Events

Comvoc Mid - Year Progress on spend and additional initiatives

Zoe Lindsey - Individual Giving Manager Motivation UK

Glasses, hearing aids and wheelchairs- known as assistive technology or AT – are essential for a healthy, productive and independent life.

In fact, they are so vital that access to AT is a human right, enshrined in the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But in countries like India, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, less than 10% of people have the wheelchair they are entitled to.

And even with a wheelchair, people face a world full of badly designed buildings, inaccessible transport, discrimination and negative stereotypes.

Motivation works to change that by supporting governments, clinics, businesses, communities and families to find practical solutions and remove the barriers that disable people.

We believe we all have a role to play in making space for disability.

Motivation Charitable Trust works with the parents and caregivers of disabled children, so they can support their child’s early development, build support networks and increase their household income. We work with families and communities to challenge stigma and build support for disabled people’s equal access, participation and inclusion.

We work with clinical and community rehabilitation professionals so disabled people can access services that assess, prescribe and fit wheelchairs to their specific needs, and train them how to use, maintain and repair their chairs.

We work with policy and decision makers to secure and act on disabled people’s rights.  

Rotarian, Ken Rock, Rotary Club on Nailsea and Backwell - Thoughts on Health and Safety

Health and safety is a term that refers to the legal and practical measures that are put in place to protect the health and well-being of people at work and in the general public. 

James Onions - President Rotary Club of Kew Gardens - WASH Ambassador and Creating Oases

James Onions has been instrumental in the Sand Dams project, which provide dryland communities in poor areas of the world access to safe and clean water. James was awarded a Rotary National Champion's Award in 2020. 

Barry Darbon has been a volunteer for Portishead coastguard for the last 28 years and has recently retired as station officer.

Mr Darbon said: “We get called out to all sorts of incidents and work closely alongside the other emergency services including the RNLI. "Volunteering for the coastguard is a great thing to do.

“I get a great sense of self satisfaction knowing that we have intervened in an incident and helped bring someone back to safety.” Volunteers can expect to be called to a number of incidents, including people stuck on cliffs and searching for missing people.

Speakers: Laura Cook and Denise Wong - Voices of Aphasia

​Voices of Aphasia are an aphasia friendly hybrid choir and lead by Music Therapists. Laura leads the choir, whilst Denise accompanies on the keyboard alongside Tony, a stroke survivor on the guitar.

Aphasia (or dysphasia) is the term for neurological problems with communication and language, including speech, reading and writing. It can present after a brain injury (including stroke and traumatic brain injuries) which causes damage to the parts of the brain responsible for processing and producing language. It is estimated that around one third of people who survive a stroke will be left with some form of aphasia.

Comvoc meeting

Chelsea Harding - Fundraising Manager grief encounter

Grief Encounter was founded by Dr Shelley Gilbert MBE. Their mission is to give every child and young person access to the best possible support following the death of someone close. They work closely with individuals, families, schools and professionals to offer a way through the anxiety, fear and isolation so often encountered by grief. 

They are an open-access charity, funded by the generosity of our supporters, and here to help alleviate the pain and confusion caused by the death of a parent or sibling. Bereavement is devastating at any age, but for a child it is life-changing. 

Race Night at Bristol Beer Factory Tap Room on Thursday 10 April 2025 between 7.30 and 10.30pm. 

Entry £5

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1243340548049?aff=oddidtcreator

All profits to the Bridge Learning Campus, Hartcliffe. 

Business meeting highlighting the club committee's activities. 

Speaker, Sam Burrett - Streetspace Knowle

Streetspace Knowle is a youth-led charity organisation that aims to empower young people in South Bristol to be the best they can be. They provide a range of centre-based and outreach street outreach services and support to help young individuals overcome challenges, develop their skills, and make positive life choices. Focussing on promoting youth engagement, personal development, and creating opportunities for young people to thrive in their community.

Speaker, Catherine Frankpitt - Communicating for Good

Strike Communications support organisations who are doing something positive in the world – whether that’s creating arts and cultural opportunities, tackling inequalities, delivering education, or championing a cause.

Many of their clients are charities or small businesses with limited resources and budgets, so they work hard to deliver tight, targeted campaigns and PR activities that add real value and get the greatest return.

They have a core agency team underpinned by regular support from a collective of hand-picked, exceptionally experienced practitioners who share their values, bringing with them a range of specialist expertise including social media, public affairs, design and website creation.

Speaker, Dan Ford of the Square Food Foundation. https://www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk/

The Square Food Foundation offer free and subsidised cooking classes to people from Knowle West and surrounding South Bristol, who might be experiencing barriers, deprivation and marginalisation. Our aim is to teach people how to cook healthy food from scratch to improve their health, reduce hunger and bring joy and confidence to the community.

Speaker Tom Button is the Senior Project Manager with Bristol City Council and will talk about the Temple Island and Temple Quarter development. 

Temple Quarter sits at the heart of Bristol, one of the UK’s most productive and fast-growing regions and a focal point for the West of England’s £39bn economy.

Temple Quarter will transform over 135 hectares of brownfield land over the next 25 years into a series of thriving, well-connected mixed-use communities. The regeneration of the area will deliver 10,000 new homes in a mix of types and tenures, including much-needed new affordable homes. 22,000 new jobs will be created, bringing inclusive economic growth to the city and new opportunities for Bristol’s citizens, alongside £1.6bn annual income to the city economy.

A refurbished Temple Meads Station will build on its role as the region’s largest transport hub.

Communities and businesses – new and existing – will co-exist within residential, commercial, leisure and cultural areas, supporting a thriving 24-hour economy that works for everyone.

