Autumn has really arrived now......

The leaves are really changing colour on the trees now, and with the wonderful sunny days that we have experienced during the last couple of weeks, it has been a joy to drive around our beautiful county of Devon.

It was on such a day that I paid my official visit to Tiverton. This is probably one of the most vibrant lunchtime clubs in the district, and they made me very welcome. With six current or past district officers in the club, they have a tremendous knowledge of Rotary, and this must make a significant contribution to the success of the club.

During the week I also took part in my first audio conference meeting of the RIBI Membership Development and Retention Committee. I must admit the prospect of this was quite daunting, and the closer it became the more twitchy I was, but in the event it was fine and I really needn't have worried! It is quite strange though, having a six or seven way conversation over more than two hours on the telephone. It does, however, save RIBI, and consequently members of Rotary, a great deal of money by holding committee meetings in this way.

On Thursday morning Les and I embarked on the mammoth journey to Eastbourne for District 1130's Conference; better known perhaps as 'The London Conference.' There is no easy way to Eastbourne from Devon and the journey took us the best part of six hours. I am no stranger to this conference, as it is the District in which Michael was a Governor many years ago, and I have continued to attend the majority of their recent conferences and do have many friends there.

We were treated like royalty and had a tremendous weekend. The dinner dance on Saturday and the entertainment on Friday were stunning, and I have to say, that I was taking careful note of all the proceedings in order to pick up any useful tips for our own conference in February.

We arrived home late on Sunday evening, having partaken of a very pleasant lunch with the members of the London Conference Committee and the rest of their guests, and I then spent Monday preparing for the week ahead.

On Tuesday there was another very pleasant drive through the Devon countryside to visit RC of Exmoor. They were holding a partner's meeting so Les accompanied me, and also did the driving. It was a lively meeting and I was very impressed by all that they do. They were building up to the Bampton Fair this weekend, and I was very interested to note that they were holding a pony and tack auction. This must be quite unusual for a Rotary club, and I take my hat off to them.

Bampton Fair existed even before King Henry III granted it a Royal Charter in 1258 and it is always held on the last Thursday of October. It is one of the oldest surviving Charter Fairs in the country.


This leads me on to a request to you all. Please don't hide your light under a bushel. You are all doing such exciting and innovative things in your clubs. Please let the rest of the Rotarians in the district know what you are doing by sending a short article and some good quality action photographs to the Editor of the District Magazine, (Peter Thornhill at peter@buckfastleigh.org) so that your ideas and expertise can be shared. That way Rotarians in this district can do even more to help in their communities and further afield.


This week also saw the clubs assembling at Tiverton for the first District Council of the year. PDG George Kempton introduced a very interesting presentation by the RNIB, for a screening programme to detect eye problems. We are very privileged that we have been asked to be the first Rotary district to pilot the scheme alongside our Stroke Awreness day.

As an optometrist, I think that it is a very exciting opportunity for us to help our communities, and I would urge you all to take part in the scheme if you can.

October is Vocational Service Month;

During Vocational Service month, learn how to put your professional expertise to work helping those in need. Vocational service is what makes us different from any other service organisation, and is the golden thread that runs through all that we do.

Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their professions, and to practice high ethical standards in all they do. As business leaders, we share our skills and expertise through our vocations and inspire others in the process. Observed each October, Vocational Service Month spotlights Rotary club projects related to this avenue of service, offering an opportunity for clubs and districts to use their professional skills in service projects.

It's likely that your community has boundless opportunities for volunteer service. Consider mentoring children at a local school or helping with their reading, participate in a neighborhood cleanup day, or conduct mock interviews in your local secondary school. There is no end to what you can do!

During the last week of September I visited the RC of Exeter for lunch at their very swish venue, the Exeter Golf and Country Club. The room where they eat has recently been refurbished and used to be the billiard room. I was fortunate that they also had two other visitors in the form of the President of the RC of Jaipur South and his wife; both Rotarians. They were paying a visit to Exeter as their daughter was beginning a past graduate course at the university. They were from the largest district in the world, District 3050, which covers three states; there are 19 Rotary clubs in Jaipur and his club has 164 members. It makes me feel quite relieved to be a governor in RIBI!

