Rtn Peter Holland Completes the 'OGLEJoG' Cycle Ride.
Job Well Done You Two Guys!
It is with the greatest pleasure that we record the fact that our Club member, Peter Holland, along with his very good friend, Patrick Milroy, have completed a cycle ride for Charity that took them from Lands End to John O'Groats.
Despite being old enough to know better, the two 60 year old cyclists started their ride on Thursday the 10th of May from Lands End following an extensive period of complicated training and preparatory work and can be seen raring to go at theStarting Line in the company of Rob Crowther.
The journey itself was shared at different times with friends, who either cycled along side Peter and Patrick or acted as drivers of their Support Vehicles, both of which were seen as a tremendous help and provided valuable moral and physical support.
Thanks, You Guys!
Following a journey of 899.93 miles that was undertaken over an 11 day period, involving some 61.3 hours of cycling in a variety of poor weather conditions with the odd outbreak of sunshine, they finally arrived in John O'Groats on Sunday the 20th of May at 4.30 pm and as can be seen they duly Signed Out as is required.
The cycle ride was undertaken to raise money for Charity, and it is pleasing to note that following the collection of a large part of the pledged monies, nearly £10,000 has been raised and will be passed to their nominated Charities, these being Clatterbridge Cancer Campaign, British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine and Just Care.
All of our Club members passed on to Peter and Patrick their Congratulations, confirming that they deserve tremendous recognition and applause for their achievement.
They are, of course, now looking forward to the day when they can sit down in absolute comfort!
For more detailed information on the OGLEJoG ride, visit their Web Site at www.oglejog.com .
Car Boot Sale at Sutton Fields.
Once again an early start was the order of the day for many of our Club members as we managed the Car Boot Sale on Monday the 28th of May at Sutton Fields. As with previous years it was necessary to have a full team of Club members ready for work at 6.00 am as by that time approximately 20 Car Boots and a similar number of Buyers were ready and waiting to do business and Barbara Ford and her daughter Debbie were keen to get the show on the road.
On the day, 24 Club members helped with Car Boot Stall parking, general car parking and of course the collection of Donation Money. Also our Club had a stall which once again proved very profitable which was manned by a quality Sales Team, as can clearly be seen!
In all, 170 Car Boot Stalls attended and our Hon. Treasurer Sam has confirmed that the event raised just under £1500.
Despite it being a very long day, with cold weather meaning warm clothing was required throughout the event, rain did not spoil the day and therefore there was much to be enjoyed, as can be seen from the other photos.
As we say every year,
Can't Wait Till Next Year?
A Visit From Our Friends In The Czech Republic.
(Hello Vera and Jenda Vitek, how are you and how is Hořice?)
Flight WWW3574 arrived at Manchester Airport on Wednesday the 30th of May at 2310hrs, bringing six of our good friends from the Rotary Club of Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic for a short visit.
For the last two years now, they havekilled two birds with one stone, if you will excuse the intended pun, by combining a visit to the Annual RIBI Clay Target Shoot, with a social visit to see us.
Our visitors this year were President Zdenik Jirousek along with his Hon. Sec. Augustine Cermk, who were hosted by President Malcolm and Maggie. Joining them were Martin and Marketa Palecek who were hosted by Rod and Mary, and finally Jarda and Yvona Kovařik who were hosted by Barry and Carol.
And so, not wishing to waste a moment, our extensive and carefully arranged visits began with Thursday being taken up by going to the Czech War Monument and Chapel at Cholmondeley Castle, followed by a visit to the nearby Candle Factory and of course the famous Ice Cream Factory, where there is a choice of 24 different varieties of Ice Cream to tempt you.
That evening saw everyone meet up at The Helter Skelter pub in the village, where all our visitors enjoyed tasting several different Real Ales with quite a few of our Club members and their wives joining in, on what turned out to be, a really enjoyable evening.
Friday was the Annual RIBI Clay Target Shoot for the Gentlemen, with the Clay Preservation Trophy, that was won last year, being up for grabs. Not to be out-done, the Ladies took their Credit Cards and had a shopping trip to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Village where much Retail Therapy was enjoyed.
Saturday saw a full days visit to Chester, where Gareth took everyone on a guided tour, ensuring all the important places were either visited or seen, which included a lengthy chat to and photo opportunity withThe Town Crier.
That evening our Czech guests, host families and helpers were invited to a BBQ at the Presidents home, where good weather allowed everyone to sit outside and enjoy a meal and a chat, along with appropriate quantities of liquid refreshments from both the UK and Czech Republic, that finally came to a gentle close at Midnight!
Sunday morning started with a visit to see the surrounding countryside from the vantage point on Frodsham Hill, which was followed by a trip to the Mouldsworth Motor Museum where James Peacock, the owner, was on hand to give expert advice and answer questions.
Following lunch with their hosts, the time came for our visitors to leave for Manchester Airport to catch their flight home, taking with them wonderful memories of their visit.
See You All Next Year.
The 12th Annual RIBI Clay Target Shoot.
On a very sunny Friday the 1st of June, our Club was pleased
to host the 12th RIBI Clay Target Shoot, which once again was held at
Catton Hall Shooting Ground.
The event was extremely well attended and it was pleasing to note that we had a total of 86 Shooters present on the day, representing 15 Rotary Clubs, but also we were pleased to host 7 Teams of Non-Rotarians and 14 individual Shooters, who were guests of our Club.
