-
Winter The magazine of the2012/13 Rotary Club of Alnwick
ClubPresident
MarionLong
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/132
Presidentially...I am writing this in mid-December 2012, so it
is five and a half months into my year as President and what a good
time I’m having. Already I have inducted two new members in Bryan
Ellis and Mike Smith, welcomed transferring member David Cant, laid
the wreath at the Service of Remembrance (big lump in throat and so
honoured), attended the switching on of the Christmas lights and am
in the process of arranging our 75th anniversary concert at St.
Paul’s Church (9th June 2013) where the Chepstow Male Voice Choir
have guaranteed us the very best of their beautiful voices - I’ve
heard them on the internet and they made the hairs on the back of
my arms stand up and my back tingle. The proceeds of this concert
are going to help the League of Friends to purchase a hoist with
weighing capabilities for elderly patients at the hospital here in
Alnwick. The Rotary District 1030 Conference at Peebles was great
fun and, as always, it helped to remind us why we are Rotarians.
The fellowship was of the very best order; sharing food, drink,
laughter, and tears with people you know and love helps motivate
your “inner Rotarian”. I encourage all to attend the District
Conference in Scarborough next year.
I’m delighted that we are still working hard with our “Brunches”
to help to finance our 75th anniversary dinner (11th May 2013) and
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our own Elaine
Smith, Meg Moore and Kathleen
Bradford who always take on most of the work. I know it’s a bit
risky to single out particular people - but you others who help
regularly know who you are and my thanks go to you too.
So, all this amongst lots of other things in such a short space
of time! What can I say would be my aspirations for the next six
months?
Well I would encourage you to get involved if you can; don’t be
afraid of being a Rotarian and the old adage is true that you get
out what you put in.
Help the young students in school with their reading.
Interact for the High School.
Continued success for RotaKids.
Continued success in our fund raising.
Continue and extend our fellowship events.
Is that enough for now? It’s at times like this that I would
love to be given a magic wand and an elastic clock. I know all
these things take time. Should we be happy with our Rotary Club and
what we do? The answer from my point of view is definitely
“YES”. These days, when many clubs struggle to keep members and
find themselves having to merge with others we are standing strong
after 75 years - congratulations Club Members, the future of our
Club is in our hands.
Marion Long
Cover picture - President Marion Long
Winter 2012/13The magazine of the Rotary Club of Alnwick
Marion, Kathleen, Meg and Elaine - Always stirring!
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 3
Club serviCeThe Club Service committee continues to meet on a
regular basis in order to organise our up and coming events. One of
our recent events was our annual Christmas lunch on December 20th.
Invitations were sent out to our Paul Harris Fellows and to the
widows of our past members, and many of our Rotarians brought their
partners. It is always a pleasure to meet old friends, especially
on such a happy occasion.
The Duchess’s School sent two of their choirs so we were able to
enjoy listening to and joining in with the Christmas Carols. David
Archer from Alnwick Baptist Church delivered the Christmas
Message.
Good food, good friends and good entertainment- what a lovely
way to kick start the Christmas celebrations. Other next special
lunch will be our St George’s Day lunch on April 23rd.
The Sports and Leisure sub committee have held their first
meeting to discuss next year’s Charity Golf Day. This is to be held
at Alnwick Castle Golf Club on June 6th and, if previous years are
anything to go by, we will have upwards of 50 four-ball teams.
Entry forms will be going out in the next few weeks, and
prospective players are advised to return them as soon as possible
to avoid disappointment.
In May next year, the Rotary Club of Alnwick will celebrate its
75th birthday. This is an important milestone and we are going to
celebrate it in style. A steering committee has been meeting to
discuss ways of informing the local populace of the work
we do in the locality, and the support we give to charities
locally, nationally and internationally. A special Anniversary meal
will be held in the White Swan Hotel on President’s Night in May,
and it is hoped that as many Rotarians as possible will be able to
attend.
I hope that any extra publicity that we may get will encourage
more people to join Rotary and help us in our efforts to serve
others in the community and beyond.