Also during the week I met with your Assistant Governors who, as you all know, are my eyes and ears around the district. This was a very useful meeting because it gave them a chance to compare notes and me a chance to catch up with what is happening in your clubs.

Saturday night was fun night because Exeter Southernhay were celebrating their 20th Charter Anniversary in the Officer's Mess at Lympstone Camp. It was a real party with lots of silly games, and a great time was had by all.

Two days later I was treated to a fantastic mixed grill on my visit to RC of Dawlish. They are a very busy club working hard in their community. Another club with lots of fresh ideas is RC Chudleigh and Bovey Tracey, who I visited the following evening. They really seem to have found their feet now, and will be busy planting 4000 crocus corms during October. I hope the weather holds for them!

They will also be reminding some of the local school children of the lessons they presented on Polio last February. President Vicky has some fantastic lesson plans that she used for Thanks for Life last year, and would be very happy to share them with any interested Rotarians to use for TFL next February.

On Saturday I was honored to present a cheque and unveil a plaque at the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, Seale Hayne on behalf of the Rotary Clubs of Newton Abbot, Dartmoor Vale, Dawlish Water and Ashburton/Buckfastleigh , who have worked together to provide specialist sensory equipment.

The Trust's new enterprise at Seale Hayne is an enormous undertaking, showing enormous vision and their mission is that the enterprise will be run by their adult users who will have either physical or learning disabilities or a combination of both.The space will be a vibrant, inclusive and innovative one and will support community participation, inclusion and cohesion that people will want to be part of.

There will be two elements:

The commercial aspect will provide income, but also bring the world into this community. The adults will run their own commercial enterprises such as the shop, the café, the function room, the lettings service, a small holding with incorporated livestock and public interaction, the gallery, the sports centre and more.

One side of the quadrangle is occupied by artist's workshops and studios, bringing an income. There is a sculpture trail, and a gallery for selling their work which will be run by the users. The adult's creative arts enterprise will produce their own art and they will sell it in that same gallery.A shop will sell the produce from other skills and training courses, and day services will bring value to a true work ethic and serve the wider community. Produce could include honey, wine, vegetables, paper, jewelry, printing, craftwork, manure; the list is endless! A café/bar run by the users will enhance a thriving commercial enterprise and cater for all it’s needs, adding to the community buzz.

On the service side, Dame Hannah Rogers Trust offers a first class multi-disciplinary and holistic service to children, young people and adults. There has long been a growing need to expand the services to meet the wider community through an innovative and carefully planned programme. This will transform access to services for children, young people and adults with disabilities.

There will be a Communication Assessment Centre based in this area; at present our young people have to travel to Bristol for this, together with access to innovative Music & Sensory areas. The use of this kind of facility transforms young people's lives.The centre will become a base for outreach services whereby expert physiotherapy, speech therapy, communication training, and educational advice can be offered.

Currently young people in the South West have to travel 200 miles for Rehabilitation services. These will also be available. There will be access to hydrotherapy facilities in an interactive setting together with holiday lets for the disabled; there is a real shortage in this area. There will also be activity breaks for a day or for a week, giving respite to young people both with or without their families, giving access to a vibrant community, friends and peers alongside exciting activities As you can see, this is an ambitious plan, but it is really beginning to become a reality.

As Rotarians we are able to play an enormous part in this vision on our patch, both by fundraising and by hands-on help. One of the most pressing needs is providing disabled and wheelchair access to some of the buildings, but working parties are also needed to clear out and paint. Many of you will know of the amazing work already carried out by the Trust at the Ivybridge site, and it would be great to see more of our clubs becoming part of this truly amazing vision to help people with disabilities to become a real part of the community. The clubs already working together on this project have shown how much more can be done by cooperation with each other. Why not join them and show that;

Together we can make a world of difference.