Inverness Culloden Support RNLI
Past president John Sutherland recently presented a cheque for £500 to the Kessock branch of the RNLI. Looking on are branch chairman Campbell Ross and crewman Kenny Foggo. The Kessock RNLI will be one the the main beneficiaries of this years Glencalvie Challenge on the 10th May.
www.glencalviechallenge.co.uk |
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WINTER LIGHTS - NAIRN
The Rotary club of Nairn lead a project to raise funding to provide new seasonal streetlights for the Town of Nairn. Along with the Rotary Club of Nairn, other donors included HIGHLAND 2007, The Association of Nairn Businesses, and The Davidson Trust.
The project was in two parts; a major renewal of the seasonal lights along the
length of the High Street; and a Primary School project in which all
Nairnshire Primary school children took part. The children submitted designs for the seasonal winter lights. A selection of winning designs was made into pole-mounted lights for Cawdor and Auldearn villages as well as the town
of Nairn.
This project has been of great benefit to children utilising art skills
to design winter lights, and lifting the spirits of the community in the
dark winter nights.
The lights were switched on at a ceremony in Nairn that included a parade based on the Narnia theme but called NAIRNIA!
Once again Rotarians in Nairn were foremost in adding to the quality of life in the district. |
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Paul Harris award for Jim Young
Jim Young Assistant Governor for North Highland and Islands was taken aback at the Rotary Club of Elgin Christmas party when he was presented with the highest possible accolade from the Elgin Club, a Paul Harris award.
Jim, already a holder of a Paul Harris which was presented by the Butler Club of Pennsylvania, was well aware that the Elgin Club has only presented 6 awards since its Charter Presentation in 1927.
A very active Rotarian and Club President in 1994 Jim has been a main player in the Golf Exchanges and overseas hosting since 1996 and was Scottish Captain of a victorious Scottish team in 2001.
Leader of the GSE team to Australia in 2005, and in 2005/06 was the District Membership Chair where his successes were quoted as an example to other Districts.
Jim is currently Assistant District Governor for Zone 1 having been appointed in 2006 and he has travelled with great enthusiasm throughout the biggest Zoned area in RIBI. In one 6 week period Jim travelled 1900 miles by road ferry and plane and on one day visited 4 Clubs.
On acknowledging his award he said ÒBeing on District has certainly added to my Rotary experience "I`d recommend this to every Rotarian- and look forward to supporting the Elgin Club as far as possible"
The Elgin Club respect Jim`s decision to remit office in June 2008. He is a very enthusiastic Rotarian- totally dedicated and having all the attributes required to advance even further within Rotary movement what a great DG he would have made! |
Rotary Club of Spey Valley Burns Supper
Jim McColl, of Beechgrove Garden fame, gave The Immortal Memory at the Club's Burns Supper on Wed 16 January. There were just over 80 present and he gave us an excellent talk, full of much reverence and humour. There was the customary other speakers proposing toasts and relevant replies. The event was held in the Cairngorm Hotel, Aviemore and they provided an excellent meal of haggis, neeps and tatties followed by steak pies and then a helping of cranachan inthe true fashion of a Burns Supper. Also in the photograph is President Trevor Bridle and his good lady Aileen.
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Inverness Culloden Disburse Funds
Funds raised mainly from the Glencalvie Challenge and a sucessful sports dinner were passed to the community with cheques with a total value of £3,700 being presented to the British Red Cross, Drummond School and the Highland Rheumatology Unit in Dingwall.
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Past President John Sutherland recently presented a cheque for £1000 to the Raigmore Hospital community nurses. It will be used to buy equipment to enhance the lives of children with long-term complex care needs. He also presented a laptop computer for a child with cardiac problems. This is to help with studying at school and at home. She also hopes to use it for her craft activities, over all improving the quality of life for this child. |
Inverness Culloden JVP Ian Kinghorn presents a cheque for £2500 to the Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team to help purchase a new rescue vehicle. |
Rotarians Make a world of difference in Nepal
Six Elgin Rotary Club members along with their wives and a further seven Rotarians and wives from Ellon, Forres and Fraserburgh Clubs have just returned from a two week visit to Nepal at their own cost.
This is the third time that Elgin Rotarians have visited Nepal on lifesaving missions. Firstly in the Humla district high in the Himalayas close to the Tibet border then in 2004 at Nepalgunj in the Terai district near the border with India where 1600 people in some 250 households received help with provision of water and sanitation and now in 2007 to view the area at Laxmipur, near Janakpur in Southern Nepal, where a new major project is now complete providing fresh water, proper latrine sanitation and better health education.
