enthusiastic 'loopers' and their sponsors, and the London Gliding Club and its pilots."

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Pictured above, left to right, are club members David Hildreth, Indra Patel, Judy Hildreth and David Sansome. "Well, who wants to go first then?"

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Paul Harris Awards - April 2016

Congratulations to Jim Barnes and Brian Stuart upon receiving Paul Harris awards in recognition of all their work on making the Hazel's Ambulance Appeal such a success. Pictured above are Jim and Brian after receiving their awards from President Ann Waters.

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Chinese evening - 26th April 2016

Thank you to everyone who supported our Chinese Meal evening. A record profit of just over £1,000 was raised in aid of children's charities and our Sensory Room appeal for Walnuts Care. Thank you also to the Kam Tong Garden restaurant for putting on a splendid meal and to our generous sponsors and raffle prize donors.

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Rotary gives MK Act early Christmas Present

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Our club was pleased to present eight televisions to MK Act and just in time for Christmas.  Coleen Kelly, MK Act's Service Development Manager said "we are extremely grateful to the Rotary club for these televisions which will be placed in the residents' rooms at our Refuge.  They will be a most welcome addition to the support facilities that MK Act provides for those in need of temporary accommodation as a result of being at risk or who have actually experienced domestic violence or abuse.

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Club President Jim Barnes said "we fully appreciate MK Act's valuable work in Milton Keynes and we are delighted to have been able to support them in this way."

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Pictured above (left to right) are Rotarian Ann Waters, Club President Jim and Coleen Kelly

Stony Stratford August Fayre 2013

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Congratulations to the winner of our 'End Polio Now' raffle, Mr A Leete of Old Stratford, seen here collecting his cheque from Rotarian John Moss.  The raffle raised £411 and the sweetie tombola £182.  Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising stalls at Stony Fayre.

Kids Out Day - 12th June 2013

Over 60 children from Walnuts School and over 30 teachers, teaching assistants and volunteers accompanied Rotarians Ann Waters, Jim Barnes, Chris Byard and Cecil Macaulay on the annual visit to Whipsnade Wildlife Park.

Cruise on the Ouse - July 2013

It was 'all aboard' as 45 members of Rotary and Wolverton Inner Wheel Club, together with friends and family, set off on 26th July from Priory Marina in Bedford for a most pleasurable two hour-plus hot summer evening cruise along the River Great Ouse.  The trip on the 'John Bunyan', the newly launched £150,000 Community Boat owned by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, enabled everyone to appreciate Bedford riverside from a different angle whilst enjoying their picnics.  Certainly the most unusual sighting was a black swan, a species native to Australia, which was thought to have escaped from captivity.

Our thanks go to Rotarian John Moss for organising the event.

Rtn Mike Thomas, Club PR Officer

Thank you to Past-President Malcolm

Thank you to Malcolm (and Pam) for the wonderful hospitality on Sunday 21st July during your 'at home' party (a thank you to club members for their hard work during his presidential year).  It was a very warm and pleasant afternoon with delicious food and good company; we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.    

What a load of old rubbish!

We never knew rubbish could be so interesting!  Thank you to Rtn Indra Patel for organising our tour on 3rd July 2013 around MK Recycling Centre in Old Wolverton, and for the delicious meal afterwards at Verandah Talk Restaurant.

The'Battle of Watling Street' cyclists reach Hanslope

The team from Colchester Forum Rotary Club reached Hanslope on 17th May 2013 on their epic Anglesey to Colchester charity cycle ride.  And we were there to meet them at the Watts Arms in Hanslope as they stopped to have a well deserved lunch break.  The cyclists, led by their club President Andrew Crayston, were raising money for the 'Rotary End Polio Now' campaign, and at the same time recognising the long forgotten Battle of Watling Street between the Romans and ancinet Brits.

Pictured above is Vice-President Jim Barnes presenting a cheque to President Andrew Crayston of Colchester Forum Rotary Club, watched by Rtn Alan Harradine who organised our welcome party.

After an enjoyable lunch and much friendly fellowship the cyclists were soon on their way again.

Local Rotarians make an Impact

The Bekash Restaurant in Stony Stratford was once again the venue for our special charity dinner.  Some 55 people attended the evening in October 2012 which raised over £600 for the Impact Foundation.  Impact is a charity that organises international programmes to prevent and alleviate needless disability, whether it be as a result of disease, lack of knowledge or shortage of medical services, for people in some of the poorest parts of the world.

The evening's guest was Mr John Lourie a local consultant orthopaedic surgeon and Impact supporter, who explained how he had been able to give freely of his time, surgical skills and expertise to help Impact's work in Bangladesh in a very practical way.

President Malcolm Poulter said "I am really pleased with the support the Club received for the event. We are especially grateful to  Mr Abdul Murkit for his generosity in providing an excellent meal and once again helping the Club with its fundraising.

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"This little piggy........"


A very warm welcome, in every sense, awaited President Jim and three club members when they visited Slated Row School in Old Wolverton to present our cheque for £1,200.  The visit on 18th July 2013, one of the hottest days of the year, was arranged as part of the children's special end of term 'Pig Party'.

"The children were truly wonderful, so happy and friendly, it was a real pleasure to meet them and the staff", commented Jim.  "Unfortunately I didn't hit it off quite so well with Milly and Tilly, the two recently acquired young miniature Kunekune pigs whose enclosure was funded from part of our donation, the remaining money being used shortly to extend the pen and pay for additional fencing elsewhere in the school grounds".

Rtn Mike Thomas, Club PR Officer

Pictured above are Deputy Heads Brian Everest and Veronica Clayson receiving the cheque on behalf of the school from President Jim together with Rotarians Marcus and Robin.

Update 24th October

Milly and Tilly are now able to fully enjoy their newly extended enclosure at the school, thanks to the remainder of our donation, and teams of staff from Santander and Deloitte in Milton Keynes who kindly volunteered to complete the erection work.

Along with the school's other animals, the pigs are looked after by groups of sixth form pupils, and as one student commented "Milly and Tilly are really lovely and they always come to us when they know we have carrots for them!"  President Jim added "It's really good to see how much enjoyment the students get from caring for the animals; this is a wonderful example of Rotary helping the local community and my club has been delighted to be able to support this project".

Pictured below is President Jim doing his best to attract Milly and Tilly with food whilst some of the students and Rotarians look on.