ON LINE

The Rotary Club of Sevenoaks Amherst

October 2006 

 

President

 

What a fantastic day! We could not have wanted for better weather, a better location or a better team in staging Cyclosportive. As in the case of the golf day, the unsolicited testimonials confirm that it really is us (wives, husbands and partners included) that make the event so popular and we can be proud not only that our efforts have raised over £20,000 but that we have already confirmed next year’s event! Thank you one and all.

 

“Hair today and gone tomorrow.” Ouch, that hurt! So did my legs after being waxed, although that is tempered by the news that it will likely raise over £500 toward the District Governor’s presidential challenge. No too bad for a £1 investment although we won’t know how we fared in comparison to other clubs in 1120 until conference. Jeanne Peterson, last Wednesday’s speaker on the Aspinall Trust was certainly amused, wondering what on earth she had let herself in for sitting next to a man in shorts with oily legs. Nonetheless, she has generously donated 2 family tickets for Howletts or Port Lympne for our fundraising efforts. Suggestions please.

 

Colin led a spirited Amherst evening debating and brainstorming membership development, the result of which will be some early social events and working groups looking at the content and organisation of our meetings. Their recommendations will be welcomed and, I’m sure, keenly debated.

 

It was good to see many of you at my home the other Sunday lunchtime enjoying some fellowship in, I hope true Rotary style. Sandra and I hope to see you again early in 2007.

 

Congratulations to Ray and Val on the occasion of their Golden wedding and John Berwick on the arrival of his first grandchild.

 

 

Programme

 

October 2006

04.10.06                                    Business Meeting

11.10.06                                    Partners Evening/New time—7:00pm for Simon’s waxing! Speaker--Jean Peterson—The John Aspinall Trust

18.10.06                                    Amherst Evening—New Club Structure Discussion

25.10.06                                    Speaker—Nik Pears—HopeHIV and the Social Entrepreneurs Project

26.10.06 to 28.10.06                  District Conference, Eastbourne

27.10.06 to 29.10.06                  District Conference, Torquay

 

November 2006

1.11.06                         Business Meeting

08.11.06                                    Jeannie Essex—Medical Student’s Efforts to Help Others

15.11.06                                    Amherst Evening—Topic TBA

22.11.06                                    The Kenward Trust—Tony Williams

29.11.06                                    PARTNERS EVENING/Speaker—Nick Bracken, OBE, Mass Disasters

 

December 2006

06.12.06                                    Special General Meeting—Election of Officers 2007-2008/Approval of Accounts 1005-2006

13.12.06                                    Mike Parker—A surgeon’s story

20.12.06                                    Christmas Party

27.12.06                                    Meeting?

 

Membership Discussion 

 

As many of you are aware we had a Club discussion on Membership on 27th September.  The idea was to summarize where we are and to try and look forward so that the Club can carry on prospering into the next ‘generation’.  I must admit, being one of the younger members of the Club, it seems that we are very reluctant to accept change or to plan for the future.  ‘Why fix what is not broken?’  This is a cry I hear very often.  I would ask the people who say this to think where the club will be in five, or even ten years time, if we carry on without change?

However, we do need to recognize what we do well and retain those aspects.  We need to satisfy the existing membership, whilst at the same time appearing attractive to new members.

We need to look critically at ourselves as it is the Membership that is the heart of the club.  Unless we plan for the future the Club will die, it will slowly slip away as other Clubs have done in the past.  I think we have been a bit complacent over the years and have not moved with the times.

We have clearly seen how other clubs have changed over the past few years.  I went to Amherst Ohio just over a year ago and met a very young family orientated enthusiastic club.  A few of their members returned here in June and you met their youngest member, Kristen, who has just turned thirty and is their President this year.  They have kept the older members and managed to integrate a younger generation as well.  My memories of Amherst, when they last visited, were of a much older club, very similar to ours.

Changes have also taken place in Roubaix where they have become ‘family friendly’ with a new enthusiastic intake of members over the last couple of years.  They have tried to encourage us to change.

Basically we need to recruit more members.  We need to be ‘family friendly’.  We need to encourage younger more active people into the club to develop new ideas and take us forward into the next generation.  Also at the same time we need to carry on doing the things we do well.

We’ve all heard this before but have we taken it seriously.  I think we have said ‘we’ve tried but haven’t succeeded, we’ll try again next year, and after all other clubs find it difficult to recruit’.  Obviously this is no longer true.  Other clubs have recruited in significant numbers and managed to attract enthusiastic people.

How are we doing?  We are doing ok but could do better.  Membership numbers have remained steady and 30 odd is a good number of members, but we are getting older all the time and also Women are not properly represented in the Club.

We briefly discussed the three key areas, Social, Recruitment and Meetings.  I am setting up Working Parties to look at all these areas and obviously will be very receptive to ideas from all members.

SOCIAL. We aim to organize a social event every month from now on and hopefully this will continue into the next year as well.  This is a key area of the Club.  I have already received quite a few ideas for new events, but we will keep some old favourites as well.  I will be setting up this Working party in the next couple of weeks.

MEETINGS. Again I have had several suggestions as to how we can up date meetings.  Derek and Philip have said this is something they would be interested in looking at and I will be meeting with them shortly to discuss.

RECRUITMENT.  This is a very key area and the Working Party will consist of Colin, Simon, Edward, Elaine and Bill.  All of these have expressed a keen interest in this area. 

As mentioned above although Working Parties are being set up we would welcome comments and ideas from any member.

