Club Activities
Our activities can be broken down into different categories:-
- Community service and support.
- Encouraging youth development.
- Raising public awareness of the Rotary Organisation and Oldmeldrum Rotary Club in particular.
- Support for National and International Aid projects and Disaster Relief.
- Developing friendships within and outside the club, and in all the above enjoying ourselves.
Community service and support.
Our community services include:- (Click on the relevant link for further information)
William Forsyth Community Garden.
This
project was set up by the Club to commemorate the Centenary of the Rotary Organisation
in 2005, and involves the transformation of an area of waste ground in Oldmeldrum
into a Garden for the Community.
Please feel free to come and visit,
sit awhile and enjoy the surroundings. As with any garden, it will always
be a work in progress, relying on willing volunteers. Anyone who would like
to be involved in any capacity will be more than welcome.
Haddo House Easter Egg Hunt
On Easter Sunday each year, Oldmeldrum Rotarians and local volunteers hide
1500 wooden eggs around the park for children to find. Other activities
through the day include egg-rolling competitions, egg-painting, face painting,
and an Easter Bonnet competition.
Santa Sleigh.
During
the month of December, the Oldmeldrum Rotary Santa Sleigh travels around
Oldmeldrum and surrounding areas
Fun Run and Walk Spectacular - Haddo House
In conjunction with The Running Shop,
Aberdeen, Oldmeldrum Rotary Club again organised a very successful 5 Km Fun
Run and / or Walk Spectacular on Sunday 6th December 2009, in the grounds
of Haddo House Country Park. This year, we also had a shorter run for the kids
(9 years and under)
It had been very wet the previous night, and it was still a bit drizzly in the early motning. However, by 11am. it was dry, and some 70 odd competitiors braved the conditions and took part on the day. This year we had more walkers than runners, and all seemed to enjoy their run or walk in the park, and a good sum (money still coming in) was raised for PolioPlus and other charities nominated by the competitors.
Art
and Music Festivals
Oldmeldrum Rotary Club have a strong interest in Art & music and ran an Art& Music
Festival for the Community in March 2005, '06 and '07.
Young Musician of the Year Competition 2009 - 30 September 2009
In conjunction with Meldrum Academy the Young Musician of the Year Competition
was initially run along with the Art & Music Festival.
It is now a stand alone event which has been run each year since 2005.
This year's event took place in Meldrum Academy on Wednesday 30th
September 2009
Pupils representing Oldmeldrum, Old Rayne, Rayne North and Tarves primary
schools, and Meldrum and Dyce Academies delighted the audience with a diverse
repertoire utilising a wide variety of instruments and voice.
The judging panel consisting of; Oldmeldrum Academy Principal Teacher
for Performing Arts Sheila Robertson, music teacher Russell Fraser and Rotarian
Richard Thomson found it incredibly difficult to decide on the winners due
to the high standard of ability and performance.
The eventual winners were; P1-4: Daniel Osborne on piano, P5-7 Stuart Davidson on violin, S1-3 George Davidson on violin, S4-6 Gregor Bruce on bagpipes. Mikey Kotts on piano was adjudged to be the most promising musician, and was awarded the Brian Melville trophy. The overall winner prize was awarded to Gregor Allan on accordion. Oldmeldrum Rotary Club Vice-President Phil Duncan presented certificates to all the competitors and congratulated them on their performances
Westbank Home.
This is a residential care home in Oldmeldrum, and Oldmeldrum Rotary Club give
a card and present to each resident on their birthdays. We also plant bulbs,
summer annuals and keep the grass of the garden in good condition.
Rotating Books
Oldmeldrum Rotary organises a "Rotating Books" scheme to
promote literacy in the community. Books are left in ‘public places',
e.g., hospitals, GP Surgeries, or workplaces, for someone else to read and
enjoy, and then leave for someone else to enjoy .
Encouraging Youth Development
Support for Meldrum Academy and its associated Primary Schools.
A very successful liaison has been established with the Local Schools from
the pre-school children, where the Playgroup were presented with tabards
for playing outside, on to the Primary Schools, and through to Meldrum Academy.
From this liaison many opportunities are provided by the Oldmeldrum Rotary
for the pupils at all stages of their development.
The following headings list some of the regular events organised by the Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum which involve youth activities:-
Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)
RYLA is a week long leadership course
for young people aged between 15 and 18. Two camps are run during the first
two weeks of the summer holidays – the first week for females, the second for males, at the Abernethy Centre near Nethybridge.
