District Conference 2016 Eastbourne - Day 2 - Sheik's Pier

 After sleeping like logs, we woke to a beautiful sunrise over Eastbourne, and went down to a sumptuous breakfast in the Cavendish Hotel Dining room. I always look for kippers on hotel menus at breakfast time, as the PDG hates the smell of them at home. Today I was torn, as I could have either kippers or the buffet, so I followed my usual instinct of quantity over quality and opted for the buffet. Well you can have kippers any time, can’t you?

Sun rise seen from our hotel room

We had to get to the Congress Theatre early, because the PDG was stewarding, so I filled the time before kick off by wandering around the stands in the House of Friendship. I was delighted to find that Canine Partners had a stand, and I fell in love with a Golden Retriever pup called Winnie. She was 15 months old and her handler said that she was now ready to be placed with a disabled person. The woman I spoke to had looked after Winnie from 12 weeks old, and I sympathised with her as it must be awful handing the dog over after she had become part of the family. The woman said she was trying not to think about it.

Canine partners can do your shopping

I also stopped by The Phillippine Community Fund stall, and spoke to its founder, Jane Walker. She is a remarkable woman, who has rescued hundreds of children from a lifetime of living on rubbish tips in the Phillippines. One way she achieves this is by giving them an opportunity to earn money through making handbags and other items from ring pulls out of drinks cans. The PDG and I already act as a collection point for anyone in the District who wishes to donate ring pulls taken from drinks cans. Today I couldn’t resist buying a wallet made from ring pulls.

Handbags made from ring pulls

Soon it was time to take our seats for the Conference, and I sat with my club colleagues Lyn, Ken and Brian. There were several highlights this morning. First up was Chris Connors of Coco’s Foundation, who never fails to impress. This is the fourth time I have heard him speak about the work he does in South Africa for children suffering from Aids. He is now taking groups from USA to work on his project, which is growing year by year.

Chris Connors

He was followed by Ann Dieckmann of  Brighton and Hove soiree, who has set up the Zanzibar Schools Project to help children learn English, which is essential for a decent education in that country. She introduced us to an extraordinary young man called Gasica. He had founded a school teaching English to 300 children a year in Zanzibar with absolutely no resources at all. His energy and enthusiasm was boundless. He had even adopted one of the children who he had found living on the street. Lyn was so enthused she is trying to arrange for him to come and speak to our fledgling Interact club at Sunbury Manor school.

The amazing Gasica on stage

Next up was Tom Yendell, who I had met a couple of years ago at the Farnborough Donkey Derby. Tom, a Rotarian himself, has no arms, a result of his mother being given the drug thalidomide during pregnancy. He has carved out a career as an artist, painting with his feet, and sometimes his mouth. Several examples of his work, and that of other mouth and foot artists were on display at his stand. He was talking today about his latest venture, called Flat Spaces, which is a Company creating holiday homes specially adapted for severely handicapped people. They are equipped to a very high standard with lifts and hoists, enabling people confined to wheel chairs to get around the house comfortably. His suggestion was that Rotary clubs consider sponsoring disabled people to stay in this accommodation, with ‘Access Assured’. What a great idea.

Tom Yendell talks about Flat Spaces

Two more outstanding presentations followed, firstly Gordon Moulds CEO of Kids Out, a terrific charity formed by Rotarians to give disabled and disadvantaged children an opportunity of a day out at various locations across the UK. I myself attended a Kids Out day at the Army rugby ground at Aldershot a couple of years ago and was most impressed. Then followed a moving presentation from Richard Brown, a member of Walton on Thames Rotary Club. He described how he was a high flying IFA until one day he was knocked down by an impatient motorist when crossing a road, and his life changed forever. He spoke about the support he received (and is still receiving) from the Silverlining Charity, which helps rehabilitate brain injury victims. Richard was the only speaker all weekend to receive a standing ovation.

