President Nigel also presented a cheque for £400 to Melissa Rosenqvist from Ellenor Hospice.  We managed to get a Rotary District Grant for them to purchase an inflateable gazebo and we added our donation to this, which had been raised at a Garden Party in the summer.

 

 

 

 

Both recipients thanked us and gave updates on their organisations’ activities.

We then had an interesting and enthusiastic talk about our local vineyard in Meopham, given by its owner, Surinder Bassi.  He told us how he and his family had acquired the vineyard and how he has had to work hard to change from being a banker to a wine developer!

He had brought some samples with him which we weren’t able to open, but some members were lucky enough to take a bottle home, in return for a charity donation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worldwide, Rotary has been very involved in measures to eliminate polio.  This has been highly successful and the number of recorded cases is now tiny.  Hopefully the disease will be history very soon.  Rotary Clubs, including ours, have planted purple crocuses in public areas as a symbol of this campaign.  These are by the Helen Allison school in Meopham