President’s Message


I have always believed the more we put into life, the more we get out of life. It is one of the reasons I enjoy being a member of Rotary. The busiest fund raising period of our calendar has now passed, raising a staggering £17,600 from just two events. The fireworks, Festive Faringdon and Thomas collections have given us a great opportunity to interact with a very large number of people who live in our communities. All three events were a great showcase of what Rotary can offer and have also given us the opportunity to pay something back.


The interaction over Thomas and Father Christmas was very special and was demonstrated so well through our social media accounts, particularly Facebook. During December


we received many messages of thanks and gratitude for our visits, along with photographs and videos. One story in particular sticks in my mind: a message from a father telling us his oldest son was spoiling Christmas for his younger children by telling them that Father Christmas was not real. He asked where we would be that evening so that he could bring his children along. They met Thomas and Father Christmas that night and messaged us later to say how successful their trip had been. Sitting down to eat their evening meal together the eldest son was a little embarrassed and apologised to his siblings saying “I got it wrong, Father Christmas is real!”


At a recent business meeting club agreed funding for a number of projects including our very own ‘Dragons Den’. We are inviting local groups, charities and individuals to download an application form from our website to apply for funding assistance for their project or cause. Applications will be shortlisted and successful applicants invited to make a short two minute pitch on the evening of April 7th at the Faringdon Pump House Project. A bar and light refreshments will hopefully make this a friendly and sociable event where we can network and get to know each other. We are supporting the Pump House by hiring the venue, the bar proceeds will also be donated to them and we hope that each of the groups attending can interact and learn from one another. Please come along on the night and show your support.


When I took office in July, I challenged each and every member of our club to identify suitable potential members and to bring them along as guests and helpers at our events. We now have two Rotary groups in Faringdon so there should be a suitable format for everyone. I would love to see some new faces in the coming weeks and months. Your efforts are the legacy we leave our community for future years: so please get thinking, pick up the phone and invite your neighbours, friends, work colleagues or local businesses. Offer to transport them to and from the first couple of meetings or events and the club will pay for their first two meals. Please make them feel welcome, circulate and sit with different groups at the Bell and talk about the future as well as the past. Life evolves and we must evolve with it.


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