The PDG at Kids Out 2 years ago

There was a surprise in store for Lou Moss, last year’s Chair of Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland.  She is well known to the PDG and myself, having met up regularly during the past two or three years, Lou had just completed a joint presentation about Rotaract on the stage with James Millet, when she was surprised by Frank West, who presented her with a Paul Harris Award in recognition of all her hard work for Rotaract in recent years. A Paul Harris is the highest award a Rotarian can receive, and it was obviously a very proud, if unexpected, moment for her.

A Paul Harris Medal

As lunch time approached, the session came to an end for the day. We had the afternoon free before the dinner and dance tonight. The PDG and I went across the road with Ken and Lyn (for some reason Brian was absent), and had a cup of tea and a sandwich before going for a stroll along the promenade. It was a very fine day and a refreshing stroll was just what we all needed after a morning spent in the Conference hall. We met several other Rotarians along the way to stop and chat with, including the chap from Wallington who organises their annual boxing evening. The PDG and I went to it during my year in office as Consort to the District Governor. The boxing evening, we heard is still going strong, and continues to be a massive fundraiser.

Wallington Boxing evening

It was interesting to see that Eastbourne pier has been renovated recently. We heard that it was recently  bought by a Pakistani businessman, who has breathed new life into it. It has been re-named by locals ‘Sheik’s pier’. The owner is obviously happy with the new name, because as you leave the pier there is a sign which says ‘Thank you for visiting Sheik’s Pier’. We were about to walk out to the end of the pier when we saw the most enormous black rain cloud heading our way. A quick change of plan ensued, and the four of us went back to the Cavendish Hotel for afternoon tea. We just made it before the heavens opened.

Eastbourne Pier

I had to be back at the Floral Hall in the Winter Gardens by 6.00 p.m. for a special reception for Presidents. The PDG was also invited as my Consort. Fortunately it had just stopped raining as we made our way from the Hotel up to the Floral Hall. It must have been an incongruous sight, with me in Dinner Jacket and bow tie, pushing the PDG, also dressed to the nines, up the road to the Winter Gardens. Once there, we negotiated the complicated system of lifts and ramps to get to the Floral Room, with the assistance of some very helpful staff. The wine flowed freely, but I was determined to pace myself a bit better than the previous night and get back to the hotel with a clear head. 

Eastbourne Winter Garden

We met up with Geoff Williams, President of Shepperton & Sunbury club and his lovely wife Jenny. Geoff and I have got to know each other pretty well in the past year or so, in the lead up to our respective Presidential years. We have worked together on the Sunbury Manor garden Project, and visited each other’s club meetings. We also happen to be fellow Fulham supporters, the only difference being that he is a season ticket holder, and I haven’t actually been to watch them for about 5 years. Perhaps I should describe myself as a Fulham follower, rather than supporter, as I certainly follow their results in the newspaper.

Aurora members at the Gala Dinner

We moved straight on from the Reception to the Dinner and Dance next door. All Shepperton Aurora members were on the same table, as was David Thompson from Chertsey and his wife Yvonne. There were two empty places on our table, where Ron and Gwyneth would have sat if he hadn’t been taken ill on the eve of the Conference. I hope Ron will approve of the fact his starter wasn’t wasted, or his dessert. I couldn’t manage his main course, however, which was a rather overcooked piece of Rotary chicken with accompanying veg. The organisers had made the mistake of leaving a few screamer balloons on each table. The PDG cannot resist blowing these up and aiming them at various people around her. Whenever one landed near our table, she was quick to blow it up and send it off again. She actually managed to land one in somebody’s dinner. Of course I was far too dignified to join in this nonsense.

On the dance floor - the PDG with Lyn and Ken

After dinner we had entertainment in the form of Colin Roy and the Dream Girls, a brilliant singing group who were back by popular demand, having entertained us in Bournemouth last year.  Colin wandered around the room during some numbers, and even put the microphone in front of me, to my great surprise, as I was belting out the chorus to Delilah. The group were so good, even the PDG got onto the dance floor, I kid you not. The entertainment finished about 11.30, and the PDG and I wended our way back to our hotel. We were proud to have been amongst the last to leave.

