Rotarian Joan receives MBE A Joan Thomson MBE Water, water everywhere! I
won’t forget the morning of Monday 15th
August in a hurry – I was later than usual driving to work and got a call at 8am from Judy Smith, the Head of Finance, asking how far away
I was. I answered that I was about 15 minutes away whilst secretly thinking, ‘For heaven’s sake, can’t she wait ‘til I get in the door!’ But it was the next sentence that woke me out of my indignation – ‘We’ve had a flood…’ It truly was a sight to behold, raining
indoors. That’s what greeted me and the other members of staff that morning. It was lucky for us that Judy remembered her Girl Guide skills and by using an elastic band had fastened the ballcock back into position to stop the torrent of water from the cistern in the ladies' toilet on the first floor. That being sorted, we did what anyone would do in a major crisis – order bacon sandwiches and tea, and think. From that point forward thanks to a lot of effort, time and commitment by a couple of specific members of staff who really do need to be mentioned for their tireless and dedicated efforts – Rachel Stalker and Tina Howard – we were planning our advance on the car park of the Secretariat and into our temporary accommodation. Initially, we thought that drying out the walls and carpets would do the trick, but it soon became obvious that the power of water had caused as much damage as a fire would have. At the time of writing, we have been in what we affectionately call ‘the Big
Brother House’ (we had been calling it Camp Bastion but that implied that we were dealing with the Taliban and who would dare think that Rotarians ever behave like that towards the staff? Complaints can be posted on Facebook…) for four weeks, and again my thanks must go to the staff for putting up with each other’s foibles, the cold starts, the vibrations of high heels, my shrieks of ‘Don’t close the door!’ and all the other general nonsense that comes with living in a confined space. As we race towards Christmas, the
new-look Secretariat is already taking shape and it won’t just benefit the working environment of the staff. Plans are in place to maximise the space on the first floor to provide a large open-plan space that could hold up to 60 people seated. This type of facility will significantly increase our ability to hold seminars and other events without having to incur the cost of using a hotel and also offers a service to Rotarians to use this area for their own purposes. We will also have a dedicated area for Rotarians to view Rotary memorabilia and archived information, as clubs often visit the Secretariat to see what goes in ‘Alcester’. We anticipate being out of our cabins
by the end of winter/early spring, and back into the newly invigorated offices in time for the preparation of RIBI Assembly and the Annual Conference. Thanks to all those Rotarians who have sent their best wishes to us. If you want to follow the activities of the Secretary/CEO, including regular updates about the building, all is revealed on my new Facebook page at www.facebook. com/secretaryceo. n
Annemarie Harte RIBI Secretary/CEO
member of Cheltenham Sunrise
Rotary Club, Joan Thomson has received the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for service to the community and
was recently presented with the award at Windsor Castle by the Princess Royal. Joan has been President of Cheltenham
Sunrise Rotary Club, Chairman of Cheltenham Spa Ladies Circle and an Area Chairman of that organisation. As well as her community work with
Rotary, where she chairs the Youth Opportunities Committee, Joan has been for many years a Governor then Chair of Governors at Whaddon Primary School. She is also an active supporter of County Community Projects, which helps young people in difficulties back into mainstream society. Joan is actively involved with
Cheltenham’s Everyman Club, a social group for people with learning and physical difficulties, who meet each week at the Parkland’s Community Centre in Whaddon. Jan Stafford, who runs the club with
her husband Noel, said: “Joan has been an untiring supporter of the Everyman Club for many years and is much loved by all our members.” For many years, she was an
Appropriate Adult, helping to look after young people in police custody when no parent or guardian is available. Joan is a very active member of St
Andrew’s Church in Cheltenham. She is a pastoral visitor, treasurer of the Tuesday Forum, coordinates the transport for any not-so-mobile Church members, and is a key member of the Fund Raising Committee. Canon John Holder, Past President of
Cheltenham Sunrise Rotary Club, said: “Joan’s contribution to improving life for people in Cheltenham is enormous and we are delighted that this has been recognised with her MBE.” n
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www.ribi.org | December 2011
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