Rotary Supports The Local Community
Supporting the community is a key part of Rotary’s objectives. Local club, Gryffe Valley, recently undertook a year-end review of its projects over the past 12 months in support of our local community.
Many projects supported local young people in a variety of ways. Some 30 Renfrewshire Young Carers had a day out at the Castle Semple Outdoor Centre. A Young Carer is a youngster aged up to 18 whose life is affected by helping to look after other family members. The aim of the day was to give them a break from their daily duties and the trained staff at the Centre undertook to give them a great time – to make them tired, muddy and happy!! That objective was certainly achieved with a variety of activities on land and on the water.
Also down at Castle Semple, Gryffe Valley was able to source and provide a special lifting hoist to help lift disabled people from wheelchairs into adapted boats on the water. This enabled the Centre to achieve Scotland’s first Centre of Excellence status under the RYA Sailability scheme and the hoist is now in regular and increasing use with disabled people from all over the West of Scotland who are able to get out onto the loch and enjoy themselves.
Rotary itself organises many events to support and encourage young people and Gryffe Valley participated in many of them last year. In the Young Chef competition, Jonathan Ferguson carried on the
high standards set by St Columba’s pupils by winning the local heat and performing strongly in the District finals. St Columba’s performed well at the District Youth Speaks finals and Bridge of Weir won the local heat of the Primary School Quiz and now go forward to the District finals. Together with the Gryffe Camera Club, the club supported the Primary School
Photographer competition for the first time. Results were excellent, with Kilmacolm winning overall, and this activity will be carried forwards into future years. Also for the first time, the club organised a local heat of the Young Writer competition. Thomas Rainey of St Columba’s won and went on to
win 2nd place in the Junior Poetry section in the UK national finals – an outstanding achievement and obviously a Poet Laureate in the making!
Liza Wright was selected to join the Rotary trip to visit the European Parliament in Strazburg for a few days, and she gave the club an extremely articulate summary of her experiences on her return. A couple of other local youngsters were given some financial support for their overseas trips in aid of good causes.
Gryffe Valley members get a great deal of fun and satisfaction from pursuing these local projects and giving something back to the community, and would like to thank families and friends, together with local sponsors like ‘River Inn’ and ‘Gibb Stuart’, for their support in raising the necessary funds. The club would welcome approaches from any prospective new members who think that they would like to join in next years projects. Why not have a look at the Gryffe Valley website (just Google “Gryffe Valley”) and get in contact.
8 |JULY 2012 | your LOCAL news every month - in print and online |
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