Colin Roy and the Dream Girls

District Conference 2016 Eastbourne - Day 1 - Fellowship

14 October. Today we are off to the annual Conference of Rotary District 1145, which is this year being held in Eastbourne.  Being President of Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club, I was looking forward to having VIP status at the event, something that has always eluded me up till now. It would make a nice change from the treatment I sometimes receive at such events.

Eastbourne in summer

The car was loaded up to the gunnels, as we were taking the electric wheelchair as well as the manual one. We took both because whilst the electric one is useful in large places like Conference centres, enabling the PDG to nip around on her own without any help, it is not so good in confined spaces, like shops and restaurants. The electric chair, with its heavy duty batteries, is exceedingly heavy, but we have had a hoist fitted to the car, which makes loading it quite easy now. We gave the new hoist a trial run on our holiday at the Manoir du Hilguy in Brittany the previous week, and it worked well, although having two chairs didn’t leave much room for luggage.

Le Manoir du Hilguy

We made an early start, as Daisy was being looked after this weekend by Sandra, a new minder we have found. She lives in Addlestone, and Daisy is very fond  of her, having met her a few days ago. With Daisy safely deposited we headed off for Eastbourne. We needed to get there  before 11 a.m. as the PDG was stewarding at the Conference, and needed to be at a briefing session beforehand.  Having dodged a few hold ups on the way, and being stuck in traffic in East Grinstead for 30 minutes, we arrived with perfect timing at 10.45.

East Grinstead without traffic

After I’d  unloaded the PDG at the Conference venue, the Congress Theatre, I had an hour or so to spare, so I left the car outside the theatre and strolled over to our Hotel, The Cavendish, situated on the seafront a few minutes’ walk away. Car parking in Eastbourne is a bit tricky, with little free parking anywhere near the seafront. However The Cavendish has its own small car park, with a couple of disabled spaces, and I hoped to acquire one of them. It was far too early to check into our room, but they did offer me a parking space for the weekend, so I fetched the car and left it there.

The Cavendish Hotel

With the time left I wandered in to the town, and found it surprisingly bustling and prosperous-looking, which isn’t always the case with seaside towns out of season.  I was quite interested to come across a Museum of Shops, which apparently had various shop fronts on display, going back in history. However I didn’t go in, as it cost £6 and I only had about 15 minutes to spare, and the way I look at museum exhibits, studying every label and every display board, I wouldn’t have got through the first room in that time. I wouldn’t mind going back there when I’ve got a bit more time on my hands. It put me in mind of my visit to the Black Country Living Museum a couple of years ago, where they had old shops on display, and I remember buying a piece of bread pudding, just like mum used to make.

The Museum of Shops

I went back to the Conference centre, and met up with the PDG. I also registered for the weekend, and picked up my Conference pack. It was slightly disappointing to queue up with all the other Conference attendees, as there didn’t seem to be a fast lane for presidents as  there should have been.  It was now about 12.30 and the Conference was due to start at 2.10, so we had time to head off into town for lunch. I was sure we would find better value here than if we had stayed near the sea front, and I was proved right. All-day breakfast and a cup of tea brought to your table for £5.50. It was possibly the best meal we had all weekend.

All Day Breakfast

Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the Congress Theatre for the start of the Conference. Sergeant at Arms Neil Rorie, resplendent as ever in his kilt, started off with some safety announcements, then it was over to DG Frank West to formally start proceedings.  He introduced the Mayor of Eastbourne, who welcomed us all to the town, then we had presentations from the Chairman of Inner Wheel, and the RIBI representative Len Smith. There was no RI representative this year, maybe they’ve done away with that procedure. It’s a pity if they have, because I’ve met some very interesting characters over the years coming from abroad to represent the RI President.

The Congress Theatre

Two excellent speakers followed, Hugh Pike and Aziz Hafiz who spoke about Rotary’s Water Survival box, which can be sent out to disaster zones worldwide. We had a demonstration of how you can pour dirty water into the filter, which cleans it and produces perfectly drinkable water in seconds. What an amazing piece of equipment, and because the whole process is handled by Rotarians, we can be confident that the water Survival Boxes get to where they are needed without any of them disappearing on the way.