This was a highly successful project
1) Number of wells constructed for drinking water 41
2) Number of Latrines 156
3) 452 households and 2600 people benefiting directly
4) Training in all aspects of hygiene behaviour was provided also training for two men and one woman in building and maintenance skills for the all important ongoing maintenance of the wells and toilets.
5) A Primary school of 560 and a high school of 493 were also provided with basic facilities
A child to child approach was taken to training in the Primary School to make them aware of better personal health and hygiene practices. Now even the small children have become self conscious about their personal hygiene and especially the girls because of the privacy environment in the new latrines.
Evaluation results show that the women and the very poor have benefited greatly and attitudes of both men and women are changing Participation of women throughout the execution of the project and in decision making has encouraged gender equality and in the long term balance in the Community will be greatly improved.
The project took some 2 years to complete , all within budget and supervised very effectively by ‘Nepal Water For Health’(NEWAH), who worked closely with Elgin Rotary club at all times. The total cost of the project was £17,500 and Elgin Rotarians via their international committee raised more than half of this sum with the balance being supported by some 19 other Rotary Clubs in the District. To put these costs into perspective, Rotary changed and improved the lives of some 2600 people at an average cost of less than £6.50 per head.
Following a short sightseeing holiday and a trek The Rotarians have returned to Scotland very humble at the welcome they received from the villagers but very satisfied with the success of the project. Now that such an effective link has been consolidated with NEWAH the Elgin Rotarians hope to continue to fund further projects in the poorest areas in Nepal. All the Rotarians are well satisfied that the funds raised are 100% utilised for the full benefit of the project and the visit to the area has left them in no doubt that this project is of major importance in improving lives.
Pictures show the group arriving by Yeti Airlines and the new well.
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SANTA'S LITTLE ROTARIAN HELPERS
Almost 300 fun-runners dressed as Santa Clause were helped and guided on their way throughout the City by the Rotarians from the Loch Ness and Culloden clubs.
The festive Rotarians were delighted to help out the first Santa Six which recently in the streets of Inverness in the lead up to Christmas week.
The event organised by Nairn based company WildDaysOut was set up to help worthy overseas causes. It was designed as a fun and festive way for all members of the family to come together and run to help those less fortunate.
Vice-President of the Loch Ness club, Jim Cockburn commented, “We were approached by one of our members to see if we would be willing to help out with this very worth cause. And as the charitable objectives fell so closely in line with our own Rotarian values, there was no question we were going to assist.
“We had 7 of our own members involved, with our numbers being boosted by other Rotarians from the Inverness Area.
He concluded, “Although some of the Rotarians that took part in the stewarding of the event may still have been thawing out a couple of days later, I am positive that Loch Ness along with the other clubs will be keen to be involved as this event gets bigger and bigger each year.” |
D G Clive Bartram, visited the Rotary Club of Inverness to present Bill Pirrie with the Paul Harris Fellowship which he had been awarded for distinguished service to Rotary International.
Mr Pirrie, a Nairn man, first joined Rotary in 1968 in Turriff where he was manager of the Bank of Scotland, serving on a wide range of committees of the Turriff Club. On moving to Thurso he continued his involvement, serving a term as President of the Thurso Club. On retiral to Inverness, Mr Pirrie joined the Rotary Club of Inverness, serving as Vocational Service Chairman for the Northern District and then as District Governor in 1993-94.
Over the last financial year the Rotary Club of Inverness has distributed £22,367 to a range of charities. International charities have included Water Aid and Nava Jeevan whilst the range of local charities have included the Badaguish Centre, Crossroads and New Start. This Christmas the club, as it does each year, distributed Christmas food parcels to elderly people in the Inverness community. |
Clive Bartram presenting Bill Pirrie with his Paul Harris Fellowship. |
The Bells Rotary Club of Elgin Marafun breaks £500,000 and still going strong.
One hundred expectant local Moray charities held their breath on the 21st of November in the Elgin Town Hall for the announcement of the sum raised by The Rotary Club of Elgin from The Bell`s Rotary Marafun 2007.. They were not disappointed. Each of them received an equal share from the magnificent sum of £63, 000. The formula of raising funds for 100 local charities was repeated from 2005 when Rotary celebrated it`s centenary and the choice of 100 charities seemed appropriate.