I aim to keep you all informed of any good ideas or significant progress via the Newssheet and we will also have another discussion evening later in the year.

Colin

 

NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THIS

 

The Wine Raffle – Exposed!

 

Who believes that the bottle I won recently was my first since April? No-one of course – it’s usually the case that we prefer folk-lore to facts, and everyone knows that I win every week. Which was why, in the interest of defending the club from pseudoscience, I’ve kept a record of winners since July 2005. I’ve missed a couple of meetings, but can put names to eighty-three bottles in that time, and the myth takes a beating.

Overall conclusions: luck rules, and those who attend more often or buy more tickets are more likely to win. Those who don’t participate are unlikely to win. Spread equally between our members the prizes handed out should have rewarded everyone with about 2.5 bottles each in the last fifteen months, so what’s the reality?

I don’t think that Ron A, Graeme, Maureen, Edward, Jim or Harold have won at all. At the other end sits (wait for it….) TONY, with eight bottles, including a run of three successive weeks and an evening when the second one went to Elizabeth. Mel did very well with six (coincidentally as organiser of the draws?) including a double win one evening when the second was recycled. Geoff had six too, including a double which benefited the speaker. Gordon’s five included two for Carolyn at Partners’ evenings (surely the best win / attendance ratio?)   But Ken M won twice too during his leave of absence, which was impressive. Ray, Brian and Alan have all won four times. The legend passed to speakers that they often draw their own tickets doesn’t stand up: there were only two, although two visitors won too.

This Rotary year so far has Tony/Elizabeth in the lead with three wins, followed by John H and Derek.

More exciting revelations later.

Geoff

 

Have Your Say

 

From ….. Geoff

Subject …..  Anyone for Business?

 

The HQ which gave us “Humanity in Motion” also exhorts us to adopt a more “business-like” approach to Rotary, although at least this time we can choose not to accept the scheme, tested on selected clubs in a handful of countries, and recommended particularly for new or failing clubs.

But in case we need to prepare for a brave new corporate world where the goals are making money and winning at any cost, where power is concentrated in as few hands as possible, where criticism is suppressed and sackings happen by e-mail, consider a possible new “Object of Rotary Inc.” as prepared by a crack Human Resources team. (The out-dated version is in your D1120 directory for comparison.)

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster fundraising as a basis of worthy enterprise, and in particular to encourage and foster:

First: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for doing deals;

Second: The recognition of the worthiness of all money-making occupations and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation if it makes a profit;

Third: The application of the ideal of raising cash in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life;

Fourth: The advancement of international networking through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of swelling coffers.

But we know it will never catch on – Enron made cents not sense?

Geoff

 

Reflections on the Cyclo Sportive

 

Income from the 2006 Cyclo Sportive is currently £22,000 and expenditure approximately £2,500. We don't pay any rent or wages and much of the food is donated. If only we could transfer the same principles and percentages to a business venture then The Dragons would be fighting amongst themselves for a piece of the action!

The 2006 event was undoubtedly the best so far. The organising committee believes that fact and we have received e-mails, letters and telephone calls supporting our opinion. But, we mustn’t be complacent---Sevenoaks Amherst needs to continue producing the best Cyclo Sportive in the south East. Others are beginning to copy us so we need to remain ahead of the competition. So, what can we do to make the 2007 event even better?. Here are a few thoughts on what we could do--------- 

 - recruit a Finance Officer preferably from within the ranks of Sevenoaks Amherst

 - make better use of Gift Aid,£4£(Matched Giving) and other tax efficient means of receiving sponsorship money

 - link with another organisation to create a larger pool of helpers

 -have more marshals and helpers on the route

 -provide more support vehicles(we still use the same number(one) as when the event attracted 150 riders)

 - serve wine with the meal(unfortunately Eileen has already vetoed this one!)

 - provide riders who get lost with better route directions

 -be ready to process the first entries in early January(in 2006 the first entry was received on 5th January)

 - have a Q and A page on the website thus removing the need for so many telephone queries(eg.how hilly is Kent?, what gears do I need?)

Please put SUNDAY16th SEPTEMBER in your new 2007 diary right now and let me have your ideas on how we can future improve this event which is a showpiece for Rotary and Sevenoaks Amherst.

Bill

 

Circuit of Kent

 

What a brilliant day! The organisation was first class, from car parking to refreshments, from registration to facilities, even the weather was perfect.  All the cyclists I spoke to were full of praise for the way the event had been planned and many hope to come back next year!  Thank you Derek, Eileen, Bill and all your helpers for a fantastic day which has raised so much money for Cancer Care and Hospice in the Weald, at the last count I believe it was well over £20,000. 

I was so impressed by the efficiency of everyone involved.  The ladies spent hours, stirring soup, buttering and filling baguettes and signing in everyone in the registration tent whilst the chaps were busy in the car park and organising the start.  It was a great spectacle and Grant’s excellent photographs certainly reflect this.  Nothing was forgotten and I am sure everyone, including the cyclists, went home feeling tired but happy after a job well done.

Janet

 

Used postage stamps

 

My thanks to members who are providing me with used postage stamps, I can always take more.

The stamps have gone to organisations such as RNLI, Kidney Assn., British Heart Foundation, with a current batch going to Lepra.

The stamps are sold in other countries in one kilo packs to collectors to provide money for research and for treatment which in turn helps to save lives.

Can you remember sticking your first acquired stamps into an album? Somewhere in the world a child is doing that and some of the stamps may be some that you have provided.

Thank you.

Don