Kath's Ramblings

Dear friends and colleagues, where has time gone?

I feel that this year, as your DG, has flown by and I’m now in the last few months.

My recent visits around the District have included a lovely evening spent in the company of Rotarians from Garstang Rotary Club. I can’t thank the membership enough for the evening and the warm welcome I received. All members updated me on the projects they were involved with.

How many hours do this Club commit to Rotary? It is phenomenal, and all delivered with such enthusiasm from everyone involved. Garstang Rotary Club is without doubt a warm and friendly Club and I was honoured to be part of their evening. I am so proud of all the work taking place . Thank you, President Roger.

A really enjoyable event I attended recently was the District 1190 Young Chef competition. It was incredible to witness such talent and professionalism in these eight young people. I was truly amazed by the end results. They all produced very professional three course meals which would not have looked out of place in any posh restaurant.

The winner on this occasion  Eimhear McGrath  she was judged to be the overall winner of      that  round of the competition and will now go through to the Regional Final at Middlesbrough College.

Her menu started with a prawn cocktail accompanied by homemade mayonnaise - flavoured three ways and crispy bruschetta. Her main course was locally sourced loin of venison, perfectly complemented by creamed cauliflower, roasted beetroot and shallots and crispy Romanesco cauliflower nuggets. To round off the meal Eimhear presented a poached pear with a caramelised reduction of apple juice and mascarpone cheese.

 

The next round will be at the catering school in Middlesbrough College on Sunday 26th March. Here, Eimhear will be confronted with cooking on a gas stove - something she has not done before. Eimhear is autistic and can be thrown by the unexpected, so Peter Chalmers of District 1030 has arranged for photographs of the work stations to be sent to Eimhear (and the other contestants) so she can see what to expect. There will be three other young Chefs competing for the honours at Middlesbrough College.

Good luck goes to Eimhear, we are as a District behind you.

Another special evening I attended was the Charter Night at Rossendale Rotary Club . What a night, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of years gone by. I ended up feeling like part of the family . This club is really special to me, and I will no doubt be a visitor for years to come. Somebody even offered to take me on a tour of the mills!

The District Executive Meeting took place in late February which was really interesting. The work that our Assistant Governors (AG’s) do has to be mentioned. Their reports are interesting and give an overview of what is happening in our Clubs .

There will always be work that could better each of us and our AG’s are there to support you. If help or assistance is required, please contact them. They can help or signpost you to the correct people who will help. This group of professional Rotarians , many having extensive skills and knowledge are a credit to the District .

On Wednesday 1st March I felt privileged and honoured to be invited to Brampton and Longtown Club. The President, Ian Forth, invited me to listen to The District 9010 Governor Sunny Akuopha.

He spoke  passionately about a project the Clubs had collaborated on. This was a joint project to build 5 Toilet blocks. A fantastic effort with the help of Brampton & Longtown and a very humbling presentation which made me feel happy to be a Rotarian and appreciative of everything we have, but also sorry for those less fortunate than ourselves. If anybody does want to assist with the building 15 more toilet blocks please could I ask you to speak to Tony Parrini at Brampton Club. Its worth every bit of money.

My next Charter night visit was the 14th Birthday celebration at Furness Peninsula with President Janet and her lovely family of Rotarians and Friends of the Club . The one thing that always happens when I attend this club is the warm welcome I receive and being somewhere that feels really comfortable.

We had a beautiful meal, plenty of fellowship and the entertainment was brilliant . Thank you to the team who helped to make this event a great success. There projects are nearer ending. The commitment this team have is unbelievable, they are all stars

A lot of time has been spent by me and the Conference Team over the last few months working on increasing the numbers attending this year’s Conference and finalising our Agenda. We have a wonderful array of guest speakers and some very special entertainment to ensure the day is one to remember. 

We are expecting an almost full house with plenty of fellowship. Our excellent  speakers are either young people or those adults involved in working with young people. It’s going to be a super event for a very special audience and after all the hard work it is now finally all coming together.

My next update will be after the Conference . Here’s hoping everything goes well and we all enjoy the day.

TTFN

See you at Barton Manor

District Governor Kath Bromilow
Rotary District 1190 Cumbria and Lancashire