This latest Marafun brings the total raised by this biannual event since 1991 to a staggering £501,031
Marafun had small beginnings when in 1984 three four men teams from the Elgin Rotary Club ,Lossie Printers and Moray Firth radio took part in the first ever Marafun. The big difference between a Marathon and a Marafun is that the distance to be covered is achieved by running a relay. £1000 was raised for Elgin and District Sports for the Disabled.
The formula was repeated in 1986 but with the inclusion of the 7 times world record holder for ultra distance running Don Richie covered the entire distance of 52 miles without stopping. Thousands of people turned out in Lossiemouth to see the relay runners home. This time the Elgin Rotarians were joined by The Elgin Police, Round Table, Forres Rotary Club, Moray Road runners, Rotaract and Moray Firth Radio. This time £6000 was raised for Riding for the Disabled and Elgin and District Sports for the Disabled.
In 1991 a handful of Elgin Rotarians came up with the idea of “The Worlds First City Centre Marafun” a one day event. What a success this proved to be. The concept of running the full marathon distance in a relay around the confines of Elgin High Street appealed to spectators and sponsors alike. The main sponsor was Norco who had just opened their new store in the High Street. This time £25000 was raised for local charities and Marafun was born.
In 1993 Marafun really took off when our present sponsors Diageo under their brand name “Bells” agreed to be the main sponsor for the event with a handsome donation of £10,000. By this time runners were clamouring to gain entry. The concept of a team of 5 runners pounding the City Centre streets of Elgin was established when entries were closed with 650 runners – all pledging to have fun and raise money in the process.
1995 saw the addition of hundreds of musicians, entertainers and dancers providing non stop entertainment throughout the route. Charity stalls collected on their own account and there were barbeques, hot dogs, teas, clowns, face painters and many pledging to have fun and make money..£38429 was raised with another £6000 by the independent charity stalls.
Since then the biennial event has continued from strength to strength and so in November 2007 the sum raised reached £501,031 since its inception in 1991
However Marafun is much more than raising money, it is first and foremost a fun day with individual Clubs, Businesses, services getting behind the Rotary Club of Elgin and making each Marafun “a day to remember” We are indebted to the runners, Bells, local businesses and the entire Community of Moray.
Pictures below: Lord Lieutenant of Moray congratulating Elgin on their achievment and a line up of all 100 recipients with their cheques.
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Princess Royal attends her Rotary Club
HRH became an Honorary member of the Rotary Club of Elgin in 2005 and since then has taken a keen interest in all the ClubÕs activities. She is a member of no other Rotary Club. She became interested in the Elgin Club in 1999 when the funds from Marafun were donated in that year to the Trust for Carers which help facilitate the Princess Trust for Carers establish a permanent base in Moray. Elgin Rotary has continued to supportÊCarers organisations since then each year as part of the Xmas collection.
The attached photo taken 1st Nov when HRH attended the usual Rotary meeting at the Mansion house in Elgin
Greeting her is President Sandy McMorran with the Lord Lieutenant of Moray Grenville Johnstone and his deputy Rotarian Jim Royan also other Elgin Rotarians.
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The photograph shows Past President Bill Robertson of the Rotary Club
of Inverness handing over the 100 shoeboxes filled by the members of
the club to Mr Lewis Wilson who had travelled up from Lancashire to
deliver empty boxes for distribution to Clubs in the Rotary District at
the recent District Assembly in Inverness. |
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Inverness Culloden Rotarian of the Year
Callum MacDonald was honoured by his club last night with the presentation of the Founder President's Quaich, a tradition started by the club's Founder President Ronnie Baird in 1998. Callum works behind the scenes looking after the club's charitable trust and is Gift Aid Convener. He is also a keen angler and has represented the club at the Scottish Rotary Championships at Loch Fitty for several years since transferring from the Rotary Club of Paisley. Pictured are President John Sutherland performing his last presidential duty, Callum and Founder President Ronnie Baird. |
Three teams were generated following the challenge by president Roy McLennan to enter the Nairshire Rotary Challenge. The event comprised of the first 12 miles on mountain track followed by 18 miles on cycle finishing in Nairn. President Roy indicted "it was a great event to take part in and to support another local Rotary Club. It was an extremely well run event and I thoroughly enjoyed it".
L to R Steven McLennan,
John Considine,
John Smart,
Roy McLennan,
Magnus Swanson,
Henry Dow,
Iain Leighton and
Hamish Wood.
