January 2025

Float Presentations

21st January

We recently met to recognise our charity partners who collected with the Santa Float. They were presented with their share of the amazing total collected (see photo), and each gave a short presentation on how they would spend the money.

• 9th Cheam Scouts have about 80 cubs and scouts. They are concentrating on activities that give the children life skills and social skills. They have a minibus which they lend to others – it benefits the whole Scouts District. They need funds for its insurance and tax;

•  SACCO (Sutton African and Caribbean Organisation) is an intergenerational group and "heritage" is very important to them. They have activities like Market, Black History Month, Elders Club (twice a month) which offer safe places for people to go. They recently started a programme about healthy eating;

•  5th Worcester Park Scouts have scouts mainly from St. Celier's but other schools as well. Their funds will go towards camping equipment - an additional gazebo, tables and chairs. They will participate in the SW Gang Show on 19 - 22 February at Sutton High School and invite all to visit; and

•  Robin Hood School know that some pupils want the opportunity for quiet outdoor play. Last year they used the funds to build a horizontal climbing wall for the playground. This year they are concentrating on creating a visual historical timeline which will have curricular benefits.

• 1st Cheam Scouts have 80-100 members at a time including Cubs and Beavers. They maintain ‘greenfield’ camping, on a farmers field where they learn how to become self-sufficient including gathering fuel. These camps and their activities require a lot of equipment. (eg long hose for water supply) preparation and permits. Last year they bought gazebos, this year they will buy archery equipment:

•  Sutton Volunteer Police Cadets has about 200 cadets in Sutton who do a lot of jobs and do a lot of training; and

•  3rd Cheam Scouts have about 60 - 70 cubs and scouts. They will use the money to renovate their outdoor area including concreting and a storage area. They are also planning to get a sail canopy and sturdier pioneer poles. 

• 8th Cheam Scouts have 70 to 80 members. They need the funds for maintenance of their Scout Hut, which is good to have but needs to be warm and to have modern toilets. A young member who following medical problems had been very diffident was now building confidence and wanted to “do a badge”;

•  Get on Downs have 60 members and have recently become a charity. They want to make their group inclusive. They organise teenage events to enable participants to make friends, They will fund assistants to look after participants during activities. A participant present enjoyed being a collector;

•  1st Nork Cubs will use the funds to renovate their 40 year old hut including improved toilets. They will also be starting a Squirrels troop for 4 – 6 year olds; and

•  HCPT (Hosanna House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust) takes disabled veterans on the International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes. This also gives their carers respite. Funds are used to hire 2 helpers.

• Jigsaw4U helps people of all ages with social difficulties. They dealt with more than 10,000 individuals last year (up from 7399 in 2023) and offer about 20 different services, 16 of which are available in Sutton. They give ‘Missing Young People’ services and help them to deal with their issues. Funds will pay for 28 sessions to help young people;

• 1st Sutton North Scouts have 2 campsites which need much maintenance. Scouts are taken to Jamboree International in Kent once every 5 years – this costs a lot. The funds will help disadvantaged children to play a part. They also need to replace a tent which blew over in December’s wind;

•  Sing Out Sutton began as a ‘singing group for people with cancer’ and has expanded.to about 80 members. They have singing for breathing sessions and want to fund further sessions and to start a daytime group; and

•  Banstead District Scouts are responsible for the running of the float van, which is available for renting out. Funds will be used for the van and also for improvements to the District site including disabled toilets.

December 2024

Christmas Activities

6th December

We were at the Cheam Village Christmas Fayre as usual, with Mulled Wine, Splat the Rat and Soft Toy Tombola. The evening raised £1,125 before expenses. Our charities were Crisis and Sutton Salvation Army. 

1st-24th December

Our Santa Float was out and about touring the streets of Cheam and Sutton, with our collectors knocking on doors. If you missed us, see donation link opposite, for local charities.

August 2024

Carshalton EcoFair

We had a double pitch at the EcoFair and ran the Hoopla, Cedric the Pick-a-Peg, Splat the Rat and the Soft Toy Tombola. In addition we had the environmental photo competition display and voting by visitors to the stall.

We had a very successful day making approximately £700 for Sutton Volunteer Centre Befrienders, Sutton Community Squad and The Rotary Foundation.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make it possible, helped on the day or came along to the stall to say hello! 

Photo: Erin Quinlan 

Our display board could only accommodate 19 photos, so we had to shortlist the photos from 28. All the photos submitted were wonderful. All had descriptions with them explaining the environmental aspect they represented. The vote results were as follows:

1st place: Erin Quinlan “My Beautiful Perfect World”

with wild flowers for pollinators.

