With just over a month to go to the end of my presidential year I thought it was time I updated my President’s Message.
My last message in November summarised various events we had arranged to celebrate our Centenary. All were successful and well appreciated by those who attended. Thank you to everybody who helped with those celebrations.
Since November we have returned to what could be considered a more normal Rotary year. In December we enjoyed our Christmas lunch with family and friends and were entertained by our speaker, Ian Stringer of Radio Leicester football fame. We also saw three new members join us in December.
In February we were invited to collect at the Botanical Gardens in aid of polio eradication. This was appropriate as the Botanical Gardens were celebrating their crocus weekend and the symbol of polio eradication is the crocus. We raised over £500 which when added to the matched donations by the Gates Foundation will be almost £1600.
I attended the Technology Challenge which took place at Leicester Grammar School in February. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the young people and the engineering and science skills they demonstrated in completing their task. Hopefully many of them will go on to have a STEM career.
Other young people’s events included various local, district and national competitions. Young Musician saw many pupils competing in various categories. Our solo violinist went through to the national finals in Cardiff and did very well.
We had one of our most successful years in the Minor Sports competition, reaching the semi-final. Maybe it was just coincidence but the first time I participated we were knocked out! Let’s hope we can go one better next year.
President Elect Richard Power is looking forward to his year in office and has been researching a project to provide equipment to hospitals currently being constructed in Ethiopia. No doubt we will hear more about this project when Richard takes over the presidency.
Though it has been a challenge, it has been an honour to be President in our Centenary year. I am grateful to those in the Club and beyond who have supported me this year. It would have been an impossible task without their help.
David Brunton
President
