He was one of 900 cyclists taking part in the Deloitte Ride Across Britain, an annual event held since 2011 with participants all raising money for their own charities.

​With gift aid included Sean’s efforts raised more than £2,600 for Maggie’s, an Oxford-based charity that supports cancer sufferers and their families.

​Cyclists were supported with baggage transported to overnight base camps in Okehampton, Bath, Ludlow, Haydock, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Bellabeg, Bonar Bridge where meals and a tent to sleep in were provided.

​Sean said: “I did the event with a friend who was raising funds for Macmillan. It was an experience. The weather was great in England, then poor in Scotland.  There was lots of camaraderie between the cyclists and we saw some great scenery in the UK.” 

“The cycling took its toll on the body as to be expected - some days were glorious, others gruelling!”

Did you ever stop to wonder what happens to those half-used little bottles of toiletries and soap bars you leave behind in a hotel room?

Well, thanks to the efforts of Holyport-based charity Clean Conscience, many of them are recycled and used to help disadvantaged people in the UK and abroad.

And through its work the charity also helps people with learning disabilities and protects the environment, explained founder Gwen Powell when she was the guest speaker of Maidenhead Rotary Club this week.

Clean Conscience is the only organisation in the UK certified to help the hospitality industry recycle some of the 70 million bars of soap and 200 million travel-sized toiletries that go to waste from hotels every year.

The charity, which has been going for six years, works with 40 four and five-star hotels that between them have about 12,000 rooms.

Upon arrival at Clean Conscience, the toiletries are sterilised and sorted by type and brand. Volunteers with learning disabilities then drain the half-used toiletries, like body wash and shampoo, into bigger bottles.

“The value our volunteers see from this is so fulfilling and satisfying. They understand they are making a difference, it builds confidence and helps give them purpose,” said Gwen.

The repurposed toiletries are then distributed to those who need them most in the UK through food banks, baby banks and homeless charities. 

They are also sent abroad where access to hygiene can prevent child deaths, while some bars of soap are turned into soap powder and sent to a women’s project in Sierra Leone which sells them to generate income.

Clean Conscience supports 37 charities in the UK, two in Africa and seven orphanages and day care centres in Lithuania. Toiletries are also sent to refugee camps in Europe and further afield.
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​To eliminate waste, containers filled with liquid soap sent abroad are reused as water carriers once they are empty, while in the UK the original toiletry bottles are either recycled or burned in an incinerator equipped with air scrubbers to produce clean power.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw many hotels close due to a lack of international travel, interrupting the usual work of Clean Conscience. But the charity was able to turn its attention to recycling the contents of five-star hotels being refurbished.

“I have never said no to anything,” said Gwen. “Coffee trays were turned into blackboards for pupils to write on in Sierra Leone, curtains were repurposed as day beds for use also in Africa, and we sent six lorries to Lithuania. We think we improved the lives of 20,000 people and it also helped us raise enough money to keep going for 16 months.” 

A legacy in memory of a leading Rotarian has helped Boyne Hill Cricket Club buy a new electronic scoreboard and also provided a boost for young players.

Former Maidenhead Rotary Club president Ramesh Kapur, who died in 2017, left Rotary a legacy of £5,000 to be used in support of the cricket club, of which he had been a board member.

Together with the club’s own fundraising, the legacy helped secure further funding from Sport England which has paid for a new electronic scoreboard at the Bath Road ground. Ramesh’s legacy has also funded an honours board for the club’s Colt of the Year, together with a shield to be awarded to the winner with a £100 grant to provide additional training at Lords.

On Saturday members of Ramesh’s family and Rotary past-president Mary Spinks were shown by cricket club chairman Stephen Spencer-Jones and treasurer Michael Powell how the money had been spent.

The club, which is going from strength to strength, is able to field five men’s teams and has a burgeoning colts membership. It also has a growing female team which saw 27 players at its last training session.
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​Stephen said: “We are very grateful to the Kapur family and Rotary for their support which has enabled us to improve the club. It has made a tremendous difference. We are a community club and this help from our wider community is really appreciated.”

