Christmas Collection Cheque Presentation

Following Nonsuch Rotary’s latest Christmas collection five charities received cheques from the Club at a special dinner meeting on 7th January.

The five charities supported were Family Focus, Friends of the Elderly, Linden Bridge School, MERU and Help for Heros. The first four charities were represented at the event and received their cheque from Patsy Payne, Editor of the Sutton and Epsom editions of The Post, our local newspaper.

Introducing the guests, Tony Ensom said, ‘These occasions, when money so generously given at Christmas is distributed to a number of charitable organisations set up to help others, are always highlights of Nonsuch Rotary Club’s year.’

Each charity gave a brief presentation about their work and what the Club’s donation would be used for.

The photograph shows, from left to right, Paul Jensen, Family Focus; Ronwen Smith, Linden Bridge School; Mark Wilson, Friends of the Elderly; Susan Brompton, MERU; and Marisse Gliddon, Friends of the Elderly.

Santa’s welcome Sherry

Nonsuch Rotary’s primary fund raising activity is its Christmas Collection. For the past 22 years Club members have been taking Father Christmas to the streets of Worcester Park, Stoneleigh and Cheam to meet the children and to collect for local charities. Father Christmas also visits the local supermarkets; Waitrose in Worcester Park, Sainsburys in North Cheam and Tesco in Cheam Park Farm.

The collection is very rewarding for its collectors; financially in that much needed funds are raised for local charities, healthy in that walkers get a great deal of pre-Christmas exercise and enjoyable in seeing the pleasure Father Christmas brings to the children he meets on his travels.

But it can be hard on the collectors, walking up to six miles a night in the cold and sometimes wet of December evenings. There is, however, one particular route that all Rotarians look forward to! Since 1986, at one particular house, the home of the Walker family, collectors are met with a tray of silver goblets of sherry and plates of hot mince pies.

Mrs Cherry Walker started this most welcome practice 22 years ago and ever since Nonsuch Rotarians have looked forward to this wonderful custom by a very generous family in which Cherry has been ably supported by her husband Mike and their children.