An evening fundraising event was held last week on Thursday 28th November at Chutney Jack's restaurant in Maidenhead. Club members and their guests enjoyed a wonderful 3 course meal, and entertainment provided by Indian dancers and two young Indian musicians.  There was also a 'Heads and Tails' quiz and a raffle.

The event is supporting a wider local Rotary mission to provide garden furniture for the new Thames Valley Hospice which is currently under construction, and raised the magnificent sum of £1500.

Club President Sean Egan, along with other Maidenhead Rotarians, attended the Remembrance Day Parade in Maidenhead on Sunday 10th November.

​Young technology wizards from three Maidenhead secondary schools showed off their skills at a special Rotary event.
 
Students from Newlands and Altwood schools joined hosts from Desborough College at the school’s specialist STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) unit for a technology tournament organised by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead.
 
A dozen pupils from each school took part in the event on Tuesday, November 19th. They were split into teams of four and given a technology challenge in the form of a scenario - to design and build a model crane on rails to move hazardous materials following a fire.

One of the home teams from Desborough was the winner. It was the second time the event has been run and Rotary hopes to make it an annual event attracting even more schools.
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The technology tournament is also supported by the Spoor, Merry and Rixman Foundation, which had previously helped to fund the STEM unit at Desborough.

For more information and photos click here

Over the weekend of 25th to 27th October, a group of around 30 club members stayed for a couple of nights at Heythrop Park Resort in the Cotswolds. It was a new venue for us, and it took a little time to find our way around the enormous complex. However, the most important rooms - the bar and restaurant - were soon located and we settled in for a rainy weekend.

The old Manor House (which was built between 1710 and 1715) has a fascinating history, and we were able to dine in the Churchill Room which is in part of the old house.

Saturday morning saw the majority of our group in the bar watching the all important 'England versus the All Blacks' rugby match, with a very satisfactory conclusion. The Leisure Club facilities were taken advantage of by some, but the weather was not good enough on Saturday to enjoy the championship golf course or the beautiful Cotswold countryside or the 400 acres that surround the hotel.

On Sunday of course, because we were leaving, the sun came out, bringing the house to life and showing off the wonderful Autumn colours in the trees.

Many thanks to Peter Hughes for organising a successful weekend of fellowship and fun.

Maidenhead MP Theresa May and her husband Phillip launched the annual Maidenhead Boundary Walk event. The couple along with 491 other registered walkers set out on the 14 mile walk on the morning of Sunday 6th October. 

The walk allowed 58 charities to raise money for their various causes. It is expected that the total sponsorship raised for the various good causes will be more than the £21,904.75 raised on the day.

New for this year was a treasure hunt with 19 questions set around the whole of the route. The first three entrants chosen at random with accurate and fully completed answers were in line for prizes including a meal at the Hind’s Head Bray, Sunday lunch at the Emperor of India and a £50 cash prize. Another new feature of the walk was the use of the causeway path across the newly created Battlemead Common to the Thames towpath. This revised route very nearly follows the original boundary line which affords some great views of Cliveden. 

The event is a joint venture between Maidenhead Rotary Club and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club with assistance from Maidenhead Rotaract, Marlow Bridge Rotary Club, Maidenhead Sea Cadets and 18th Maidenhead Scouts, Maidenhead Civic Society and The Ramblers. Rotary members also registered their profound thanks to the Shanly Foundation and the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust for sponsoring the event.

​The picture shows one of our members, Pat Moore, receiving his prize for holding the best score of marbles in our final hour at the show. Pat was one of the many adults who tried their hands at the challenge. Also in the picture is our Immediate Past President Anne Matkin. We made a small profit on the game and the proceeds will be split between our club and Maidenhead Bridge Club. 

We also succeeded in recording 3 potential new people interested in becoming Rotarians, not a bad result for the afternoon! 

Paul Mapletoft, Peter Silverthorne, Pat Moore, Jim Howles, Pat Lattimer, Yash Maudgil and myself helped on the day, and volunteers from Maidenhead Bridge assisted in manning the stand for the event. Well done to you all.

​Frank Knowles

Due to the appalling weather forecast on Saturday 10th August, a barbecue at a club member's home was cancelled.  However, all was not lost, because over 20 members rallied round to help turn it into a very successful Cheese and Wine party. In spite of intermittent showers and very blustery winds everyone had a great time, and managed to eat most of the pre-ordered food (and drink quite a lot of the pre-ordered wine too!). Thanks to Peter and Lin for their hospitality.

Thanks to an excellent discount offered by French Brother Passenger Boat Cruisers, on Wednesday 7th August over 50 people from the Community of Maidenhead were treated to an afternoon trip on the river by Maidenhead Rotary Club. The idea was to provide a little treat to a wide range of Maidenhead people (and their carers), especially those who might find it a little hard to get out and about and have as good a social life as they would like.

​The guest list was drawn up in conjunction with Mens’ Matters, Give and Take Care, Maidenhead Social Prescribers, the Brett Foundation and the Maidenhead Community Wardens. In addition there were a few guests who had previously experienced Rotary hospitality. Some of the less mobile of the guests were driven to and from the event by Rotary volunteer drivers.