Ramesh’s son Sundeep, who attended with his mother Anita, wife Shivani and young son Kian, said: “We are very proud the club is doing so well and the contribution from my father has made such a difference.

“He loved coming here and it meant a lot to him to be part of the club community. I played for the colts here for several years so it’s lovely for our family to see his legacy continue to benefit the club and especially it’s younger cricketers.”

Mary added: “It’s a great honour to commemorate the memory of our Rotarian friend Ramesh in this way as he was such a strong supporter of Boyne Hill Cricket Club. We are looking forward to presenting the new colt of the year with their award and grant for additional training at the end of the season.”

An evening of smiles, laughter and much-missed fellowship was enjoyed by Rotarians and members of the wider Rotary family as the club held its first physical meeting since the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions 18 months ago.

The meeting, on Monday, July 26, at Taplow House Hotel, was the rescheduled presidential handover. It provided the perfect opportunity for Rotarians to catch up properly, after holding meetings by Zoom since lockdown began.

Outgoing president Mary Spinks thanked members for their support during a difficult year before presenting her successor Martin Trepte and president’s lady Amel Alariqi with their chains of office.

Martin paid tribute to Mary for her leadership in a year which had seen the club adapt to remote meetings and still run a number of successful projects that proved the importance of Rotary during the pandemic.

Looking ahead, Martin outlined his priorities for the year ahead which included completing a review of the club, supporting new environmental and fellowship initiatives, and encouraging members to come up with their own projects.

​​As well as supporting the club’s existing commitments to local and international charities, Martin said he wanted to honour the humanitarian legacy of former club member Sir Nicky Winton by raising money to help unaccompanied child refugees.

He also aims to personally complete a 1,000-mile sponsored run during his year as president in aid of the UNICEF Yemen Crisis Appeal.

​The handover ceremony also saw new president elect Jim Howles presented with his badge of office before guests enjoyed their first meal together since February 2020. Dinner was followed by an illustrated talk by Martin about a book he had produced to mark 150 years of the Maidenhead Advertiser.

Martin said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Being able to get together in person after meeting for so long over the internet was wonderful.”

The club will continue to meet at Taplow House Hotel for a trial period during August.

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Below:The pictures are of tables of Rotarians enjoying the evening.

(All photos by Maria Scavetta/Photogica) 

A representative of a remarkable charity that custom makes equipment and gadgets to help disabled people live more independent lives was the latest guest speaker of Maidenhead Rotary Club.
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Caryn Moberly, chair of Remap Berkshire, joined club members by Zoom on Monday to explain the work of the national charity, which was founded 50 years ago and has 70 branches across the UK.
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A furniture maker and designer by profession, Caryn is one of Remap’s volunteers who help those with disabilities or a special need by adapting existing aids or designing and making new ones tailored to their needs if there is nothing commercially available.
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“We design and make the things you cannot buy,” said Caryn. “They can be for any purpose – ​personal care, mobility, sports, hobbies, work, education and play. We do lots of things to help people with their mobility.”

Examples include a counterweight system to allow an elderly woman to continue lifting the heavy lids on her Aga cooker, adapting badly fitting access ramps, a foam sink surround to let a little boy with epilepsy wash up safely with his dad, and a brush holder to help a woman continue to paint after a stroke.

The charity’s 900 skilled volunteers range from engineers and people good at DIY to designers and those with knowledge of disabilities. They complete more than 3,500 assignments each year.
Funded by grants and donations, the service is free with no one excluded because of cost.