Jill Clark
in and aroundDistrict Governor’s visit 16/08/12On a Thursday in
August the Rotary Club of Alnwick entertained the new District
Governor for the North East area, Celia Leach. The Rotary year
begins in July and Celia spoke about the Rotary Theme for the year
2012/13, ‘Peace through Service’, and emphasised how Rotarians
could help to build a foundation for a more peaceful world by
focussing on the traditional main areas of disease prevention and
treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic
education and literacy, peace and conflict resolution, and economic
and community development.
Then Celia spoke about the riots which took place in the larger
British cities last year and pointed out that newspapers are full
of stories about children leaving school unable to read and write,
and she spoke about families struggling to cope in this economic
climate with barely enough food to
75751 9 3 8 - 2 0 1 3
y e a r s o f s e r v i c e
David
DCHS Sixth Form choir
Celia Leach
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/134
provide for themselves. She told the audience that Rotary
International had just become a partner of the Global Food Banking
Network and that there were several food banks helping communities
in the North East and throughout the UK.
Celia encouraged the Alnwick Rotarians that, as well as funding
international projects such as the fight against polio, we should
continue with our efforts in the local community: for example
working with schools to promote the idea of participating in the
community through Rotakids, Junior Chef of the Year, Mock Trials
and other competitions.
Celia left her audience keen to start the forthcoming Rotary
year with renewed enthusiasm.
Graham Smith
teenaGe cancer trust 18/10/12In October the Rotarians of the
Alnwick Club were fascinated by a brief talk about the Teenage
Cancer Trust from Peter Collins, the Trust’s Regional Fundraising
Manager,. He described how the charity grew from the first unit at
the Middlesex Hospital in London in 1990, when a group of women
realised that teenagers and young people preferred to be together
and had little in common with wards full of children or adults. The
core activity of the charity is the provision of cancer units in
existing hospitals which target the specific needs of young people
between the ages of about fourteen and twenty four.
Peter pointed out that the charity does not just provide
specially equipped wards but also funds nurses, youth support
coordinators, family support networks and educational workshops.
All this is facilitated through flexible visiting hours, social
spaces to hang out in and free access to the internet
via laptop computers. By providing these facilities the Trust
has found that young people affected by cancer seem to cope with
their condition much more effectively.
The Rotarians were most impressed by Peter’s presentation
and many were keen to support the charity he represented, the
Teenage Cancer Trust.
� www.teenagecancertrust.orgGraham Smith
Poisonous Plants 22/11/12Rob Wilson is a distinguished
environmental scientist who spent most of his scientific career in
central government dealing with atmospheric pollution problems such
as acid rain, urban air pollution, the ozone layer and the long
range transport of air pollutants across national boundaries. Since
retiring, he has developed a research interest in industrial
archaeology, especially in Lord Armstrong, Cragside and the Elswick
Works. In addition, through volunteering at the Alnwick Garden, he
also become fascinated by the beneficial and poisonous properties
of plants. As a result of these two interests Rob has given
presentations to a varied number of societies and bodies throughout
the North East. On the 22nd
November it was Alnwick Rotary Club’s turn to be entertained and
informed by Rob as he gave us an introduction to many of the plants
which feature in the now famous Poison Garden in Alnwick,
including:
Rheum hybridum (Rhubarb)
Rhubarb is a good example to reinforce the message that poison
is often only in one part of a plant. Introduced to the west as a
laxative with restorative powers long before the consumption of the
stalks as a dessert began, it is the leaves which are deadly in
‘normal’ amounts.
Salix (Willow)
Gives us salicylic acid – or aspirin
Atropa belladonna (Deadly nightshade)
A member of the Solanaceae family along with tomato and potato.
Its name, belladonna, comes from its use by Venetian women to
make
Peter Collins
Rob Wilson
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 5
themselves ‘beautiful ladies’ by causing their pupils to
dilate.
Aconitum napellus (Aconite or Monkshood)
Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
The original source of the heart medicine digoxin, (also called
digitalis or digitalin
Ricinus communis (Castor Oil Plant)
The famous Ricin poison
Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood)
The dangerous ingredient in the French drink, absinthe.
Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel)
Handle cuttings and prunings with care!.
