District Press Release issued by District Communications Chairman Elect, Peter Love…
Charities across the North Midlands covering Staffordshire and Shropshire are set to benefit from Rotary club fundraising of more than £160,000.
Many of the clubs in the Rotary district covering the two counties have organised a wide variety of Christmas fundraising activities for a host of different charities.
Some clubs report a record fundraising achievement whilst others still hope to boost their total amounts.
Most popular of the fundraising activities has been the traditional Rotary Tree of Light which has been successful throughout Staffordshire and Shropshire.
In particular, the Telford Tree of Light which collected £37,000. This is an annual joint effort from the Rotary clubs of Ironbridge, Telford Centre, Wellington and The Wrekin.
Said Dave Silcock, president of the Rotary club of Ironbridge: “Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Severn Hospice, the remainder being divided between the four clubs for each president’s chosen charity.”
For the 10th year the Rotary club of Wolverhampton raised a 20ft Christmas Tree of Remembrance in the Mander Centre. Over 800 names were recorded generating a fund of £7,500 for Compton Hospice, Wolverhampton MS Centre, The Brothers of the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Lindsay Clift Memorial Fund.
The Rotary club of Tettenhall’s Christmas collections raised £5,643 which will support Compton Hospice and other Rotary charities.
The Rotary club of Shrewsbury, supported by Rotary members from Shawbury and Mid Shropshire and Shrewsbury Darwin, ran a very successful – and spectacular – Santa’s grotto in the Pride Hill Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury.
Members put in a total of 338 hours work and raised more than £3,000 for the club’s charities.
It has been one of the most successful-ever fundraising campaigns for Shawbury and Mid Shropshire whilst Market Drayton say their Tree of Light added to the festive elements of the town as well as serving as a focus for their collection.
From Newport to Stafford, Uttoxeter to Rugeley and Wednesbury to Etruria, the fundraising for charity has gone on, as a result of which many charities will benefit.
The Rotary club of Uttoxeter provided transport and entertained about 70 elderly folk to a full scale Christmas dinner with entertainment from their own musically and comically talented Rev Kesh Govan.
Ellesmere Rotary’s Tree of Light was in support of the Tesco Diabetes UK appeal collection at their local branch to whom they made a £1,100 donation, saying it was ‘very heartening to see the great generosity of the people of a small market town’.
Church Stretton had two fundraising events, Tree of Light and carols in The Square, and Santa’s sleigh was also ever-popular, as it was for the Rotary clubs of Rugeley, Shawbury and Mid Shropshire and Whitchurch.
The Rotary club of Whitchurch said they continue to be surprised that each year they manage to beat their previous best figures – despite the economic climate.
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