As with last year, this event was made even more special because despite it being a RIBI event, it had an International link, as in attendance was a team from our Twin Club of Hradec Králové, who came over from the Czech Republic especially for this shoot. Jarda, Augustin and Martin are shown at one of the Stands with George, along with Zdenik who had to sit down to do the scoring, as it was all too much for him!
With the weather being so kind, it came as no surprise that the standard of shooting was very high and it was clear that everyone enjoyed the various challenges set by the 12 different Stands.
As is tradition the event was drawn to a close by President Malcolm, who presented to the Winners the various trophies and prizes. In his concluding remarks, he advised that on the day the Club had raised £1,050 for Rotary Foundation, which meant that over the life of this event, in excess of £13,000 has been passed on to the Foundation account, which is quite an achievement.
He then went on to thank Martin Mann, along with his Family and Staff for all their hard work, such that they ensured a good days shooting was had by all. Also, special mention was made of George, Harry and Shirley, his resident Instructors, who had given free of charge, their time and expertise on the day - Many Thanks.
He finished by thanking all those Club members that had helped with the event on the day, but most particularly he thanked all those who had come along to shoot and make the day the success that it had been.
And now to the Victors, the spoils :-
| Award | Trophy | Winner(s) | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary - High Gun. | Noel Fryer Cup | Rtn. Colin Caws | RC of Newport. I of W |
| Rotary Reserve High Gun. | Ian Lawson Shield | Rtn. Andy Freadman | RC of Poynton & District |
| Rotary Top Team, | The Rotary Clay Shooting Cup | Rtns Colin Caws, Peter Ricks and Robert Biggs | RC of Newport I of W |
| Rotary Reserve Top Team | Frodsham & Helsby Rotary Shield | Rtns Mark. Salmon, John Holland and Hettie Salmon | RC of Prescot |
| Rotary Clay Preservation Team | Rtns Peter Hill, Mike Jones, Steve Drinnan | RC of Oswestry B | |
| Non Rotary High Gun | Mr James Mann | Shooting with a team representing Catton Hall Colts | |
| Non Rotary Top Team | Mr Gary Spindler, Mr Roy Millington and Mr Mel Atherton | A team representing SMA | |
| Top Side-by-Side | Mr Geoffrey Baker | ||
| Top Lady | Rtn. Hettie Salmon | ||
| Top International Shot | Rtn. Martin Palecek |
Our second photograph shows all the Winners along with many others who were involved in the days events.
Well Done Everyone See you all Next Year.
An Evening In The Trenches.
Once again, Gareth Williams and his Fellowship & Social Committee came up trumps, as some 30 Club members, their Ladies and friends of our Club went back in time to the Trenches of World War II.
As a result of much hard work by Gareth, on Sunday the 3rd of June, we visited one of the most interesting public houses in the UK,The Albion Inn in Park Street, Chester, for 'An Evening In The Trenches'.
Our Hosts for the evening were Mike and Christina Mercer, who, along with their attentive and efficient Staff, made us all feel most welcome.
Following a delicious meal, accompanied by Real Ales and selected Wines, it was left to Lynda, a quite wonderful Soprano and Matt, an accomplished Pianist and Accordionist, to transport us back (with superb humour and music) to the Trenches of the First World War.
As you would expect, it wasn't long before all those assembled were getting into the Old Songs such as It's A Long Way To Tipperary, Mademoiselle From Armentires and many, many more such that the competition between those in the different areas of the main Lounge became quite intense.
Suffice it to say that the singing of the old songs continued long after everyone had left The Albion Inn and returned to their cars ready for the journey home.
Following the singing of The National Anthem, President Malcolm thanked our Hosts and their Staff for a most wonderful evening, secure in the knowledge that given appropriate time, everyone's voices would eventually return to normal, even Eddy Basnett's!
Frodsham Festival In The Park.
For many years now, our Club have been involved with the Frodsham Festival in the Park and this year was no exception.
Working closely with Castle Park Arts Centre and members of Frodsham Town Council and of course Vale Royal Borough Council, we were once again pleased to Co-ordinate and Manage this wonderful Community Project.
Sunday the 1st of July was the chosen day, and bearing in mind the bad weather prior to the event, all fingers were crossed and many prayers said, for good weather for the day.
With nearly 30 Trusts, Organizations, Societies, Clubs, Groups etc. being represented, a good day out was in prospect for residents of the area and visitors alike.
Our Club members day started around 8.00am with the setting out of the event, ensuring all exhibitors were provided with an appropriately sized area, from which they could work, or set up their displays.
Eddys car was well looked after, with its own Gazebo, as it was used to promote our Clubs forthcoming Car Show.
The event wasOfficially Opened by the Town Mayor, John Maddock, an Honorary Member of our Club, who commented on the many shows, presentations and displays that were scheduled for the afternoons. He concluded by thanking all who had attended and wished everyone a pleasant afternoons enjoyment.
It is, however, saddening to report that our Show did not escape the vagaries of the weather, with heavy rain leaving many sheltering under trees and inside the exhibitors Gazebos and tents.
That being said, the good folk of Frodsham, Helsby and surrounding areas are made of sterner stuff and not easily put off enjoying themselves, hence despite the odd puddle and a bit of damp grass, The Show Went On well into the late afternoon.
Our Burger Stall was again in full production for the entire event, with our Club members helping on the stall as well as managing the Car Park andCollection Buckets.
Thanks Guys
We are however advised that Next Year, our Clubs Community Service Committee will ensure that an early request for good weather is made - must have been overlooked this year!
