At it’s meeting on Tuesday, July 9th., the Rotary club of the City of Wolverhampton had several reasons to celebrate. Our second lady President Lorraine McCarthy was inducted and in her acceptance speech Lorraine told us she was honoured to take on the role leading the club which had been a force for good in the local community for over 100 years. She recalled that the club had been responsible for the founding of Compton Hospice (now ComptonCare) and the Wolverhampton MS Therapy Treatment Centre as well as high profile and significant fund raising  activities such as the annual Dragon Boat Race, Best Foot Forward and the Tree of Remembrance. These enabled the club to provide many grants to innumerable deserving causes.

The good news didn’t stop there. We were thrilled to welcome 2 new Rotarians, Doctor Michael Hardacre who has just competed his year as the Mayor of Wolverhampton, together woith his partner Lynn Plant. Michael told us that he had been extremely impressed by the wonderful work done by the club and he and Lynn were looking forward to becoming closely involved, playing an active role.

President Lorraine rounded off the meeting by announcing that Geoff and Carol Lowndes were to be granted honorary membership of the club in recognition of their superb service to the cause of Rotary for over 20 years, having been closely involved in the leadership of so many aspects of its life.

She noted that so many Rotarians had suggested to her that this was a fitting tribute to Geoff and Carol so that, as she said, it was an acceptable ‘breach of protocol’ in that such honours were normally not granted until the Annual General Meeting which is held much later in the Rotary year.

Every year one of our Rotarians has an open garden to promote fellowship and raise funds for the National Garden Scheme. A charity that since 1927 has been raising funds to support nursing and health care charities.
6 th July was the date and a goodly number of Rotarians had a lovely time enjoying the garden of Brian Bailey and his wife Anne. A beautiful garden hidden away in the heart of the City. A real gem with lots of hidden features and cakes you cannot resist.
Four potential members were invited and impressed with the fellowship offered. Hopefully events like this will encourage people to come and join rotary and enjoy fellowship and fun in our city.

In the most recent round of the club’s Grant Giving programme we were pleased to award a grant of £2000 to the Susan Vickers Foundation. Their motto is ‘Turning Pain Into Purpose,’ and they provide support with mental, physical and emotional well-being to people who have been adopted or fostered, often suffering taumatic childhoods.The Foundation’s activities also assist individuals with an exploration of their biological past if they require it.

Our grant was used in part to fund a recent event aimed at bringing adoptees and fostered people together.

We received this from Susan:

“I am thrilled to share the incredible success of our recent coffee morning hosted by The Susan Vickers Foundation. On a sun-drenched Saturday morning, The Changemakers hub buzzed with the warmth of community and the spirit of shared experiences. It was truly heart-warming.

 Your support played a pivotal role in making this event truly remarkable.

Heartfelt Connections: Attendees shared their stories, offered advice, and formed new friendships. Witnessing the bonds forming between families facing similar challenges and joys was truly inspiring.

1. Creative Fun: Our craft session, led by Julia, was a hit! Children and adults alike expressed themselves creatively, adding joy and laughter to the morning.
2. Delicious Treats: Breakfast pastries, cakes, and hot beverages fuelled engaging discussions and activities.
3. Support and Guidance: Experienced adopters and foster parents generously shared their wisdom with newcomers, providing invaluable advice and reassurance.
4. A Brighter Future: New families left feeling supported and empowered, armed with resources and a network of understanding individuals.

The overwhelmingly positive response has been incredible. We’ve received numerous requests for information about our next event. Clearly, this gathering filled a vital need in our community, providing a platform for shared experiences and mutual support.

Your partnership made this event possible, and we’re immensely grateful. But it doesn’t end here! By supporting us, you’re not only fostering a sense of community but also creating lasting change for those touched by adoption and fostering.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you and contribution to making this event so special. Your grant helped the very spirit of The Susan Vickers Foundation—turning experiences into strength and fostering a supportive community for all touched by adoption and fostering.

Susan.

Saturday 29th June saw the return of Best Foot Forward to Aldersley Stadium in Wolverhampton. The weather was kind, not too hot and no rain, perfect for runners and joggers. This year’s Charity Pot stood at £11,700. This is the money donated by our very generous Patrons which is then released to our nominated Charities by completing circuits of the track. The number of Participants this year was a record at 590 people who completed 15,352 laps, another record. Consequently, the Charity Pot was fully released. The nominated charities for 2024 are the Central Youth Theatre, Wolverhampton MS Therapy Centre and the Rotary Charitable Trust.

Participating teams such as Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group were also raising funds for their own causes.

As always, our Participants represented a complete cross section of abilities; there were serious runners, endurance runners, joggers, people in wheelchairs, walkers, babies in prams, and many canine supporters. We had the usual queue at 8 am with the runners keen to get on the track. Some of those runners were still there at 8 pm! This year thirty Participants did over 100 laps, another record. DG Makunda Chidrawar and DGE Jane Cooper paid us a visit and did some laps. We had a visit from Councillor Linda Leach, Mayor of Wolverhampton. Rotarians from the other Rotary Clubs in Wolverhampton did some laps for us. Making an event like Best Foot Forward run smoothly requires a lot of work, so our thanks must go to the twenty seven Rotarians who volunteered to help on the day. We also had three helpers who, whilst not Rotarians, put in a lot of work; Carol Lowndes, Alder Allen and Richard Maule-ffinch. Any report on Best Foot Forward would be remiss if it did not thank Geoff and Carol Lowndes and Mike Boyce. Our thanks to them for their hard work organising Best Foot Forward and ensuring the event was so successful. – – – But of course none of this would have happened without our generous Patrons, our backers the James Beattie Trust, the Exprees & Star and the City Council and our Participants, so our grateful thanks go to all of you.

Richard Horrell, Chairman Best Foot Forward Committee.

The Rotary Club of the City of Wolverhampton.