Cannabis sativa
aka marijuana, weed, grass, pot, ganja, etc, etc!!!!
Nicotiana sylvestris (Tobacco)
The biggest killer of the lot
In the time available Rob barely touched on the wide range of
plants we grow in our gardens that all have poison stories to tell.
Perhaps he might come back some day to enlighten us and frighten us
with tales about snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, tulips, box,
juniper, holly and ivy.
Colin Bradford
British reD cross 29/11/12Margaret Musgrave, Senior Community
Fundraiser (North East), gave an interesting talk on the work of
the British Red Cross at our last lunchtime meeting in November.
She outlined the many and varied activities of the Red Cross which
are not always widely appreciated.
Margaret stressed that help is available to everyone and that
all help and funding is voluntary. Of all voluntary contributions
only 14 per cent goes in administrative costs which is very
competitive.
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and
wherever they are. They are part of a global voluntary network,
responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual
emergencies. They enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to
prepare
for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. When the
crisis is over, they help them to recover and move on with their
lives.
They provide a range of services in the UK which include:
First aid at public events
Trained Red Cross volunteers provide first aid cover at sport,
entertainment and community events.
International tracing and message service
Trace, send messages to and reunite family members who have been
separated by conflict or natural disaster.
First aid training
The Red Cross provides first aid training to commercial
organisations and the public.
Home from hospital
The British Red Cross provides short-term care and support in
the home for people after an accident or illness, giving them the
confidence to continue their daily lives.
Fire and emergency support service
Volunteers provide immediate practical and emotional support to
people who have suffered damage to their home following a fire or
flood.
Medical equipment loan
The British Red Cross provides short-term loans of medical
equipment, such as wheelchairs, for people with a disability or
illness.
Refugee services
The British Red Cross provides help and support to people who
have recently arrived in the UK after being forced to flee from
their own country.
Transport service
The British Red Cross provides door-to-door transport for people
who cannot get about easily, restoring their freedom and
independence.
Margaret Musgrave
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/136
Therapeutic care
The British Red Cross offers gentle therapeutic massage (through
clothing) for people at times of personal crisis to reduce stress
and promote a sense of well-being.
In the North East and Cumbria the work of the British Red Cross
has included:
First aid support provided at over 350 public events in
2011;
Over 2,000 adults benefited from first aid learning enabling
them to help in an emergency;
Nearly 12,000 young people were reached by youth initiatives and
first aid awareness training;
Over 500 refugees were supported;
Over 3,500 people were loaned items of medical equipment;
Nearly 500 people benefited from BRC care in their homes.
� www.redcross.org.ukMike Dean
Folk ‘n locals 14/12/12I was an active member of the Tynemouth
Volunteer Life Brigade for over twenty years until I moved to
Warkworth in 2000. I am still an honorary member and I support the
Brigade as much as possible.
With that background it is no surprise that when the Satellite
Club began to plan a fund-raising event I suggested that we use a
group from the TVLB called “Folk ‘n Locals”. Folk ‘n Locals are a
four-piece band from North Shields; they are all members of
Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade and over the years have raised a
lot of funds for the brigade.
Paul Beagarie the lead singer is an honorary life member who has
been in the Brigade for over thirty years. David who plays lead
guitar is an associated member and Paul’s son-in-law. Willie who
plays the banjo is a retired house member and Nigel who plays the
pipes and ukulele is an associated member. Offstage is the hidden
fifth member, Jim the sound and light man, who is also an
associated member and does a sterling job behind the scenes.
And that’s how, with the assistance of an enthusiastic catering
team supplying soup and pie, we came to have a very successful
night in the Hindmarsh Hall in Alnmouth on Friday 14th December. As
one member of the audience poetically put it,
“We supped the soup and scoffed the pie,
We sang the songs... or had a try! � www.tvlb.org
Mike Smith
rotakidsWe set up the Aln Federation RotaKids last year and it
has turned out to be a huge success.
We consist of a group of elected pupils from The Duke’s Middle,
Lindisfarne Middle and Alnwick South First School. Our aim is to
support the Rotary Club and to help to raise funds for people in
our worldwide and local community. We meet every month to discuss
ideas.