“Locally we are supported by a grant from Reading Borough Council and it is calculated that every £1 spent produces £10 worth of aid,” said Caryn.
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She shared a comment about Remap from a senior occupational therapist at Reading social services who said: “There are numerous occasions where I or the people I work with know exactly what is needed to solve a problem, but we just can’t find it anywhere. As a result I have called upon Remap’s expertise and thus far have never presented them with a problem that can’t be fixed.”
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If you would like to find out more about the charity or volunteer please see www.remap.org.uk

Maidenhead Rotary Club’s new president is aiming to raise money for the world’s worst humanitarian crisis at the same time as helping protect the environment.
 
Martin Trepte, who took over from outgoing president Mary Spinks on July 1, aims to run 1,000 miles during his presidential year in aid of the Unicef Crisis Appeal for Yemen - picking up plastic litter as he goes.
 
More than 12 million children in Yemen are threatened by war, disease and hunger, and lack access to clean water, sanitation and basic healthcare. The situation is made even worse by the impact of Covid-19 on a country where the health system is on the brink of collapse after five years of war. 
 
A keen runner who has chalked up several full and half-marathons, Martin said: “I’m asking for people to sponsor me to run 1,000 miles for Yemen during my year as president. It’s a very personal commitment for me as my wife is from Yemen and her family is there. Running solo is also a way of fundraising that can’t be stopped by Covid restrictions.”

Alongside humanitarian work, protecting the environment is now a priority for Rotary, which has an initiative to stop plastic waste being dumped in our rivers and seas by 2050, called End Plastic Soup.
 
Martin said: “Plastics break down into tiny pieces in our seas and rivers, threatening both the environment and our health. So during my runs I’ll also be doing my bit to end plastic soup by taking a bag with me and picking up litter as I go.”
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​Assuming the presidency part-way through the first Covid-19 lockdown, she has been acutely aware of the isolation caused by the pandemic and the need to keep the flame of fellowship alive during a year when most meetings took place by Zoom.

“On the first day of my Presidential year, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the death of our famous Rotarian Sir Nicholas Winton, in Oaken Grove, maintaining social-distancing. We were hopeful we would soon be free of restrictions,” said Mary. 

“But apart from that event, the wonderful picnic at Pat and June Moore’s, and the planting of crocuses, we have had a bad year for socialising.”
With club meetings held remotely every two weeks, all social events such as the presidential lunch, weekend away and the Quadrilateral in St Cloud were cancelled.

“But the business of our club continued,” said Mary. “Despite meeting by Zoom, attendance has been about the same as our usual meetings, though some of those in business have not attended as they were ‘zooming’ all day.”
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In August Mary and club secretary Frank Knowles signed a new constitution and by-laws documents following consultation with all members. The year also saw Howard McBrien made an honorary member of the club.

Mary made every effort to foster fun and fellowship at meetings. At one evening meeting a hat competition was held, when everyone wore amusing headgear. It was judged by our speaker and the winners were Eddie and Eileen Clarke.

And despite the lockdown restrictions Mary left no stone unturned in looking for ways Rotary could help the community during the pandemic.

She oversaw a donation of £1,000 to the Norden Farm Ark Appeal, as the arts centre was in danger of closing due to lack of funds because of the effects of lockdown.  The club supported Rotarian Harry Patel’s efforts to provide meals to underprivileged school children, and also contributed £4,500 to the Maidenhead Bridge Club’s volunteer project.
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​And the committees continued to be as busy as ever, making grants to numerous beneficiaries such as Thames Valley Adventure Playground in Taplow, and the Aarti project in India, while the Boundary Walk was able to go ahead in a safe ‘bubble’ format.

​Mary said one of the most worthwhile initiatives of her year was the club’s own Covid-19 Heroes Awards. Inspired by her nursing background, Mary came up with the idea of honouring those in our community and health services who had gone beyond the call of duty during the pandemic. Helped by Martin Trepte and Malcolm Falconer, and joined by Teresa May for the final judging, Mary’s scheme saw a total of £1,000 awarded to worthy winners.

​Mary has also been liaising with Boyne Hill Cricket  Club to set up a ‘youth cricketer of the year award’ and help pay for a new scoreboard with a legacy left to the club from the estate of Rotarian Ramesh Kapur.