2nd Place: jointly Steve Cunningham with

“Recycled and Repurposed”

Mike Thorn with “93 million miles of sunshine to power the future”.

3rd Place: jointly

Sarah Miles with “A Horse Heaven”

John Ballard with “Bee Orchid” 

See all shortlisted photos here: 2024 Shortlisted Photos 

July 2024

Manor Park Fete & Belmont Festival

We had a very enjoyable day at the Village Fete at Manor Park in Sutton. We are grateful for the Sutton Volunteer Police Cadets for all their help.

We raised funds for Sutton Befrienders of Sutton Volunteer Centre.

We were also at the Belmont Festival two weeks earlier where the heavens opened for virtually the entire day, keeping a lot of people away, but not dampening our spirits!

June 2024

Young Environmentalist Competition 

Congratulations to Greenshaw School students Nellie and Daleen in Year 7 who are the winners of Rotary's Young Environmentalist Competition. Their project "Almost Zero Waste Christmas Fair " won the competition at 3 levels: local, District and nationwide.

Celebrating the 2023/2024 year (July 1 to June 30) at Cheam and Sutton Rotary, we have been reflecting on all that we have done in the local community and for other good causes around the world:

-Banstead Fair participation

-President’s Fundraising BBQ

-ECO Fair participation

-100th year Centenary Street Exhibition -  “100 years  of Rotary in Sutton”

-Street collection for Disaster Relief (Libya and Morocco)

-End Polio Now fundraising Dinner  

-Centenary Dinner (celebratory)

-Remembrance Sunday participation

-Santa Sleigh rounds (18 nights)

-Mulled Wine and Mince Pie stand at Cheam Traders Evening (Raised funds for Crisis and Salvation Army)

Xmas Winter Fayre participation

-Supermarket collections (at 2 locations)

-Presentation of Santa Sleigh’s Funds to participating local charities and community groups.

-Annual Quiz for Youth charities (Raised funds for Sutton Young Carers)

-Young Environmentalist Competition (Our local winner went on to win both the District level and the national level).

-Support to Robin Hood School Science Team (provided for transport for finals at Oxford)

-Food Waste Prevention awareness

-Support of Bipolar Day 

-Bipolar talk to raise awareness

-International Fundraising Meal (for Sand Dams)

-Big Bash participation

-Cheam Charter Fair participation

-Participation in Banstead Charity Walk 

-Defibrillator purchased for St. Dunstan’s Church and Friendly Monday Club

(Trainings will be given in July on how to use the Defibrillator)

-T-shirts supplied to Ukrainian community for the children who take special English lessons.

- Presentation evening for President’s charities (Sutton Mental Health Foundation and Bipolar UK)

- Bi monthly Litter Picking at Cheam Memorial Garden

-Sutton Lodge volunteering

-Monthly Friends Drop-in meetings

-Monthly newsletters for Club members 

-Monthly newsletter for Friends.

-Planned strategies for Corporate and Community memberships (on-going project)

...and of course the social aspects of the club - our get together meals, participation in District Sports, Club meetings etc

March 2024

Saturday 30th March - World Bipolar Day

Rotary and Sutton Mental Health Foundation (SMHF) held a free Bipolar Open Day. A number of individuals with Bipolar who are supported by SMHF were there to talk about their experience of living with Bipolar together with leaflets and on-line information from Bipolar UK. 

18th - 24th March - Food Waste Prevention Week

We joined the awareness raising activities with our Food Waste Prevention Alphabet.

February 2024

Litter-picking at Cheam Memorial Garden

Our Club runs the Friends of Cheam Memorial Garden. Every couple of months we organise litter-picking at the Memorial Garden (next to Cheam Library) and welcome new pickers to join us. Keep an eye on the calendar for news of our next date!

Annual Quiz

In February we had our popular Quiz. As usual Sutton Grammar School was very accommodating, with over 100 people attending. Participants answered, or tried to answer (!),  Gary's diverse questions over 10 rounds. They were sustained with Fish & Chips (and other choices) half way through, and a variety of drinks that they brought along to enjoy together.

This very successful event raised over £1,200 for Sutton Young Carers. 

