Our club members are involved in many different activities, both at home and abroad and clubs are ready with help both financial and also practical when natural disasters strike. Our club has also contributed significantly to the Polio Plus campaign and after 25 years of hard work Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease.

This year a new fundraising event proved very successful,  the Trolley Dash Raffle which raised £1200 for Teenage Cancer Trust. They are financing a new cancer unit for children and teenagers at Castle Hill Hospital which will save a round trip of 120 miles for young people receiving treatment. The lucky winners, Dick and Jacquie Purr from Skirlaugh said they were delighted as it is the first thing they have ever won.

The District 1270 Disability Games are being organised in 2011 and 2012 by the North Bank clubs and were held at Hymers College on Sunday 10th April. It was a fabulous day for all concerned and our team of nine competitors put in a great effort, winning some trophies but more importantly having a good time. They are shown with Rtn Mac Fleming, President Andy Lindsay and Rtn David Cummins. There are action photos of this event on our Facebook page.

To help finance the event our own Mac Fleming and John Gosnold of Hornsea club organised a charity concert starring the nationally acclaimed Hull classical pop quartet Ti Amero who put on a wonderful show, at times sending shivers down the spine.

The first half of the show featured three superb classical musicians from Hymers College, The Parisi String Quartet playing popular jazz and songs from the shows and jazz pianist John Murray. The concert raised an estimated £1700 and also came as a timely and joyous epitaph to three of our Rotarians who sadly died early in 2011. Mac Fleming is shown with Ti Amero after the show.

On a local level  as well as our annual Youth Public Speaking Competition we have active involvement with schools, in particular Swinemoor Primary School with members helping pupils with literacy and with events such as Kids Out, a popular summer nationwide event supported by most UK clubs and also annual fishing trips.

Environmental Activities
IIn1994 our annual tree planting project was launched which has been continued this year with the planting of ten trees by club members at Molescroft Pavilion. The trees line a path around the playing field and will eventually form an impressive avenue. Over the years other trees have been planted at Bishop Burton College under the direction of past president Frank Watts who sadly died this year. Frank was a very well known and respected advisor to local agriculture. See Molescroft Parish Council website for more photographs.

Visiting GSE Team
Last year five delegates of the 2010 Group Study Exchange team from Romania were hosted by our club for two days, visiting local attractions including the Treasure House which featured an exhibition of the work of noted Beverley artist Fred Elwell RA who was a founding member of our club and president in 1930. The Rotary Foundation GSE scheme enables young professionals from around the world to experience one another's cultures with the objective of promoting international goodwill and understanding.

International Connections
Rotary is truly international and fellowship is an important part of that. There is regular contact with the Rotarians of Albi in France and Ramnicu Valcea in Romania with frequent visits between the clubs which over the years has enabled us to build lasting friendships and support joint humanitarian projects.  In the autumn of 2010 a party from our club visited Romania and enjoyed the company of friends old and new as well as seeing much of their fascinating country. Here they are shown ready to depart on an excursion.

A superb record of the first visit to us of the Albi Laperouse club in 2007 was produced by past president André Sudre and this can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking here. Please note this is a large file and you should select 'save' rather than 'open' from the download window. It is also not recommended for those on a dial-up connection. 

Other events
Our annual Santa Sleigh Ride always receives a warm welcome touring the area and at Beverley Festival of Christmas. Santa's purpose-built sleigh is based on our multi-purpose trailer can be used as a PR vehicle for all kinds of outside events.  The trailer was made possible with a legacy from a wonderful Rotarian, the late Frank Merrett and the efforts of past president David Preston who was largely responsible for its construction during his presidency.

Other recent events have included wine tastings, a Murder Mystery evening and 1920's theme evening at a member's home, all fun ways to help raise money for our good causes. A different sort of annual event we run is a 'Know Your Blood Pressure' day in Beverley town centre at which we provide free blood pressure checks for the public provided by qualified health professionals. Stroke Awareness is a joint venture between Rotary and the Stroke Association - high blood pressure is a major cause of strokes.

Local Charities we regularly support include: Dove House Hospice, Candlelighters, Alzheimer's Society Hull & East Riding, Jacob's Well Christian Medical Charity and Beverley Community Care. Other charities to regularly benefit from our fund raising events include PolioPlus, a number of Cancer Charities, the RIBI preferred charity, Mercy Ships and more recently Hope and Homes for Children.

Fellowship
Various social activities are arranged for Rotarians and their partners. We've enjoyed an evening gliding with a barbecue, a visit to a sausage factory and the BBC studios in Hull, hosted by presenter Peter Levy as well as other social events. We also have regular contact other clubs and organisations with quizzes and games nights. Most of these activities involve our partners who also join us at special partners meetings held instead of our usual weekly meeting with interesting and entertaining speakers.

Rotary Links
To find out more about Rotary, go to the Rotary International website www.rotary.org
or to our District website www.rotary1270.org.uk