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Time for change in Inverness as the four incoming presidents gather under the Rotary Centennial Clock in Falcon Square, Inverness. Left - Right David Welch - Inverness Riverside, George McRae - Loch Ness, Bob Jack - Inverness and Derek McRae - Inverness Culloden.
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Today (Thursday 28 June) the Rotary Club of Inverness gifted to the City of Inverness a "Rotary" Bench. The Provest of Inverness, Councillor Bob Wynd, was guest of the Club to receive the gift, which is sited on the banks of the River Ness, outside the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, where the Club meets.
The picture shows the Provest seated on the bench along with Bill Robertson, the Club President. Bill said, "Rotary in Inverness supports many local charities, but is also committed to enhancing the well being of the City. The Rotary Bench is part of this approach".
The Rotary Club was also involved, with the other Clubs in Inverness, in providing the Clock in Falcon Square (a plaque to that effect will be unveiled on 13th July by the Duke of Westminster who heads the company which owns the Falcon Square Shopping Centre.)
Bill also handed over the Presidency of the Club, after his year in office, to Bob Jack. He said, "This has been a very successful year for us with over £22,000 being disbursed to international and local causes."
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Presidential Citation for Culloden Rotary President
John Sutherland MBE, president of the Rotary Club of Inverness Culloden, has been honored by Rotary International's world president Bill Boyd of Pakuranga, New Zealand. The Presidential Citation was awarded for outstanding service to Rotary projects in the local community and internationally. 2007 has been an outstanding year of fundraising for the club and £15,000 is about to be dispersed locally.
Making the presentation is Doug Ritchie, Assistant District Governor for Inverness and Moray and past president of the RC of Inverness. |
Nairnshire Challenge - A Decade of Success
This year was the 10th Nairn Rotary Challenge took place on Sunday 27 May.
Over 600 participants took place in the biathlon over the length of Nairnshire. Some participants competed for fast times whilst many enjoyed the challenge of the event.
This year first home was Ben Livesey from RAF Kinloss. His time was 2 hours 7 minutes, just 4 minutes short of the record held by Kenny Riddle of Inverness who had previously clocked 2 hours 3 minutes; both great times for the 35-mile course. This year the fastest lady was Mari Todd with a superb time of 2 hours 27 minutes.
President Martin MacDonald hoped that this year the event might raise £40,000. Over the 10 events he estimated that about £300,000 would have been raised for Rotary and Local charities.
The Nairn Rotary Challenge is now established in Nairn as an eagerly awaited annual event. Competitors come from far and wide to compete and enjoy the day. However this does not just happen. Throughout the year Rotarian John Burns, the Challenge Conveners, and his team, work hard to achieve the much-deserved success. John has been delighted to receive some unsolicited emails from participants typical is one form Marianne McInnes:
Dear All involved in the Nairnshire Challenge,
This was my first attempt at the Challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The organisation was fantastic; I have never seen so many volunteers. Everything was perfect; I would like to know how you managed to turn the weather on so beautifully.
Now I have my time, I will be pushing myself next year.
Well done to everyone |
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The Glencalvie Challenge - Inverness Culloden
The first Glencalvie Challenge held on 12th May was a resounding success for the Culloden Club, A total of £10,000 was raised by 130 runners, bikers and walkers on the 17.5 mile route through mountain tracks in Ross-shire and Sutherland. The event will be repeated on Saturday 10th May 2008. www.glencalviechallenge.co.uk |
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The Rotary Club of Spey Valley had a very enjoyable evening outing to Glenfarclas Distillery on 25 May. The members attending were joined by wives, friends and guests. The party was led by President George Duff and were met on arrival by Mr Ian McWilliam who kindly showed the party over the Distillery.
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The Inverness Culloden Rotary Club last night (2.04.07) presented a cheque for £500.00 to the Kessock Lifeboat Station of the RNLI. The money will be used to purchase a dry suit and life jacket, essential safety equipment for a lifeboat crewman. The volunteer crew train every Monday evening with a launch of the inshore B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat. The funds were raised at various events including a fashion show and a silent auction.
A massive £7600.00 was raised last month by the club holding a sports dinner in the Lochardil House Hotel. A large audience of prominent local businessmen was entertained by ex Hibs player and UEFA delegate Tony Higgins and Aberdeen comedian Patrice. The event, compered by Bill McAllister, was rounded off with a lively auction of football memorabilia and other other items donated by local businesses. The monies raised will be used to fund local and international projects. |
Past president Roddy Wood presents cheque
to RNLI senior helmsman Donnie Macrae.
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