Past Speakers
Past Speakers
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The Towcester MIll Brewery. 22nd May
HOW TO MAKE AWARD WINNING BEERS - On a recent visit to the Towcester Mill Brewery, members of the Rotary Club of Towcester were treated to a detailed explanation on the expertise of brewing award winning beer by the brewer, John Evans - Brewing Director.
A short video demonstrated the steps taken from harvesting the barley, through the various stages of preparation, to the finished product, ready for turning into beer. But the real expertise comes form over 40 years in the brewing industry and a good nose, both of which John has.
A number of the beers produced by the Mill Brewery are award winning, a result of the care that John and his team take in the brewing process.
This was followed by a tour of the Brew Room, where John explained the brewing process. Essentially the different types of beer mainly come from the way the barley oats are treated or roasted, each giving a distinctive flavour and colour.
The Towcester Mill Brewery is a Corporate Member of the Rotary Club.of Towcester, the Rotary Club is active particularly in supporting local charities based in the area. If you are interested in putting something back into the community and having fun at the same time why not cone along to one of our meetings to find out more.
We meet on Thursday evenings usually at the Saracens Head Hotel in Towcester. For further details send and email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit the Club's web site www.towcester-rotary.org.uk
You would be made very welcome.
TIFFIELD ACADEMY 6th March 2025
AUTISM, SPECIAL NEEDS, SEND and ECHP – words that are now at the forefront of the UK’s educational system. With an estimated 1 in 100 people in the UK on the Autism Spectrum, this is an alarming fact requiring closer attention to ensure that our children and grand children who are autistic are cared for in their educational needs.
At a recent meeting of the Rotary Club, Sarah Martin – Education Director-Special Academies and Emma Butler – Designated Principal of Tiffield Academy, seen here with President Colin, gave an interesting and informative presentation on the design and operation of the new Special Needs school being constructed at Tiffield.
Sarah started the presentation with an explanation of the basics of a child who is autistic.
No two children are the same and all display different conditions.
They can have any of the following.
· Social interaction – difficult to form friends.
· Understanding and processing language.
· Accepting and interpretating situations.
· Restrictive and repetitive behavior.
· Adapting to change can be very difficult.
· Sensitivity to light and/or noise.
All these points and more have to be taken into consideration in the design and operation of a new school.
Emma continued the presentation by explaining how she intends to manage the school. This will be no mean feat with 140 new students all starting on the same day in September. She reported that she was currently building her ‘team’. The school at Tiffield is purpose designed for children between the ages of 4 and 18 who have special educational needs. Both her and Sarah are strong believers in the fact that every child has a right to a good education, being given all possible opportunities to give them the chances they deserve to live a productive and active life.
The facilities at Tiffield are state of the art and specially designed to suit the educational requirements for SEND pupils.
The Rotary Club sends them all the best for a successful educational operation. September is going to be and exciting and challenging month, but both Sarah and Emma are up for it and we look forward to working with them.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - Dean Jones from NCF, gave the Rotary Club of Towcester a most enlightening presentation on the charity's service within South Northamptonshire. With a £20m endowment fund backing, they are able to provide grants and bursaries to literally thousands of micro organisations within the district that find funding difficult to obtain. In fact in 2023/24 the Foundation gave away£2.97m to 117,050 beneficiaries.
The Rotary Club of Towcester meets regularly on Thursday evenings at the Saracens Head Hotel and other venues in the Towcester area. Last evening we were welcomed to the ARTea Room Potterspury for our meeting.
If you are interested in the work Rotary does, particularly in the Towcester district why not get in touch and visit us. For further information send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit the club's website... www.towcester-rotary.org.uk or click on our QR code.
CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY on the 5th December - Rtn Val Howe, a Rotarian and member of the #coats4kids gave the Rotary Club of Towcester a very interesting and informative talk on this Rotary based charity. Do you know that it is estimated that 1 in 3* children in the UK live in poverty. 3 years ago the Rotary E1070 Club set up the #coats4kids charity with the intent of supplying poor primary school children with coats for the winter. These children who remain anonymous, come from families living on or below the poverty line. Rotary has been instrumental in setting up and managing the growth of #coats4kids but this has grown in that donations now come from Rotary Clubs nationwide, individuals, businesses and local authorities nationwide. The coats are provided under a voucher system which the family can exchange for a good quality winter coat. Rtn Val explained that child poverty is everywhere, even in areas deemed to be affluent.
For further information visit the #coats4kids web site : www.coats4kids.org.uk
This is another example where Rotary is having a positive effect on the world we live in. If you want to know more about the work the organisation does, then why not come to one of our meetings and see where you can get involved. We meet on a Thursday evening at the Saracens Head Hotel in Towcester. Send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit our web site www.towcester-rotary.org.uk for further information.
7th November 2024 -'TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN' - well time did not wait at the Rotary Club of Towcester's latest meeting at which retired watchmaker DAVE BIRD gave an interesting presentation on the workings of watches in general and 'tuning fork' watches in particular.
We were all amazed at the intricate miniature engineering that goes into watch manufacturing. Dave passed round several examples of watches and explained each type and how they worked.
This is another facet of Rotary and the Rotary Club of Towcester enjoys talks on many different subjects.
If you are interested in what Rotary does, particularly in Towcester why not contact us by sending an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visiting the club's website www.towcester-rotary.org.uk.