Water Survival Box

We then had an extraordinary presentation from Maureen Mwagale, who is trying to rescue young children from the streets of Uganda, where they are used to provide an income for their families through begging. Her Charity, Kaana provides them with parties, toys and clothes, education bursaries to lift them out of poverty, and training for their mothers to set up small businesses. She really is an amazing character and finished off the afternoon in great style.

Maureen does a tandem skydive for her charity

The session finished about 5.15, after which we were in a bit of a rush. The PDG had stewarding duties until 5.30, so I hurried back to the hotel and checked in, unloading all of our luggage. I never cease to be amazed at how much luggage we can  bring for a two-night stay. I was surprised to be asked by the Receptionist for payment up front, and explained I was used to paying when we check out. She said that the Hotel had recently been taken over by Britannia Hotels, and this was their Company policy. I was about to insist that she should be able to trust the president of the Rotary Club, but thought better of it. My only previous experience of Britannia Hotels was that they were very downmarket, and  maybe they had  experience of guests who left without paying.

We didn’t have much time to get changed, as we had to walk down the road to the View Hotel, where I was hosting a drinks reception for my fellow club members at 6.30.  The View is the main Conference Hotel, and we have stayed there before. It has probably the best wheelchair accessible rooms we have ever stayed at. Unfortunately, when we tried to book the Hotel earlier this year, the accessible rooms had all gone, so we had to go to the Cavendish. This wasn’t a great hardship, as we have an excellent room there, with superb sea views.

The View Hotel

It is traditional for Aurora Presidents to host a drinks reception on the Friday evening, and I wanted to keep up the tradition. It can be expensive for the President, particularly when we have lots of attendees, as we have had on occasion. Fortunately for me our club only had 5 attendees this weekend, so I just bought a bottle of house red  and house white  and that was it. Everybody wanted white wine, so I ended up with the bottle of red to myself. We were joined by David and Yvonne Thompson from Chertsey club, and  by Shepperton & Sunbury club. Their President, Geoff Williams had a more costly time as he had 20 club members with him.

At 7.30, our group of 3 clubs ( 27 of us) had booked an Italian Restaurant about 5 minutes walk away. Geoff and I had come to Eastbourne to reconnoitre earlier this year and checked out  local Restaurants. We decided that La Locanda Del Duca seemed most welcoming, had a good menu, and importantly was very familiar with large groups. In fact they told us that there were already two other Rotary groups booked for that night. They didn’t want a deposit, and we weren’t restricted to a set menu, but we could order whatever we wanted from the menu when we arrived.

La Locanda del Duca

Fortunately this evening, Geoff remembered the way, as  I wasn’t thinking too clearly after my bottle of wine. I was a little put off to find the Restaurant surrounded in scaffolding when we arrived, but any concerns were allayed when we entered.  The Restaurant was already full of Rotarians from across the District, but tables for us had been reserved in one corner. We had a bit of fun getting the wheelchair to our table, but after lots of ‘Excuse me’s and ‘sorry’s, and people having to stand up to let us through, we got there. The Restaurant was true to its word and we had a very convivial evening. The food was excellent and in good quantities (important for me) and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Enjoying the evening - Ken, Lyn, Richard and Cathy

It was gone 11 o’clock before we staggered back to our Hotel and off to bed. It was quite warm in our room, so we opened the windows wide and went to sleep to the pleasant sound of waves gently breaking on the shore below us.

Presidency - 3 months in

I have been President of Shepperton Aurora Rotary for 3 months already now, and things are settling into a pattern. Unfortunately it isn’t the pattern I was anticipating.

New President with DG Frank West - my chain's bigger than his

Take our visit to the Walled Garden in July, when we had an excellent talk about the Millennium embroidery, followed by a cream tea.  Whilst I made it quite clear at the outset that I was the President of the Rotary Club, I was made to sit with everybody else, and when the time came for me to make a speech, I was told there was no time, as another group was due in.  Obviously I was too dignified to make a fuss, but I felt disappointed for everybody else there who were prevented from listening to a short 20 minute talk about my plans to develop the role of President of Shepperton Aurora.