My name is Jamie Brown and I am in Year 6. I am part of the new
RotaKids for the Duke’s Middle School. This year we planned to
visit the Northumbrian Hedgehog Rescue Trust in Longframlington to
see their work. While we were there, they told us some fascinating
facts about the hedgehogs and about their names. There was one
called Obama and I thought that was really weird until the women
told us why - because he arrived at the Trust on the day that Obama
became President of America. Afterwards we got to hold the
hedgehogs and watch them get their injections. [Continued on page
11]
Folk ‘n Locals
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 7
N e w s i N P i c t u r e s
We gave a few bob to charity:We got some new members...
Bryan Ellis ...
Duchess’s High School - Maurice Hall
and Mike Smith
Sue Gilbertson and Julie Frost
North Northumberland Hospice
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/138
We were visitors at the BBC.
SENIORSVÄNG from Tällberg during the Alnwick International Music
Festival
We had visitors from Sweden.
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 9
The RotaKids came for a visit...
... and gave us a presentation...
... and received their Charter.
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/1310
And we had the Chef of the Year competition.
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 11
Did you know that hedgehogs are becoming endangered? The Trust
is trying to save as many as they can but they need our help.
This year we want to do a Hedgehog Hamper and would like you to
donate some cat food. Hedgehogs are really fussy and they are only
allowed meat in jelly and not fish. Please donate as many tins or
pouches of meat cat food In jelly (No gravy, thank you).
Jamie Brown
out and abouttalk’n toDDle September 2012In September a group of
us had a very interesting visit to Cragside where we were given a
guided tour by engineer, Robin Wright, who also gave us a
behind-the-scenes look at some of the equipment with a full
explanation of how Lord Armstrong had developed and included some
of his inventions. As a result of Armstrong’s work, some farms in
the Coquet Valley had used hydro power for a variety of
agricultural tasks. Some of their equipment has now been brought
back to Cragside for incorporation into the displays.
The energy of water released from the lake powered pumps which
then carried drinking water up to the storage facilities. Also in
the pumping house were some pictures and parts of hydraulic rams
used to load and unload ships on the Tyne utilising the weight of
water stored in large “generators”.
Moving down the site we learned how the trees are managed to
ensure the site is safe and accessible. We looked at the famous
footbridge and discussed the design and also how the bridge had
been refurbished a few years ago. This had involved creating ways
of heating and setting rivets so that the traditional crafts used
in the construction were improved upon to ensure the bridge will
stand for many years to come.
At the generating station there were displays of how the
equipment generated electricity for the house, with working models
to demonstrate the theories. Again, there was a look behind the
scenes into the mechanics of how the hydro-electric system worked.
A static water turbine recovered from one of the farms was
persuaded to work in order to show us how it powered the farm
equipment.
The tour ended back at the cafe and after thanking our guides
for a most interesting talk and demonstration we concluded the day
with cakes and coffee. Many thanks to Billy Bell for organising the
outing.
Jim Thompson
Don leslie memorial walk 06/10/12On Sunday 6th October club
members, along with friends from the Inner Wheel club of Alnwick
and Billy Bell’s dog, Ned, completed the 13.5 mile coastal walk
from Bamburgh to Craster in memory of the late honoured Rotarian,
Major Don Leslie. Don lost a son to Leukaemia many years ago and
took to walking the coastal route to raise funds for research into
the disease. Since Don’s death Rotarian Ken Moore has organised
this walk as an annual event raising money for research; £220 was
raised on this walk.
The Toddlers!
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/1312
Beach watch 23/11/12Eight Rotarians spent a pleasant morning on
Boulmer Beach to carry out the sixth survey and beach clean for the
Marine Conservation Society. We were especially pleased to welcome
a member from the Amble and Warkworth Club.
I am pleased to report a very clean beach although festooned
with kelp.
Dennis Dalby as usual was very enthusiastic putting the biggest
and heaviest items in his sack! George Stokoe brought Lillian and
they seemed to find a lot of items around the tractor which did not
involve walking very far! Anne Harper was in a world of her own as
she enjoyed the sunshine and wandered a long way along the
beach!