Rotary Day in February was marked by Mary planting a rowan tree near Nicky Winton’s memorial garden in Oaken Grove with the help of Cllr Donna Stimson, who helped make the arrangements.

​Sadly the last year saw three deaths in the club - Ted Roffey, Sheila Fontaine who died from Covid, and the untimely loss of Harry Patel, also from Covid. “They will all be missed,” said Mary.
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There was positive news about Rotaract, which saw its ranks swell despite Covid-19. Mary said: “Thanks to the sterling efforts of Matthew Burdett and Lisa Hunter from Maidenhead Bridge, there are now eight members and they have their own president.” 

And while two Quadrilaterals in a row have been cancelled, links with our twin clubs in St Cloud, Tivoli and Bonn were maintained by videoconferences and a light-hearted quiz.

One of Mary’s biggest regrets is that she could not complete her Rotary Connect project to tackle loneliness by linking schoolchildren with elderly people in care homes. “Because of the restrictions due to lockdown and the vulnerability of both groups, this never really got off the ground. Safety had to come first,” she said.

Mary continued: “My thanks go to all who have supported me during this challenging year. The chairman and the members of each of our committees have worked hard to keep our club active, despite the restrictions. 

“As we enter a new Rotary year, let us hope that it will see a return to normal with our new president, Martin, leading the way.”

The Maidenhead Cycle Hub charity will also be on hand offering participants free bike health checks at the start and midway along the medium route for a problem-free ride.

Registration costs £15 for adults (aged 18 and over), £10 for 12-17-year-olds, and is free for children under 12. If bad weather causes the event to be cancelled a full refund will be given, less £1 to cover bank fees. Any surplus from the day will be donated to Dementia Research UK. 

The roads will not be closed but the routes will be clearly signposted and there will be marshals stationed along the family route. Medals will be awarded to all riders who complete the event.

All types of bicycle are allowed and child seats and tag-alongs are all permitted. Bikes must be roadworthy and all participants must wear a helmet.

Maidenhead Rotary Club president Mary Spinks was given a tour of Thames Hospice last week to see how Rotarians have contributed to the purpose-built new facility.

Maidenhead is one of several Rotary clubs sponsoring the Family Courtyard and the Bereavement Garden at the site near Bray Lake. It has committed £2,500 of funding to the project and has previously helped to provide garden furniture for the Family Courtyard.
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Mary, a former director of the Florence Nightingale Foundation who was made a CBE for a lifetime of service to nursing, was a trustee of the hospice when fundraising began for the move from its original home at Pine Lodge, Windsor.

“My visit was an emotional one, having been involved at the beginning to ensure funds were raised to build a new 28-bed hospice to replace the one in Windsor that was no longer fit for purpose,” said Mary.

“Touring this beautiful new building overlooking Bray Lake convinced me it was a great success as a one-stop facility for out-patients and in-patients from the beginning of when care is required.”
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Mary, who was joined on the tour by fellow Rotarians Tony and Cathie Lodge, added: “The facilities are very well designed as well as functional, with the patient and family centre stage at all times. We visited the wonderful peaceful garden to which our Rotary Club had contributed.”

The new hospice, which opened its doors in October last year, provides expert care for people living with life-limiting illnesses in East Berkshire and South Bucks. As well as in-patient care, it offers day care, counselling, and complementary therapies while a family support team helps the children of patients.

​Other facilities include an education centre for both hospice staff and care workers from other organisations, while the Palliative Community Response Team provides round-the-clock help and support to patients at home.

The site also hosts a shop and community cafe, which the public are encouraged to visit to learn more about the hospice and help raise much-needed funds.
 
It costs more than £10million a year to run the hospice, 49 per cent of which is met through statutory funding. The rest comes from a massive ongoing fundraising effort.
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Mary added: “Anyone donating to keep this facility running can be assured their donation is very worthwhile.”