Cream tea at The Walled Garden, Sunbury

Things started to look up a week or so later with our annual boules match against Shepperton and Sunbury club, at The Bell in Old Charlton Road. I was delighted to lead our team to a famous victory for the first time in 3 years.  When I say ‘lead’ I mean I was first to play a game. Altogether, I played two games, and although I didn’t win either of them, I’m sure my contribution was crucial in tiring out our opponents for the remaining games. I was of course magnanimous in victory, and the next day I went to the bookies to try and put a bet on us completing a double over our mother club by winning the forthcoming Beetle Drive. The bookies were obviously worried about this and refused to take the bet. As things turned out, I was glad they didn’t. Shepperton & Sunbury trounced us and took home the coveted picture of beetles.

Success - I receive the boules trophy from Geoff

Revenge is sweet - Eric and Geoff win back the beetle drive trophy

Speaking of betting, a few days later the Club enjoyed an outing to Kempton Park, to watch an evening race meeting. I had devised a fool-proof gambling system that I was sure would reap substantial rewards. When we arrived, some of us sat outside one of the bars in the sunshine to enjoy a drink, and it was pleasant sitting there looking down at the racegoers arriving as they passed below us. A few people in the bar seemed to give me quizzical looks, as if they had seen me somewhere before, but couldn’t remember where. I supposed that I would have to get used to this now that I was one of the foremost citizens in Shepperton. It was only as we were leaving that I noticed we had been in a bar reserved for owners and trainers. That probably explained why people couldn’t work out who I was. With regard to the fool-proof gambling system, let’s just say it needs a little tweaking, and leave it there.

Studying the form at Kempton

At the end of July, we had another outing, this time to see Guys and Dolls at Woking’s New VictoriaTheatre. For some reason I was the one left to organise the visit, and I duly arranged a block booking of 16 tickets. What I seemed to overlook was that we had a party of 17. I managed to get out of this potentially awkward situation thanks to a very helpful lady in the ticket office, who found us an additional seat, enabling us all to sit together. Sue (the 17^th member) was surprisingly understanding about the whole thing, thank goodness.

As I write this, we have just completed one of our main events of the year, the Prestige Lecture, which was a huge success. At last I felt that I was moving in the right circles as I shared the amazing Halliford School stage with Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kb. He proved to be one of the best speakers we have ever had and everybody seemed to thoroughly enjoy his views on ‘The UK in a post-Brexit World’. My only complaint is that he spoke so long, and so eloquently, that I didn’t have any time at all to deliver my speech about Brexit. In the few minutes left, sandwiched between Lord Jones and the raffle, all I had time for was a few thank you’s and see you all next year. To make matters worse, I was the only person on stage without a microphone. I don’t normally subscribe to conspiracy theories, but it has occurred to me that maybe Lord Jones was worried that I would upstage him. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

I share a joke with my new friend Lord Digby Jones

Sharing stage  with Deputy Mayor Vivienne Leighton with Consort and DG Frank West with Consort

I can’t finish without mentioning the Sunbury Manor Garden Project, a joint venture with our mother club to create a garden at Sunbury Manor school to be enjoyed by Special Needs pupils. The steering committee felt that the work would be completed in a couple of days, and I went along on the first of these days for a Presidential visit. I had envisaged spending a few minutes inspecting the site, offering a few words of encouragement to the volunteers and leave them energised and motivated to carry on the good work. I hadn’t expected to be told to clear the site of rubbish, and then wheelbarrow two tons of sand onto the site to level it. My suit got quite dirty whilst doing this, but I shouldn’t have expected any sympathy from my colleagues, as none was forthcoming.

Wheelchair - accessible mat is in position

The only consolation I could draw from the situation was that Geoff Williams, President of Shepperton & Sunbury club had been similarly pressed into working on the site when he was probably expecting to look in briefly before heading off home again. At least it’s not just me.  In my next blog, I sincerely hope I will be able to report that the Garden Project is completed.  At the time of writing we have just completed our 12^th day of work on the 2-day project. 

Hard at work - Geoff, Andrew and Ken