Reepham & District Rotary Club is organising a sale of pictures and other art on Saturday 18 April in the Bircham Centre, Market Place Reepham, from 10 am to 2 pm. Proceeds will go towards supporting the town’s community centre.

Visitors can enjoy refreshments throughout the event, and there will also be a raffle with a picture as the prize.

Many of the artworks have been donated by Rotary members who, after years of helping to run the art exhibition at the Aylsham Show, built up sizeable collections. As some members are now moving to smaller homes, a number of pieces are looking for new owners. Several are original works by local artists, many with strong local interest.

Richard Cooke

Photo: “Country Church” by Mike Knight

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The fund has been built up from surpluses from the annual food festival, which will no longer continue.

The community fund will make small grants for the purchase of specific equipment that will assist local organisations in delivering services and facilities to people in Reepham. Typically, grants will be for less than £500.

“We are not aiming to help organisations with their running costs” said Reepham Rotary president Coen van Beuningen, “but to enable them to get started on a new initiative.

“We are already in discussion with Reepham Scouts and communicating with Little Robins, a new youth football team.”

Organisations seeking funds should send an email, detailing what they require and how it will help their plans.

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Monday 7 April: Hannah Jackson – Norwich Castle

The transformation of Norwich Castle’s iconic Norman keep is one of the largest heritage projects currently underway in the UK, generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It will see the rebuilding of the medieval floors and rooms so that visitors will be able to experience a Norman royal palace that has been occupied for more than 900 years.

The British Museum’s first medieval gallery outside London will bring treasures of international importance to Norwich, and for the first time everyone will be able to explore all five levels of the keep, from basement to battlements.

Project manager Hannah Jackson will tell us about the history of Norwich Castle and explain how the development is being done.

Monday 16 June: Tony Diamond – Queen Victoria

We have already enjoyed one of Tony’s fascinating takes on historical figures. Here he will take us through the fascinating life of Queen Victoria whose 60-year reign covered an amazing part of this country’s history.

Booking choices

Our talks are preceded by supper served at 7 pm at a cost of £24.40 per person. Talks start at 8 pm at a cost of £5. If you are interested in attending, contact Richard Cooke 07889 036852 or email.

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The carers’ task completed, these mainly specialised items for tracheotomy treatment were about to be abandoned. Medical advice was sought before disposal and the advice given was that it should not be returned to source and would be probably destroyed.

The items were contained in several sealed boxes as delivered, plus hundreds of other items in manufacturer’s sealed packaging, which were removed from the property by a Reepham Rotary Club member by agreement with the family. Everything was subsequently inspected by a qualified intensive-care practitioner, who found all the items perfectly usable.

As a result, the 24 boxes (pictured) have been transported to Ukraine where it is hoped they will assist medical needs. It is hoped to report on this in the future, but it is a precarious war zone.

Waste is immoral; help us to help others.

Photo: submitted

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The Post Office team wearing their Christmas jumpers raised £360 from customers to support the work of the café.

Reepham & District Rotary Club also received a generous donation from Sir John White, and additional funding came from the proceeds of the last Reepham Food Festival. The café also receives support in kind from the Co-op and Spar stores.

The Sunshine Memory Café is organised by Reepham Rotary for those with memory loss and their carers. They meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, 10 -12 noon at St Michael’s |Reepham, where they enjoy games, refreshment, entertainment and conversation.

Numbers have grown steadily but there is always room for more. No booking is needed and no payment required. For more information contact Trevor Nelson 01603 860253 or email.

Many thanks to all who have donated and those who come to help.

Photo: John Tym

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It is part of the global Rotary International organisation that uses the time and skills of its members to improve the world around us.

Charities

The club is currently supporting:

• Field of Joy – improving well-being for many people locally;
• Ukraine – contributions to an old people’s home;
• street children in Tanzania – protection and education;
• Aquabox – fresh water for disaster areas.

Activities

The club’s current activities include:

• Sunshine Café – for those with memory loss and their carers, 10 am on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at St Michael’s, Reepham;
• Reepham Food Festival – the club has organised the annual food festival for seven years and also helps with the annual Reepham Classic Car Festival;
• schools – the club helps with reading, community activities, job interviews and other projects.

Communication

The club produces Reepham Town News for the community.

