Back Row – left John Parker (DebRA), right Laurie Wills (TREES)

Front Row – left David Banks (Sutton Foodbank), centre President Chris Forkan, right Rosemary Attridge (CRY)

Nonsuch Rotary laundered Christmas Collection cash !

 News Flash – As a result of hundreds of coins being contaminated by a sticky jam tart, Sue King had to wash them before they were accepted by the local bank. This is just one of many incidents that members and wives of the Club had to deal with during an action packed Christmas Collection last December.

 To start with……… we couldn’t! A puncture on the lorry before we even commenced the first evening round prevented us from collecting. However, we were assisted by three young men who not only showed us how to release the spare wheel but went on to change the wheel themselves. They refused any payment asking us to add it to the charity collection.

 During the second week we suffered a power failure when an electric cable was severed. Cometh the moment, cometh the man. Diego “call me sparky” Alves jumped up and in a moment repaired the break using a liberal amount of parcel tape. A huge cheer rang out from the Elves when the music and lights came back on.

 We were very fortunate to have enormous support from our better halves with at least nine wives coming out on many occasions. The weather was much better than the disasters of last year but nevertheless some of us were soaked on a couple of nights. A sprinkling of snow at Tescos could not prevent Santas and Elves bringing joy and surprise to hundreds of small children. As usual the greatest pleasure we receive is seeing the faces of the children, parents and grandparents, when they see Santa on his sleigh and hear the Christmas carols. One such parent even said that her Christmas did not start until our sleigh had been round.

 One amusing story out of many recalls little Johnny opening the door to one Elf. “I’ll go and get my Mum” he said. Twenty seconds later he returned and explained “My Mum says she is out!!”

Once again, many, many thanks to all members, wives, friends and charity supporters for your support. The total raised was in excess of £9,000 which is a tribute to everyone’s hard work.

Nonsuch Rotary Club would like to warmly thank all those residents of Cheam, North Cheam, Sutton and Worcester Park who gave so generously to support local charities during Santa’s tour of local streets just before Christmas. We’d also like to express our sincere thanks to the Managers and staff of Sainsbury’s and Tesco Extra Sutton/North Cheam for allowing us to collect outside their stores at the weekends.

 A magnificent £9,100 was collected and distributed to local charities Conquest Art, Diabetes UK (South East), Epsom Riding for the Disabled, Family Focus and T.R.E.E.S (supporting local people with learning difficulties) as well as Nonsuch Rotary’s local charity fund.

 Cheques were presented to representatives of the charities at Nonsuch Rotary Club’s meeting on 20th January. The photograph below shows President John Chamberlain with (from left to right) Paul Jansen from Family Focus, Penny January from Diabetes UK South East, Stella Miln from Epsom Riding for the Disabled and Laurie Wills from TREES.

Nonsuch Rotary will be bring Father Christmas to visit local Children on the following evenings in December:

• Monday 7 Dec – Starting at Woodlands Rd, Worcester Park
• Tuesday 8 – Starting at Sparrow Farm Rd, Stoneleigh
• Thursday 10 – Starting at Langley Rd N. Cheam
• Friday 11 – Starting at Lumley Rd , Cheam Village
• Monday 14 – Starting at Palmer Ave N. Cheam
• Tuesday 15 – Starting at Esher Rd, N. Cheam
• Thursday 17 – Starting at Green Lane, Worcester Park

Father Christmas will also be outside Sainsbury’s North Cheam on Saturday 12th and 13th December and at Tescos Cheam Park Farm on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th abd Sunday 20th December.

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.