Strange objects were washed up with the rough sea and high tide
and included a plastic chair, a carpet, an underwater camera, a
snorkel mask, a grease gun and a tree protector. George of course
managed to find a new golf ball!
An enjoyable fellowship morning ended with lots of discussion
over hot coffee and chocolate biscuits.
� www.mcsuk.orgDiane Pearson
MeMbershiPa wheelchair For only £75What present do you buy for
someone who has everything? How about a wheelchair for only
£75?
That is what Lilian has bought for me this Christmas
(Understandable, some may say.) and I have bought one for Lilian.
Jim and Barbara Reid have bought one for each of their
grandchildren. The wheelchairs are all now on their way to
Africa.
With so many charities worth supporting, how do you decide which
one to choose? Our decision was made at the District Conference at
Peebles Hydro last October when we listened to the presentation by
Milton Frary of the Wheelchair Foundation UK which aims to deliver
“hope, mobility, freedom, dignity and independence”. You can read
more about the Foundation’s excellent work at
www.wheelchairfoundationuk.org.
Membership of Rotary is not all about raising money and giving
donations. My pleasure comes from being in the company of
like-minded people, and in Rotary we have people who care. At one
of our regular meetings on a Thursday it isn’t possible to be in
touch with everyone present so it is good to have social events
where it is easier to circulate, such as Billy Bell’s “Talk’n
Toddles”.
Rotary conferences like Peebles help to open our minds to the
breadth of the family of Rotary. We had a good attendance from our
own club at Peebles, our best turnout since Harrogate when Ian
Walker was District Governor. Lilian and I enjoyed the weekend with
good food, local entertainers and a variety of speakers. If you
have not attended a Rotary conference yet, whether at
international, RIBI or district level, then it would be good to see
you at Scarborough next September. Mark it in your diary now:
20th-22nd September 2013. The more (from Alnwick), the merrier.
Sakuji Tanaka, this year’s Rotary International President says,
“The key to increasing membership is for every Rotarian to be
convinced that it’s good to be a Rotarian.”
Alnwick Rotarians are involved in so many local community events
and charities that the question of “What came first? The chicken or
the egg?” is asked again. Rotarians are involved in the community
so why not invite others working in and for the community along to
a Rotary meeting or event? They deserve the opportunity to become a
Rotarian.
Membership – it’s up to you.
� www.wheelchairfoundationuk.org.
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 13
aBBeyFielD care homeThe care home at Abbeyfield House in South
Road Alnwick, near the Oaks Hotel, is run by the Abbeyfield North
Northumberland Extra Care Society Ltd, and it provides
accommodation, activities and 24-hour care for the residents of its
24 rooms.
The Rotary Club of Alnwick has always had strong links with
Abbeyfield H o u s e . Rotarians John Johnson and
Ian Robertson were instrumental in Abbeyfield Extra Care being
opened in Alnwick in 1986. Subsequently Rotarian Bill Hopper and
his wife, Ann, were towers of strength in the running of the home
with Bill being the chairman of the Executive Committee for over
ten years. The responsibility of chairmanship has now been handed
over to Rotarian Jim Thompson: he and Carnegie Brown are at the
forefront with the ten-member executive in the job of keeping the
home ticking over in difficult circumstances in times of financial
restrictions.
With this background it was no surprise when Abbeyfield looked
to Alnwick Rotary Club for help getting volunteers to organise and
drive a bus for a weekly two-hour outings for the residents. Neil
Dixon, Ken Moore and George Stokoe came forward to help and over
ten years later those weekly outings still continue.
� www.abbeyfield.comGeorge Stokoe
attendanCe CuPHaving been the Alnwick Club Registrar for a
number of years, I notice that very few different names appear as
winners of the Attendance Cup.
I do hope in the coming years our members will attempt to add a
new name to the “Honours list”. Do not forget that if you attend
another club while on holiday for instance, you should advise those
on reception duty of the fact and have the attendance recorded. I
have won the cup a few times in the past because while I was
working my job enabled me to attend clubs in Berwick and Morpeth as
well as at Alnwick.
