Stamford Rotary Club celebrates 75 years of community service

Rotary Club of Stamford celebrates 75 years of service

The Rotary Club of Stamford, a pillar of community service, is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. With a rich history and a commitment to making a positive impact locally and globally, the club has flourished over the past 25 years, leaving an enduring legacy of compassion and service. In the last 25 years, the club has supported many and varied local organisations, such as the Evergreen Trust, MindSpace, Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, Marie Curie, Stamford Amateur Boxing Club, Rutland Sailability and the Stamford Housing Essentials Project (Shep), which is an offshoot of the Stamford Foodbank providing essential furniture and white goods to families in need in Stamford. Recently the club donated a second boat to Rutland Sailability, an organisation which enables disabled people of all ages to sail solo, and we witnessed the launch and a thrilling display by an excited and delighted young sailor.

Purple for Polio

One of the club’s proud achievements has been its relentless efforts, in co-operation with the other two Stamford clubs, to help in the international fight to eradicate polio worldwide. The club has been actively involved in supporting the global Rotary initiative to end this devastating disease. The campaign has been so successful that now only Afghanistan and Pakistan have live polio cases. World Polio Day is held annually on October 23 and over the years the three Stamford Rotary clubs have planted 40,000 purple crocus bulbs across the town to draw attention to the campaign. Last year St Michael’s and All Saints’ churches were illuminated with purple light and there are plans to so illuminate other churches in 2023. Why purple? Each immunised child has their little finger painted purple, hence the slogan, ‘Purple for Polio.’

Rotary and Fun

Rotary is not just about fundraising but also having fun. One of the most eagerly anticipated events on the Stamford calendar has been the Georgian Festival. On the last occasion it was held, the club organised a sedan chair racing event. This thrilling event highlights the club’s ability to unite the community in laughter and friendly competition while raising funds for charitable causes. The sight of teams dashing round The Meadows carrying creatively designed sedan chairs attracted large crowds and through the generosity of participants, sponsors, and spectators, the Sedan Chair Race was a significant source of funding for various local projects.

Disability Games 2019

One of the club’s most notable events in recent years was organising the 2018 and 2019 Rotary Regional Disability Games. These events were very kindly hosted by Stamford School in and on their excellent sporting facilities and their staff were superb. Also our sponsors were brilliant, among whom were Buckles Solicitors, Waitrose, Barker Signs, D Squared and Creative Design and Print plus Bradshaws of Stibbington, which provided four golf buggies to transport competitors around the extensive site. Some 200 participants from Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland took part in nine disciplines in what was a truly uplifting experience for competitors, organisers and supporters.

Youth Competitions

Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland encourages youth competitions and here in Stamford we organise Young Chef, Young Artist, Young Writer, and Young Photographer. Winners of the local events go on to district and national competitions. Of these, the Young Chef is the most popular. It is held annually in the food and nutrition department of Stamford High School and is judged by two senior personnel from the catering branch at RAF Wittering. The competition is promoted through the local schools and is open to pupils up to the age of 17. The club awards cash prizes to the top three entrants.

Environment

Two new members of the club, Richard Boulderstone and his wife Kay, are making a contribution to wildlife and the environment in South Lincolnshire. They have purchased 17 acres of former pastureland on which to establish and maintain a natural native woodland for the enjoyment of all. The wood is named Lower Braceborough Wood and a grant from the Woodland Trust enabled the start of planting trees of several varieties. With sponsorship from our club, support from two local companies and the assistance of members of neighbouring Rotary clubs, Duke of Edinburgh students from the Deepings School, Scouts, local organisations and many individuals, 4,000 trees have been planted in the last two years with a further 2,000 to be planted in December this year. Once finished, the wood will be gifted to the Woodland Trust to be developed and maintained over time for the enjoyment of future generations.

International Projects

The club’s dedication to education extends far beyond the town’s borders. In partnership with other Rotary clubs, they have made a significant impact on education in Sri Lanka after the devastating 2004 tsunami which destroyed many coastal communities. Through its Books for Sri Lanka initiative, and with the active co-operation of local schools and colleges, the club donated thousands of books to schools, enriching the lives of countless children. By providing educational resources, the club is helping to build a brighter future for young minds, fostering a love for learning and opening doors to new opportunities. In addition, the local community in Stamford and the surrounding villages rallied to the call for unwanted sewing machines and 150 were sent along with the school books to enable mothers who had lost their breadwinner in the tsunami to make a living and feed their families. In addition to this the club supported the Kandy Centre for the Handicapped and recently helped establish, through a Rotary Global Grant, a new ophthalmology unit to which RC Kandy (our partner club) had long aspired but had been unable to fund. This is proving successful to the point of now being in need of further finance to permit expansion.

Some years ago the club, in cooperation with other clubs, sponsored motorcycle ambulances, called eRangers, in Uganda. They were needed to transport patients to hospital who otherwise would have to be carried through the streets and countryside on stretchers and wheelbarrows. In the period June 2014 to March 2023 the two ‘Stamford eRangers’ had 3,101 callouts of which 57 per cent were emergencies thus probably saving some 1,500 lives.

Another major international project sponsored by the club and organised by Shirin Fenn, at the time a Stamford resident, was in Nepal and this involved building a two classroom school for between 70 and 100 pupils aged five to 13 at the Jugal Basic School, which was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, and a separate weatherproof toilet block. In 2022 Shirin led a new team to build, in eight days, the Golche Medical Centre. The teams to carry out the work comprised people from all over the British Isles including several from the Stamford area, all paying their own travel costs.

Summary

With its strong sense of community and unwavering commitment to service, the club has supported numerous local charity events and sponsorships, touching the lives of many within our community. Its selfless acts of kindness and generosity have made a lasting difference, inspiring others to join the cause and create a more inclusive and compassionate society. As the club celebrates its 75th anniversary, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all past and present members who have dedicated themselves to the ideals of Rotary. Its remarkable achievements over the past years are a testament to the power of collective action and the spirit of service. Hopefully, the club’s enduring legacy will continue to inspire future generations to come together, effect positive change, and make a lasting impact on our beloved Stamford. For further information about the club and its ongoing initiatives, please visit rotaryclubofstamford.co.uk or contact the club secretary Jim Guthrie at jimguthrie69@aol.com