Celebrating Fundraising with Our Partners

This month we made a formal presentation to all of the groups who collected with us on the float, to mark the distribution of all the funds raised. Each group talked about the amazing activities these Rotary funds will be supporting:

•  1st Nork Scouts – who will spend the money on supporting scouts at camp and on installing more energy efficient lighting at their hut;

• 1st Nork Cubs - who will spend the money on improving rear access to their hut;

• Homestart Sutton - who will spend the money on venue and refreshments for a course as part of the 5 weeks’ training provided before they can help children facing hard times

• Sutton & Cheam Police Cadets - who will spend the money on funding candidates for Duke of Edinburgh’s awards and £500 for 15 candidates to obtain first aid qualifications. There are 250 Cadets of whom about 80 come from disadvantaged homes.

• Robin Hood School – who will spend the money the money towards a climbing frame which will suit their limited outside space and improve co-ordination and hand strength whilst providing opportunities for team building. This fits with their motto “aim high”;

• 5th Worcester Park Scouts - who will spend the money on upgrading heating their hut, which has only 5 small heaters and last year suffered from burst pipes. They have about 60 Scouts, Cubs and Beavers; and

• 8th Cheam Scouts - who will spend the money on upgrading their 1960s HQ building to improve security and fix broken windows and toilets. They are in their 70th year. They have 30 each of Scouts Cubs and Beavers, and a long waiting list

• Banstead Explorers – who will spend the money on new equipment, for example for a wild life area, and also towards a trip to the Netherlands Their activities include a £5 meal challenge run – participants run round ASDA to collect items for a £5 three course meal within 5 minutes;

• Sutton Mental Health Foundation - who will spend the money on supporting current activities such as their drop-in centre and building confidence through day trips. This was their first participation – it had been exhausting but fun; and

• 1st Cheam Scouts - who will spend the money on replacing equipment (eg colour coded ropes) reaching the end of its approved life, and on supporting those who cannot otherwise afford to join in camps. They are ‘back to basics’ in Scouting, transporting gear on trek carts.

• 9th Cheam Scouts – who will spend the money on activities which promote social skills away from mobiles, and also towards buying a ULEZ compliant van. They have about 90 members but are short of leaders;

• Sutton & Cheam Air Cadets - who will spend the money on band kit including drums and slings of which they need 5. It’s good that their members still want to do things which don’t involve a computer. Air Cadets had been going for 83 years. Their HQ is on the same site as Robin Hood School; and

• Hosanna House Childrens’ Privilege Trust – they take veterans living in the community on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, which they often regard as a highpoint of their year. They will spend the money to support those unable to afford the full cost.

CAN YOU GUESS HOW MUCH WAS RAISED OVERALL?!

January 2024

We started our festivities in December with the Cheam Christmas Fair on 1st December where we sold our renowned mulled wine, with mince pies, lucky dip and gingerbread decorating.

The following day we were at the Winter Fayre, at Yourspace Sutton selling all sorts of crafts made by our volunteers.

Our Santa float visited the streets of Sutton over 18 nights. Many thanks to all of our followers who enjoyed seeing Santa and donated so generously.

November 2023

Centenary celebrations continued with our celebration dinner at Cuddington Golf Club with guests Eve Conway (RI Director), Annemarie Van Bochove Allen (District Governor). Entertainment was provided by Theo the Magician!

The following day we were represented by our President Suzan at the civic ceremony at Manor Park and Alan laid the wreath at Cheam Memorial Garden.

October 2023

We held our Curry Night fundraiser at the Star in Cheam on October 23rd. Good food for a good cause!

September 2023

We held our street collection on Saturday 30th September in Sutton High Street (near Metro Bank) to raise funds in support of  Morocco and Libya.

These two disasters have seen thousands of lives lost and people missing and will require a great deal of international help to provide both food, shelter, and safe drinking water. Rotary plays a part helping those in urgent need in the most effective way by working with Rotary-related charities as well as Rotarians in or connected to the affected areas, to establish the real needs and the best way we can direct funds.

We have also launched our JustGiving campaign to raise much-needed funds (see Appeals). 

This year is the centenary of Rotary in Sutton and we put together an exhibition of photos and information drawn from our many activities over the years. The Centenary Exhibition was jointly organised by the 4 Rotary Clubs in the Sutton Borough: our Club Cheam & Sutton Rotary, joined by the Rotary Clubs of Carshalton Park, Sutton Nonsuch and Wallington.

The exhibition took place on Sutton High Street during September. We had many visitors interested to see what we've been up to, including our Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Colin Stears.

August 2023

We were once again at the Carshalton EcoFair on Bank Holiday Monday on August 28th with our Hoopla, Pick-A-Peg, Splat the Rat, Craft Stalls and Soft Toy Tombola. It was a really successful event run by EcoLocal, and many people came along to try out our games and the Soft Toy Tombola!