The new University of Bristol Enterprise Campus will bring cutting-edge innovation, education, and skills to the area, boosting Bristol’s reputation as a centre of knowledge and enabling world-leading research and development to link with and work alongside local and regional businesses.

Comvoc Meeting - 25/26 Budget Planning

Grand Charity Golf Day Thursday 15 May 2025

You are warmly invited to enter a team in the Bristol Breakfast Rotary Golf Day at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, Beggar
Bush Lane, Failand BS8 3TH, on Thursday 15th May, when, apart from offering you a very enjoyable morning of golf at one of Bristol’s most prestigious courses, we will be raising funds for charities that our Rotary club supporting local and international projects. 

Speaker, Dave King is the Editor of Rotary Magazine, Telling Rotary's Story. 

Dave King  has 40 years’ experience as a journalist, covering events as varied as the Gulf War and Olympic Games. Most recently, he was editor-in-chief of Newsquest Berkshire & Buckinghamshire and has edited a number of regional newspapers. He is currently managing editor of Rotary magazine and, was recently the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ chief examiner for sports journalism – a post he held for 15 years.  Out of work, David is a keen runner and kayaker. He also serves as a Justice of the Peace on the East Hampshire bench in Portsmouth

Simon helps skilled professionals to start up and grow thriving solo consulting practices that help to make the world a better place providing the help for you to lead the life you want to live.

Save the date - why not join us for a day of fun, thrilling races, community spirit, and supporting local and international charities. 

WHEN: SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2025

WHERE: BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE

LEARN MORE: www.bristolrotarydragons.org

Following the resounding success of the 2024 Dragon Boat Festival (DBF), we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made it such an unforgettable day. From the dedicated teams and supportive friends to the cheering families, your contributions made DBF 2024 truly special.

We now look forward to another day of fun and fundraising for special causes. 

Our Rotary year runs from 1st July to 30th June each year and the first meeting of the year is usually the occasion for the handover from the outgoing President to the incoming one. This year President Bernd Langheim will handover to President Elect, Elaine Milne. 

Speaker, Jeanette Sheldon - Head of Water Quality - Jersey Water

Jeanette manages a small team responsible for sampling, analysing the water and providing operational support, to ensure the drinking water is safe to drink. She started her career with Thames Water in research and development before moving into operational science roles. She then spent three years with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, before moving to South East Water, in a similar role to the one she is doing now.

She says that Jersey Water is a smaller company and she has  found there’s more variety in what she is doing and this was something she was looking for in a new role. She comments "There’s lots to learn and I am enjoying getting involved in different projects, which is great".

Comvoc Final Budget Alignment for 24/25

Rotarian Peter Scott will give a job talk. 

Helen Renwick, known as Ren, was appointed as Director of Royal West of England Academy in July 2024. She brings a wealth of experience and a passion for the arts.
Ren is driven by the conviction that art has the capacity to empower, connect, and enrich individuals and communities, aligning perfectly with the RWA's mission.

With an impressive background as a Charity CEO and extensive experience in both the subsidised and commercial sectors of the arts, Ren brings a unique perspective to her role. Her previous roles include leading an Arts Service for a London Local Authority, serving as Chief Executive of The Association of Illustrators, and contributing her talents to organisations in Melbourne, Australia. Additionally, Ren has lent her expertise to corporations such as the BBC and has served as a trustee for multiple arts organisations.

 

Mike will talk about the use of WhatsApp : You can use WhatsApp groups to message multiple people at once. This is really handy if you want to chat with a few family members, neighbours, or members of a club or group, . 

Richard Bullard of "IT'S IN THE BAG" the testicular cancer charity. 

The charity has an upbeat approach to awareness, they have reached thousands, as well as improving the wellbeing of hundreds of the South-West’s testicular cancer patients. In 2012,they won the QIC ‘Cancer Charity Initiative of the Year’ award in recognition of the real impact their support activities are having on patients’ quality of life and in 2015 won Campaign of the Year in the Bristol Post health and care awards.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 45. Yet, for many young and middle-aged guys, it’s not even on their radar. Over 2,500 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK, but it is over 96% curable and, when detected early, requires less treatment. Nevertheless, many men don’t like to talk about their balls and find it a struggle to go to the GP. The charity encourages men to check themselves regularly and feel confident to see a GP if they have any concerns.

‘Threads through Creation’ is a spectacular sequence of twelve huge textile panels. It’s an exuberant retelling of the creation story in the book of Genesis, a retelling which many visitors will find both moving and breathtaking. Viewers are treated to a wonderful variety of colours, shapes, patterns – and of course lots of creatures!

The exhibition is one of the largest textile projects by a single artist, ever. It has taken nearly three years.

Samir Savant is CEO of St Georges Bristol a world-class independent music venue in the heart of Bristol. The 580-seat concert hall was converted from a 200-year-old Georgian church, and is a truly special space where they welcome the finest performances from the world’s greatest artists. Their hall also has what Sir Simon Rattle called ‘the best acoustic for chamber music in Europe’ – meaning you can experience every note, riff, song, or symphony with perfect clarity (and often, no amplification at all!)

As well as a space for music, there is a space for performance, learning and ideas.  They even offer a philosophy season, lots of events for children and families, lunchtime concerts, plus author talks and comedians. Their beautiful building has expanded offering a contemporary pavilion-style extension housing a Café Bar and Glass Studio space.

Samir will talk about the opportunities and challenges of running a charity which is also a business, and a prominent space for music and spoken word events.  He will also share some of the projects he has initiated in the four years he has been CEO, and talk about future plans.  There will be time for questions at the end.”