It was during one of the periods that my daughter, Diane, who
was about fifteen at the time, took the opportunity to wear the
cup, somewhat disrespectfully, as a Viking Warrior’s helmet!
Dennis Dalby
obituaryDerek hoPPer PhF 1921-2012At the time of his death on
13th December 2012, Derek Hopper was our oldest member having
reached the age of 91 and he was also one of our longest
serving
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/1314
members with 42 years’ service. Derek joined Alnwick Rotary Club
in 1969 at the age of 48 with the classification of “Finance -
Banking”. At that time the club had 48 members and met in ‘The
Louvre’. Derek was the Branch Manager of the Alnwick Branch of
Barclay’s Bank and in those days certain professions were actively
encouraged by their employers to be members of Rotary.
Derek was the Club President in 1978-79 when the club had 38
members and met in the Tavern Restaurant. He also served as Club
Treasurer from 1983 to 1989. Derek won the Attendance Cup on two
occasions: firstly in 1988-89 and then again in 2001-02. As well as
his commitment to Rotary, Derek was heavily involved in other
activities in the town particularly those which were of benefit to
other members of the local community. His community and Rotary
services were recognised by the award of a Paul Harris Fellowship
in 2007. Due to his deteriorating health and lack of mobility Derek
was retired from Active service and moved to Honoured Member status
in July 2010.
Ian Walker
Cogs & gearsNews from Inner Wheel
The Inner Wheel of Alnwick reconvened after the summer break
with our new President, Mrs Barbara Reid, at the helm. At the first
meeting we were pleased to welcome the new District 3 Chairman, Mrs
Norma Fay, who entertained us with some fascinating stories of her
personal life and her progress to becoming District Chairman. Norma
outlined her plans for her year of office which include zip-wiring
down from the Baltic for her charity and other exciting or possibly
outrageous events!
Mrs Roz Tinlin from Rothbury was a guest who thanked the club
for the donation of £100 to the new local WRVS outreach centre for
carers and their families which she
is developing in Northumberland. For many carers a break and a
change of scene if only for a few hours is much appreciated.
A return visit from our talented friend and flower arranger, Mrs
Kathleen Turnbull, was greatly enjoyed and her displays of
differing types, both traditional and modern, were awe inspiring.
They were raffled at the end of the evening and the spectacular
pièce de résistance was deservedly won by our hard-working
secretary, Mrs Kathleen Bradford, who vowed to impress the
neighbours with her newly acquired flower-arranging expertise!
Before Christmas club members decided once again that instead of
exchanging Christmas Cards we would donate gift-wrapped items of
toiletries to the Women’s Refuge. We look forward to hearing more
about the Women’s Refuge from one of their workers in 2013.
The Inner wheel Club of Alnwick meets on the second Thursday of
the month at the Oaks Hotel. The aims of Inner Wheel are
To promote true friendship
To encourage the ideals of personal service
To foster international understanding.
Women who are interested in meeting with us will be made most
welcome. Please contact our secretary Mrs Kathleen Bradford on
01665 606 788
Anne Swailes
iCFrcoast anD castles rally 06-12/09/12
ICFR[1] at BamburghThe Swaileses have done it again – once more
Anne and Alec, assisted by Kathleen and Colin Bradford,
1 International Caravanning Fellowship of Rotarians
W LH
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/13 15
staged a most memorable caravan rally at the Waren Caravan Park
overlooking Budle Bay, helped along, no doubt, by the
Northumberland sunshine.
Our first trip out was by boat from Seahouses to the Farne
Islands. At this time of year the puffins aren’t there, nor the
guillemots or razorbills - they have already taken off for the
North Atlantic with their young - but there were plenty of gannets
making spectacular dives into the sea and masses of seals bobbing
around peering curiously at our boat as George Shiel, our captain
and guide, steered past the islands.
The tour of Berwick town walls was on the warmest and sunniest
day of the rally – a real joy. Derek Sharman, our guide, was
excellent, well informed, and proud to tell us that Berwick upon
Tweed has the only complete walls in the country fully encircling
the town. From the walls it was possible to look down onto the many
fine Georgian townhouses, a unique Puritan-built church from the
civil war years, and a building housing the original gunpowder
magazine.
