Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell - Community Committee

We are all members of our own local communities and as Rotarians we are given the opportunity to contribute in many different ways:
  

Each year we take local children who are disabled to the Cotswold Wildlife Park as part of the Rotary 'KidsOut' Scheme which provides a day of fun for 20,000 children each year. We all have great fun and the stimulation it gives to the children is enormous - see for yourself on the picture below.

At Christmas we also don our walking boots and take a Santa Float around the Bretch Hill area of Banbury and the village of Bloxham collecting for various local Charities and projects we may have. In the past the money has gone to provide a Christmas Disco for the children at the Frank Wise special school as well as providing chess sets for other local primary schools.

As a relatively young club we are also keen to do 'hands on' projects and we have helped to clear a Nature Reserve of brambles and dead wood for the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust as well as organise a very popular Tea Dance each April for the local elderly.

ROTARY CHILDREN SWIMMING FOR WHEELCHAIRS

The Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell are pleased to announce that their children have raised enough money for 13 wheelchairs following a sponsored swim which took place at Bloxham School on 17th December 2006.

The event was held to raise money for wheelchairs for other young people in aid of the Wheelchair Foundation
The idea originated from the presidents children, Jack and Isaac who had seen a DVD on the work of the Wheelchair Foundation and were keen to do something to help. 

A sponsored swim for the members’ children was agreed with the aim of raising money for one or two wheelchairs.   Each child targeted themselves on the basis of how many widths or lengths of a swimming pool they could normally do and pushing back the boundaries, agreed on how many they would try to do to increase this at the sponsored swim.

Each child far exceeded their target, had a great time and raised a total of £670 equating to 13 wheelchairs and were awarded a certificate of performance by the Rotary Club to mark their achievement.

Members children, ranging in ages from 3 – 11 years took part including: Daniel Anthistle, William Brodey, Alistair Craig, Olivia Cunningham, Jack and Isaac Gaston, Grace Gunn, Chloe Sharman-Moss and Sarah Williams.

Mike Gaston, President of the Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell explains: “From what started out as a chat over the family dinner table, the simplest of ideas was taken to heart by a number of our members’ children.  Their enthusiasm and commitment was infectious and served as a timely reminder of their talents and abilities.  They were fantastic and are very much to be congratulated in their endeavours.  I would like to send out a big thank you to each of them, and to Bloxham School for the kind use of their pool.”