Programme

Some of the club’s talks are open to visitors:

• 21 October – Healthy ageing;
• 4 November – Antarctica;
• 25 November – The Red Arrows.

Supper and talk at 6.45 pm, £21; talk only at 8 pm, £5. Email: reservations@reephamrotary.org.uk or call 07889 036852.

Join

Reepham & District Rotary Club welcomes like-minded individuals who enjoy working together to serve the community and would like to join in its activities.

As well as full membership, the club can now offer associate membership to those who:

• help with the Rotary community and overseas projects and fundraising;
• are welcome to attend some club meetings and hear interesting speakers (there is no obligation to attend every meeting).

Associate members only pay a nominal sum to cover administration and pay per meeting attended.

If you are interested, please email the president, Peter Williams pres@reephamrotary.org.uk

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Special thanks to Reepham Post Office, which chose to donate its Christmas collection to the café, and to Jeannette Overton, who donated her 2022 Community at Heart Award.

These and other donations will help the memory café to continue to provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere with refreshments, games, music and entertainment for all to take part in and enjoy.

The Sunshine Memory Café for people with memory loss and their carers is organised by Reepham & District Rotary Club on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 10 am at St Michael’s Reepham. There is no charge and no need to book.

If you would like more information and a copy of our programme for this year, please telephone Peter Williams on 01362 686860 or email.

Richard Cooke

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As government energy support payments began to arrive, many members felt there was a greater need than ours right now.

Reepham Rotary has established a direct link with the Rotary Club of Kyiv so we can be certain that money reaches the right place and we can hear how it is used.

Through leaflets, collection buckets and online donations, the appeal – with gift aid – has now topped £5,000, according to Reepham Rotary president Jim Fraser. “There are many needs in the world and at home, and we respond where we can,” he said.

“However, the unnecessary suffering created by this war on a civilian population has touched many hearts, particularly as there are now refugees welcomed among us in Reepham. Many thanks to all who have contributed so far.”

The initial money raised is now being sent, although the appeal will remain open as the need will continue.

If you would like to help Ukraine, you can donate through our charity page online HERE.

Alternatively donations can be sent via BACS to the club’s trust fund, sort code 20-03-26, account number 90387088, or by cheque to Reepham & District Rotary Club to J. Fraser, Newington House, Booton NR10 4NZ.

There are also cash collection points at the post office and around the town.

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The most urgent need in a disaster like this is safe drinking water to prevent dehydration and disease.

Reepham & District Rotary Club continually raises funds for Aquaboxes, which are kept in stock, ready to ship anywhere in the world.

The boxes are water tanks that contain either family filters to care for a single family or community filters.

The latest donation from Reepham will pay for seven community filters that can provide six litres of clean water a minute for up to 2,800 people.

Reepham Rotary has sent more than 450 Aquaboxes in the 20 years it has been supporting the charity.

Aquabox works with Rotary clubs on the ground and partner charities that ensure the boxes are delivered swiftly to where they are needed.

The charity has just one part-time employee and some 70 volunteers, ensuring all funds are used to build and ship treatment equipment. Stockpiles are kept to ensure rapid response to emerging disasters.

Being able to treat water on the spot reduces the need for clean water to be sent in plastic bottles – the number of filters in use around the world has removed the need for 4,000 plastic bottles every minute.

Reepham Rotary donations are funded by its long-running 100 Club, which is supported by members and non-members in the community. Monthly prizes and an annual roll-over add excitement to regular giving.

The 100 Club is run by Paul Smith who will welcome enquiries by email or telephone 01603 870381.

Richard Cooke

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In addition to other charitable donations, the club has always kept a fund topped up, ready for use in exactly this sort of emergency. Members voted to donate it all to this cause.

The Rotary Club had researched the best way to help and determined that the consortium of charities already working on the ground was the fastest way to make a difference to all those displaced and damaged by this unpleasant war.

According to club president John Pickering, the challenge now will be to replenish the fund. “We are working on a series of initiatives to raise money,” he said.

“This has been difficult with Covid restrictions, but we were glad to have money in hand to respond quickly.

“There will be other disasters – and the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine will be with us for many years.

“We would welcome any help that the local community can give to support our efforts to rebuild our emergency funds.”

Photo: Disasters Emergency Committee

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