President Malcolm's Year


Wine and Cheese

On the evening of the 7th February we had a wine tasting with a difference.

Not only did we have 5 excellent wines to sample, but each had been paired with a rather superior cheese to complement the taste and add to the enjoyment of both. We are all familiar with red wine and cheese, but the pairing of a salty goats cheese with a fruity white was something special to savour.

For those of you who wish to relive the experience at home I have attached details of the wines and cheeses.

Cheese Wine
Doddington - a delicious cows milk cheese made in the shadow of the Cheviot Hills and matured for 10 months in cool Northumbrian air to develop a nutty flavour and hard rind encasing this unpasteurised cheese. Domaine Chaude - Arnaud Côtes du Rhone
Munster - An ancient cheese from the Alsace region of France. This soft cheese has a spicy and tangy flavour with a pungent aroma making it a highly individual cheese. Made using unpasteurised cows milk. Gerwurtztraminer - 2005 Cave de Truckenheim from Alsace
Perlas - A traditional Welsh blue veined cheese made using organic pasteurised cows milk to develop a creamy texture with long after-taste. Kaapzicht Pinotage from South Africa
Ribblesdale Goat - A mild tasting goats milk cheese made by Ian Hill as Ashes Farm in the Pennines. This cheese made from pasteurised milk is then wax bound allowing the cheese to retain its moisture and enhance its creamy texture. False Bay Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa
Cambrian Brie - A pasteurised cows milk brie style cheese made using a vegetarian rennet on the farm of Mr and Mrs Gwynfor Adams, Fferm Glyneinthiniog in Boncarth, Dyfed. This cheese has a wonderful buttery taste and is an ideal candidate for a great cheeseboard. Hollick 2005 Coonawarra 'The Nectar' from Australia

We are indebted to Hamish Warburton to did an excellent job choosing the combinations of wine and cheese and explaining how and why he did it. We must also acknowledge the expertise of our Assistant Treasurer Roy 'Wobbly' Wallwork whose skill in accurately estimating the cost of each bottle was truly unbelievable.

Youth Speaks - District 1280 Final.

The District Final of Youth Speaks was held on Monday the 19th of February at Forest Hills Hotel, with 8 Teams competing for 4 places in the Regional Final, which are to be held in Northwich on Saturday the 25th March.

The evening was opened by President Malcolm, who formally welcomed everyone to the event. He then introduced our District Governor, Shirley Gardiner and Assistant Governor Elizabeth Tatman, along with the panel of Adjudicators, Wendy Sutcliffe, Sue Hardy and Dave Vickers. Finally, he introduced the time-keeper for the evening, Don Patterson, who kept the teams under scrutiny, with Richard Brook and Sam Williams providing the questions.

Following this, Brian Henshaw then outlined the format for the evening and briefly covered the Rules associated with the Competition.

The make-up of the Teams and their sponsoring Rotary Clubs are detailed in the table below.

Team Chairperson Speaker Vote of Thanks Subject Sponsoring Rotary Club
Bury Grammar School for Girls Sarah Nixon Larissa Don Jemma Mistry All you need is Love Bury
St Mary's RC High Jordan Oldbury Natalie Firth Mitchell Lloyd Languages in Education Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye Astley
Helsby High School Adam Foster Jonathon Benwell David Vickers The Internet Frodsham and Helsby
St Gabriel's RC High School, BurySenior Alex Slater Ethan Spibey Jamie Sewell I Don't Want to be Famous Bury
Golborne High School Anna Hamilton Larner Taylor Greg Wilde Influence of the Media on Young People Newton - Le - Willows
St Mary's R C High School Lucy Price Charlotte Hanrahan Emma Culshaw Lord of the Rings - A Microcosom of the World Astley
Hulme Grammar School for Girls Annie Beverley Rose Baulk Rachel Gunn Size Zero Chadderton and Failsworth
Tottington High School Ben Valentine Laura Murphy Alexandra Martin Teenagers Should be Seen Heard and Respected Tottington and Bury West

After an excellent series of presentations from the Teams, the Adjudicators retired to consider their verdict whilst everyone else took time out for tea and biscuits and a chat, in the Hotel's main foyer.

This was the 6th year of the Final at Forest Hills Hotel and we were royally looked after by the Staff and Management of the Hotel, to whom we are most grateful, as they helped ensure the success of the event.

Following this break, the Adjudicators returned to give a brief resume of each Team's performance before announcing the results, these being :-

This year there were also a series of individual prizes as follows :-

Following the presentation of the District Shields and Awards our District Governor, Shirley Gardiner, closed the evening by congratulating all those who had taken part in what had been a wonderful event. She went on to thank all those who had helped and supported the Teams and of course those who had helped put together the event itself. In conclusion she wished the two Winning Teams much success in the Regional Final and hoped that that everyone had enjoyed the evening.

Our photographs shows DG Shirley with the two Winning Teams following their presentations.

Winning BoysWinning Girls

Youth Services Meeting 22nd February 2007

Iain Bennett During the Club year, a number of young people approach us for help in raising funds for project or travel. We try and support as many as we can and are particularly pleased when the applicant wishes to come and tell us about their intentions.

The Club this week was host to Iain Bennett who is preparing to go to Greenland, having been successful in being selected as one of 60 individuals out of 2000+ applicants from across the country. The organising body is British Schools Exploring Society - a Charity founded in 1932 by Surgeon GM Levick who was a member of Scott's 1910 expedition.

Iain gave a very accomplished presentation [he is 16 years old] using PowerPoint, and enjoying a good dialogue with the members including answering questions. He was able to tell us about the conditions under which he would be staying on Disko Island on the west coat of Greenland. He was clear about his personal objectives and those of the group in looking at the environmental effects of climate change.

We wish him well and hope he will be able to come after his return in July to tell us how the reality compared to his expectations.

The 26th Running of the Shell Four Villages Half Marathon.

Better known to our Club as 'How to help over 2000 runners and their friends park their cars in the space of 60 minutes then feed and water them prior to, during and after the race'!

That is the perpetual challenge at Helsby Running Club's annual Shell Four Villages Half Marathon run in January each year, when our Club assists with Car Parking and Refreshment provision.

This year we tried a Park and Ride scheme from the M56 services as well as using the normal parking areas. On the day, Sunday 21 January 2007, a team of about 10 Rotarians put on their tabards and directed the vehicles from 8.00am until 11.00 when the race started.

Along side this, a further 8 of our Club members (plus one ever helpful wife) manned a Refreshment Stall, where Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate could be purchased to go along with our famous 'BIG Bacon Bapps'. We made and sold some 400 of these and therefore we claim that they 'Sold Like Hot Cakes'. (Sorry about that!)

Our Rotary Club believes that its contribution to this event is a service to the local Community, helping the Running Club, along with many other Local Organisations, to hold the race and raise money for local charities; this year £3,750 was distributed by the Running Club to about 10 Organisations, our Club being one of those Organizations.

Of course the day is not just about parking and eating, it is also about running, and two of our club members did just that. Our pictures show them delighted to be completing the course more or less in one piece!

Fearless FrankRacing Richard

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