Candidates are selected by their local Rotary Club because they have shown leadership qualities which will be developed by an intensive and challenging programme, which includes daily speakers and physical activities and challenges.
Creative Writing Competition
The Creative Writing Competition has been sponsored by our Rotary Club
for 3 years. The theme is chosen each year in negotiation between Rotary
and the English department at the Academy. There are 2 categories, junior
for S1-S3 and senior for S4- S6. Usually it takes place in the Spring Term
(Januray to April), and our club relies heavily on support from the English
department, and over the last few years from Kathryn Russell in particular.
Kathryn and her colleagues encourage the pupils to enter, and the essays
are returned to the Club.
For the last 3 years they have been judged by Anne Shirran
who each year is excited by the wealth of talent. Once they have been judged
the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners receive a book token. Everyone
taking part is awarded a certificate and these are presented at the Academy's
end of term prize giving, and included in the programme.
The theme for 2008-2009 was "Homecoming" to complement the year of Homecoming.
In 2007-2008 the theme was the North East. This creative writing aligns well
with the Rotary ideals of supporting Literacy and is only one of the ways
in which our club sponsors the youth in the community.
The Winners of the Creative Writing Competition in 2009 were :-
Prize |
Title |
Winner's Name |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| First | "Home" | Caitlin Price | |
| Second | "Nancy" | Jessie Mathewson | |
| Third | "Home" | Madeline Bayley | |
| Special mention | "Wonderland" | Emily Allen |
If you would like to read the winning entries, click on the relevant links immediately above.
Young Musician of the Year Competition
An annual event to encourage young musicians - see section above
Technology Challenge 2009
Teams
from local Primary Schools are encouraged to develop their technology skills.
Last year the children were set a task to design, build and test a ‘lander
vehicle’ to safely land Mr Raw Egg on the surface of Mars. In 2009, the task
was the construction of a floating
oil rig platform
The event was organised by Ian Jackson, Head of Technical
Subjects at Meldrum Academy and was judged by our Rotarian, Martin Belshaw,
Systems Manager, of Capelrig, Process Control, Instrumentation & Electrical
Engineers, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen and assisted by President Anne and Rotarian
Willie Sinclair. There
were only 6 schools taking part this year - Meldrum, Rothienorman, Logie
Durno, Rayne North, Pitmedden & Old Rayne.
It was a difficult job
in selecting winners as there was very good work from all the teams. There
were six main criteria for marking the construction of the floating
oil rig platform, superstructure, one-man vehicle and lifting apparatus
viz.- Technical, cost, inovation,aesthetics, quality and effectiveness of
display, performance as a team, plus the presentation to the judges.
This
involved demonstation of the rig meeting technical specification in the test
tank and the team being able to "winch" a man (represented by an egg) onto
the platform from the sea below. All teams passed this test, albeit
some were more expert than others.
The 1st Prize of £125 and a Science Dictionary went to Rayne North, 2nd
Prize of £75 +SD to Rothienorman and 3rd Prize of £50 +SD to
Old Rayne.
Rotary Primary School Quiz - Zone Finals - 9 May 2009
A nail-biting occasion took place in Meldrum Academy on Saturday 9th May
as the Rotary Primary School Zone finals, hosted by the Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum,
took place.
The eight school teams: Alford, Fyvie, Gordon, Kintore, Meldrum, Pitmedden, Portsoy and Strathburn plus a six-person Reserves team, were well matched and it was a close fought and high scoring contest. Each team was sponsored by their local Rotary Club, having won their local heat. The winner and the runners-up of this Zone Final competition progress to the Rotary District 1010 finals on 6th June, also being held at Meldrum Academy.
The teams faced diverse
questions rounds ranging across subject areas of music, science, geography
and maths, and they vied and jockeyed for position with each round.
At the completion of the final round the highest scoring team were the
Reserves with 108; of course the Reserves had 6 people and were under less
pressure as they had been aware from the start that they could not win, as
only teams wholly representing a single school can progress to the final.
Thus
Portsoy and Gordon who were joint second with 106 points were declared winners.
Although both teams progress, an arithmetic tie-break question; "If
I had one coin of every denomination in UK currency how much would I have
in my pocket?", resulted
in Portsoy being declared the Zone finalists. For those whose arithmetic is
not as good as a 10 year old, the answer is £3.88
Zone 3 Assistant Governor
Andrew McCartney presented certificates to all the participants and praised
them all for their achievements, and wished the two teams well in the
final. He also thanked Rotarians Hilary and Mick Gordon for organising the
questions and conducting the quiz which was obviously enjoyed by the participants
and the audience.