An opportunity to see wild cattle roaming around Northumberland
seemed improbable: how can it be possible that cattle have been
allowed to wander free for 800 years on the Chillingham Castle
estate? Well they have, and though they mainly lazed around chewing
the cud whilst we were there, somehow it WAS fascinating – Richard
Marsh, the warden, was not only very knowledgeable but also
passionate about his job of tending the cattle.
What a night we had at the Barn at Beal restaurant near Holy
Island: the meal was excellent and we were royally treated to
four[1] of surely the best Northumbrian folk musicians around – and
the one-legged dancing doll was a huge success.
The final day, still with so much to see, began with a visit to
Carter’s, the butchers in Bamburgh (one of Rick Stein’s food
heroes) to buy a scotch pie. Oh my! How yummy was that? It ranks
alongside kippers from Craster, black pudding from Turnbull’s of
Alnwick and the hoggett pie from Berwick. Northumberland just has
so much choice of wonderful locally grown and made food with great
coffee stops at lots of the farm shops and fantastic galleries. The
art work is as good to look at as the food is to eat.
And for the final get-together, Alec and Colin pulled out all
the stops. After a most enjoyable buffet meal in the camp
restaurant we were greatly privileged (or not, Ed.) to attend the
world première of “The Laidley Worm of Spindlestone Heugh” written
and performed by a renowned cast of ICFR members.
Once more Anne Swailes and her team have produced another great
rally, thank you all. This was Rotary fellowship at its very
best.
� www.rotarianscaravanning.org.ukAnthony Johnson and Pat
Seals
1 Avril Huntly, Malcolm Bennett, Nathan Armstrong and Adrian
Ions PHF
The cast take a throughly undeserved bow after after the world
première of “The Laidley Worm of Spindlestone Heugh”. Can you spot
the Past-Presidents of Morpeth Rotary Club, Alnwick Rotary Club and
Alnwick Inner Wheel Club - and the Secretary of Alnwick Inner
Wheel?
-
ALNWICKDOTES - Winter 2012/1316
CoMing uPJANuARy - Rotary Fellowship Month
● Thu 10th Business Meeting ● Thu 17th Linda Scott – Helping the
disabled
Quiz Team at Blyth RC
● Thu 24th Alan Jones ● Thu 31st Angela Clough - Age Concern
District Membership Forum at Hallgarth Manor
FEbRuARy – World understanding Month ● Thu 7th Club Council
Host: Terry Long
● Thu 14th Business Meeting ● Thu 21st Host: Joy Palmer-Cooper ●
Sat 23rd Rotary Day ● Thu 28th Host: Diane Pearson
MARCH – Literacy Month ● Thu 7th Club Council
Host: Martin Pearson
● Mon 11th District Council ● Thu 14th Business Meeting ● Thu
21st Host: Graham Smith ● Thu 28th Host: George Stokoe
APRIL - Rotary Magazine Month ● Thu 4th Club Council
Host: Brian Straughan
● Fri 5th The Bluebell Ball at Ramside Hall Hotel ● Thu 11th
Business meeting ● Thu 18th Speaker finder: Jim Thompson ●
12th-14th RIBI Conference at Harrogate ● Thu 25th St George’s Day
Lunch
Speaker finder: Margaret Thompson
FuTuRE ● May 9th Rotary Club of Alnwick 75th Birthday ● May 11th
75th Anniversary Dinner ● Sep 20-22nd District 1030 conference,
Scarborough ● Oct 24th World Polio Day
MeetingsEvery Thursday at 12:30White Swan Hotel, Bondgate Within
ALNWICK, NE66 1TD
01 665 - 602 [email protected]
ClubWebsite: www.alnwickrotary.org Club No: 18826 District No:
1030
President [email protected] Long - from
28/6/12
01 669 - 622 866
SecretaryIan Walker
01 665 - 604 375 [email protected]
If you want to know more about Alnwick Rotary Club please speak
to our Secretary, Ian Walker.
contact inFo
coPy For the next eDitionThe next edition of AlnwickDotes is
planned for May. Please give contributions to Graham Smith or to me
by the end of April.
Colin Bradford, Editor
