The City of Wolverhampton Rotary Club has once again been busy inducting new members who are happy to serve their community.

From left to right we have President Lorraine McCarthy, Shamiso Mutsambiwa, Rotarian Sylvia Morgan (membership chair) and  Sally Woods our Vice President.

Shamiso works in the health service.

And just prior to the welcoming of Shamiso, we also welcomed

Ochuka Ejohwomu PHF with Nana Fatima Ejohwomu and Matilda Chonga with (l-r) Sylvia Morgan, District Governor Jane Cooper and President Lorraine McCarthy

Ochuka Ejohwomu PHF

Nana Fatima Ejohwomu and

Matilda Chonga

Ochuka and Fatima both previously from the Rotary Club of Lagos Palm Grove Estate in Nigeria, relocating to Uk after 6 yrs serving in Nigeria.Both working in health and social care. Matilda is from Cameroon and works in public health studying for a doctorate.

She is also CEO of Global diabetes initiatives uk.

October 24th was World Polio Day and once again the City of Wolverhampton club played it’s part in supporting the campaign to rid the world of polio by planting 4000 purple crocus bulbs in Bantock Park to add to the many thousands we have planted over past years.

We were delighted to be joined by children from Low Hill Nursery and Merridale and Warstones primary schools who learned a little about the campaign while they were having great fun – as evidenced by their excited laughter as they scattered the bulbs.

The aim is to keep the campaign in the public eye and our purchase of the crocus results in a donation to the campaign which is matched at a ratio of 2:1 by the Gates Foundation, but the need to maintain the campaign is ever present.

When the campaign started nearly 40 years ago there were 1000 new cases every day across the world. We have succeeded in making India polio free. However there has been a worrying outbreak of this dreadful disease in Gaza with an increase in the cases in Pakistan and Afghnistan as a result of the political climate in those countries. The latest figures tell us that there have been 46 new cases in 2024 to date.

Rotarians across the world are determined to keep up the fight until the disease is eradicated for ever.

PDG Richard Green

The District 1210 organiser for the Rotary Books4Home project Beverley Ricketts issued an appeal for famous people to tell us about the books they love. The scheme has so far supplied more than 155,000 books for children to keep in over 200 schools throughout Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands, and is growing rapidly.

Actress Honorary Rotarian Jenny Seagrove responded: “I discovered The Lord of the Rings as a teenager, after reading The Hobbit and it instantly went to the top of my list of books I love. I must have read it about 12 times and anyone who has read it knows how many pages there are. This was before it became famous as a film (which I have never wanted to see as the images in my head are much too precious to be replaced by someone else’s!) To this day I remain in fear of the black riders!!! ”

PDG Richard Green

A $92,000 project to construct a series of dams in the Pavagada region of Karnataka, Southern India has been completed in record time, with work starting in early August 2024 and being completed by mid September.

The project, made possible by a global grant from The Rotary Foundation and with support from Rotary clubs in Bangalore India, Wallingford New Hampshire USA and the City of Wolverhampton, UK is already bearing fruit, with the water in the catchment areas already gathering behind the dams.

The water used to run away unused via tributaries of the River Cauvery into the Bay of Bengal.

Also involved were Districts 7870 and 7780 in the USA with District 1210 in the UK all of whom provide contributions from their District Designated Funds (DDF.)

The construction fulfils one of the Foundation’s Areas of Focus, that of Economic and Community Development in that it provides excellent support to local farmers whose fields used to dry up in the hot season with heavy rainfall during the monsoons running away before it could be harvested for irrigation of crops.

Rotarian Ambli Suresh who led the project on behalf of the Rotary Club of Bangalore Sadshivanagar says “the dams will be a lifeline for the farmers; 90% of local village income derives from agriculture, but climate change, with resultant droughts in the dry seasons after heavy rains and flooding in the monsoon period presented a severe threat. Our project will ensure the return of a safe livelihood to many of these farmers.”

PDG Richard Green

So asked one of the young people on the last day of this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards course (RYLA) whch was held at Kingswood near Albrighton in August.