We meet on Thursday evenings at the Saracens Head Hotel in Towcester.
Thursday 3rd October "SHOULD HAVE GONE TO SPECSAVERS" - A saying we all hear almost on a daily basis, well at our recent meeting Specsavers came to see us! The Rotary Club of Towcester had a visit from Specsavers Towcester with a most informative presentation by Stefano de Leo, Daljit Singh Purewal and Luke Douglas, members of the Towcester Specsavers team, who gave a brief, but detailed description of various eye problems - dry eye, cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Members of the club raised a number of questions on eye health particularly about the use of contact lenses and driving at night, especially with the glare from the latest generation of headlights.
This is the latest topic in the Rotary Club's presentation on health matters. President Colin is seen here thanking members of the Specsavers team.
The Rotary Club of Towcester is not all about raising money for our charities, but is an organisation of friendship and fellowship. Making friends and enjoying fellowship. If you would like to know more about what Rotary does in Towcester then why not come along to one of our meetings. Send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit our website site www.towcester-rotary.org.uk no obligation.
Our speaker last Thursday 26th October was Maxine Courtney, a local representative from DEBRAEPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA -
"What is that?" I hear most of you say. well its the Butterfly Skin Charity, it was an informative talk to the Rotary Club of Towcester on this extremely painful skin condition. To put it very simply it is where the skin literally falls off the body leaving painful sores and lesions.
Currently DEBRA is running a campaign entitled "A Life Free of Pain" in which all monies raised are going to funding research and development, caring and providing respite for these unfortunate children and young adults. Further information can be found on the DEBRA website www.debra.org.uk
Here is a photo of President elect John thanking Maxine for her presentation.
This is an example of how Rotary highlights situations and conditions that are present in today's society. For further information about Rotary and Rotary in Towcester visit the Club's website www.towcester-rotary.org.uk or why not come to one of our meetings at the Saracens Head Hotel, Towcester by sending an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk
1st August - Another great presentation. Brian Giggins of the Towcester Historical Society gave an interesting talk on the Inns of Towcester particularly about The Saracens Head Hotel. It was once quoted that "Towcester is a town of inns". Nearly every other dwelling in Towcester High Street sold accommodation and ale to weary travellers. Towcester has been at the crossroads of one of the main thoroughfares of England for many centuries. A definite intersection point for travellers, initially the road system, established by the Romans, declined in the middle ages, but became revitalised with the trade generated by the stage coach.
The Saracens became very successful with over 80 boxes for horses, a thriving staging inn with many of the original architectural features, unique to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, particularly the chimneys
This left an interesting question...'Did Sir Christopher have an influence in the design of the Saracens Head?'
It was noted that a number of luminaries of the day stayed at the Saracens, particularly the novelist, Charles Dickens who, it is said, wrote Pickwick Papers there, with the opening page referring to The Saracens Head Hotel in Towcester. Brian touched on the history and development of Towcester. With the arrival of the steam trains, the town declined and many of the inns closed.
This is part of Rotary, organising talks on various subjects. The Rotary Club of Towcester meets weekly in 'The Pickwick Room' at the Saracens Head. If you would like to know more about what Rotary does in Towcester and district, then why not come along and see for yourself. Send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit the club's website www.Towcester-rotary.org.uk. for further information.
25th July our Speaker. CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH PLACES! - Lynn Hinch of ABILITY bus service gave an entertaining and informative presentation on the services provided by ABILITY buses, a non-profit organisation serving the communities in and around the Towcester District. They are providing a transport solution to those who do not have access to a regular bus service, bringing people together and encouraging wellbeing and community spirit. Formed in 2018 with 800 trips a year, in 2024 they anticipate reaching 40,000. A truly amazing number and evidence of the need for their services.
If you know of someone who would benefit this service why not visit their web site www.abilitycic.org.uk for further information.
This is part of the Rotary Club of Towcester's aim to bring communal services to the notice of the local community. If you would like to know more about what Rotary does why not come along to one of our meetings. We meet on a Thursday evening at the Saracens Hotel, Towcester. Send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit our web site www.towcester-rotary.org.uk for further information.
4th July. 2024 SUICIDAL? ANXIOUS?
4th July. 2024 SUICIDAL? ANXIOUS?
A very interesting and thought provoking talk was given to the Rotary Club of Towcester by Peter Spink, co-founder of "SPACE to Talk", an organisation that is based on providing community space for persons in the community who are experiencing issues with their mental health. Peter is a qualified Social Psychologist who has 'been there' experiencing being suicidal, but had the realisation that brought him back from the edge!
SPACE to Talk is exactly what it says on the tin. It tries not to overcomplicate the support they offer. They find the simplest solution is to get people active, a simple walk allows people to start talking to each other. This very act improves moods and gets people to open up and allows them to discuss their feelings and eventually bring out their worries and concerns.
Talking is one of the most effective self-care that we, as humans can do for our psychological health and wellbeing.
For further information visit www.space2talk.co.uk or send an email to info@space2talk.co.uk.
This is another talk organised by the Rotary Club of Towcester as part of their healthy living campaign. If you would like to know more about what Rotary does in Towcester and District why not come and visit us. We meet on Thursday evenings at the Saracens Head Hotel, Towcester. Send an email to secretary@towcester-rotary.org.uk or visit our website www.towcester-rotary.org.uk.
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