39 boys and girls aged between 16 and 18 attended the residential event which presented physical and mental challenges that allowed them, in teams, to experience leadership, communication and problem solving, based on outdoor activities led by experienced and qualified staff with each team having a Rotarian mentor.

The course was designed to encourage the youngsters to learn the importance of competition, gain confidence through pride in achievement, build character and tolerance as the building blocks to the quality of life.

Our own club, The City of Wolverhampton, sponsored Frankie Walker, Mandeep Bagwal and Zahra Rashid. They were taken to the course and returned home by club members Michael Hardacre, Lynne Plant, Sylvia and Derek Morgan and Richard Green who was accompanied by Alder Allen.

In every case, we experienced the usual apprehension by each of the youngsters as they travelled to Kingswood, followed by enthusiasm, delight and praise at the end. New friendships were formed as can be seen in the photograph of the whole group, and these friendships, based on past experience of RYLA, will remain in place for many years.

Numerous challenges put to the youngsters included buggy building, archery and ‘blindside’ in which each team member had to negotiate an obstacle course wearing a blindfold while the other members guided them by describing the obstacles.

On the Thursday evening, it was ‘Talent Night.’  Parents, guardians and Rotarians were invited to a fun event at which each team had been challenged to entertain by putting on a show. The results drew loud applause not only from the other RYLArians but from the whole appreciative audience.

Designed to give the participants an unforgettable experience, its success was summed up by one departing participant as ‘the best week I’ve ever had!’

PDG Richard Green

On Friday July 19^th. the Wolverhampton Youth Orchestra and the Youth Wind Orchestra comprising over 80 extremely talented young musicians under their conductors Catriona Roberts and Russell Lock performed to a packed house in the Wulfrun Hall as they thrilled the audience with their pre tour concert before setting off to play in Italy.

Venues on the tour will be Montevarchi, Perugia and Montecatini Terme.

Rotary in Bilston,Wolverhampton, Wednesfield and Willenhall and District Governor Jane Cooper together with colleagues from The Wolverhampton Free Trade Association and the Susan Vickers Foundation were in attendance in large numbers, to back up the generous support and donations they make available as clubs and individuals to support the Youth Orchestra though the Friends of the Wolverhampton Schools Music Service. These donations make it possible for every young musician to be part of the tour.

A wonderful variety of musical treats were presented ranging through the classics, jazz and pops  from ‘Jai Ho’ from ‘Slumdog Millionaire ‘ by A.R. Rahman, the Adagio from ‘Spartacus’ by Khachaturian, the march ‘Liberty Bell’ by John Philip Souza and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Freddie Mercury of Queen, and a selection from ‘Les Miserables by Claude-Michel Schonberg.

The musical achievement and standard of performance was superb. To quote Julia Farrell of the Free Trade Association: “ Music is very much alive in Wolverhampton and these young people were incredible.”

PDG Richard Green

As the 2024 school summer term comes to an end, it’s pleasing to report that the Rotary club of the City of Wolverhampton has been able to supply 3100 b

ooks this academic year, bringing our overall total to 7645 to 8 local schools and settings, including the Haven Refuge for the victims of domestic violence.

The scheme – illustrated in the attached – provides a constant supply of good quality books for school pupils of all ages, competely free of charge. The children are able to keep the books and our appointed Rotarian maintains the supply by staying in touch with the appointed school staff member who selects the books, collecting them from our store and delivering them to the school. We start with an initial supply of around 200 books and top up the stock, usually once a term.

We can also make book storage units available, free of charge, if the schools need one.

Our stock is usually around 90,000. The books are donate

d to us and each one is carefully checked for suitability and quality.

Our thanks go to Wolverhampton Rotarians Polly Bhambra, Mike Boyce, David Cheadle, Norman Holmes, Richard Horrell and Sally Woods who have been involved under the leadership of the District Alumni Association co-chair Beverley Ricketts and PDG Richard Green.

A significant number of clubs across the District are also involved and we recently passed the milestone of 100,000 books supplied.