Challenge Enterprise
This is a Rotary Event subscribed to by District 1010 and is a weekend programme
for S5and S6 students. The objective of Challenge Enterprise is to explore
with the candidates the benefits and challenges of enterprise.
Mock Interviews
Oldmeldrum Rotarians support the senior pupils at Meldrum Academy by taking them through a ‘mock’ interview process which gives them an experience of how an interview may be conducted.
Shoe Boxes
Rotarians throughout Great Britain and Ireland arrange to fill and transport shoe boxes to third world countries at Christmas and Easter. School children are encouraged to fill a shoebox for children who have very little. In our area we have a very good response from the children and through the years have sent a large of amount of shoeboxes to the scheme.
KidsOut
Kidout Aberdeen is a fun day out for children with additional support needs,
organized by local Rotary Clubs, including Oldmeldrum, and takes place annually
at Craibstone on the 2nd Wednesday in June. Pony rides, clowns, bouncy castles
and face painting ensure that the day is thoroughly enjoyed by all the youngsters.
Raising public awareness of the Rotary Organisation
Taste of Grampian.
Every June Oldmeldrum Rotarians take a stall at the prestigious event in
the Thainstone Mart, Inverurie. It is a great opportunity to promote Rotary
and we have a bottle stall, a wheel of fortune, and allow the public to
see the friendly face of Rotary whilst collecting money for Rotary and
local Charities.
Where possible, in all of our activities, we try to ensure that the club members are identifiable as being members of the rotary organisation and create awareness of the objects of rotary.
RIBI National PR
Trophy
The Club are very proud to have been awarded the 2008 RIBI National PR
Trophy. This award is given to the Rotary Club which is judged to have done
most to raise awareness of the Rotary Organisation within their local community.
Support for International Aid projects and Disaster Relief.
As members of the Rotary International organisation, the Club contributes
towards international aid and disaster relief projects, both directly and
through the Rotary Foundation Charity, which is a not-for–profit corporation
supported solely by voluntary contributions. Its mission is to enable
the advancement of
world understanding, goodwill, peace through improvement of health, the support
for education and the alleviation of poverty.
The Club has directly contributed towards:-
Shoe Box Scheme (see under Youth Development above)
Supporting local individuals who have volunteered for relief and support service overseas
Nyumbani Children's Home, Kenya.
Reponses to disasters
Shelter boxes and Aqua boxes
ShelterBox – a
tough, green plastic box containing a 10-person tent and ancillary equipment
designed to enable a family of up to 10 people survive for at least six months.
Aquabox, a robust plastic tank with water purification
tablets and packed with essential welfare items for a disaster situation. Once
the welfare contents have been removed, each Aquabox can be used to purify up
to 1100 litres of polluted water
The Club recently arranged for the supply of Shelterboxes for the Bangladesh Typhoon Disaster
Fundraising for the above
To meet our objectives, and to raise funds for the above, we have oreganised various events, including the following:-
Quiz Nights.
Quiz Nights have been very enjoyable evenings
and successful in raising funds for our charities.
Ascot Race Night.
This event took place at The Melvin Hall, Tarves. A good
time was had by all, and just under £1000 was raised for International projects.
Coffee Mornings.
One successful coffee morning has been
organised during the present Rotary year and a further one is planned.
Sponsored Slim.
The event will be a ‘post Christmas' initiative.
"Parable of the Talents".
(Each member is asked to provide £10 and increase
it by using their individual talents).
Developing friendships within our own Club and the family of Rotary, by having fun and enjoying ourselves
Social and Fundraising Events
Ceilidh Dance.
In September, the Club holds a Club Dance,
inviting partners and friends to join the members and enjoy an evening of
fun and fellowship.
Theatre Visit.
The members with partners, family and friends
completed the festive season with a visits to the Pantomime in 2008 and 2009.
Great fun, and particularly the 3D special effects were enjoyed. We look
forward to going again next New Year.
5th Monday's.
When we have a month with 5 Mondays, on the 5th Monday we arrange
something different to our normal meeting, and invite our partners to enjoy
a social evening. Our Christmas Meeting is celebrated in a different venue
to regular meetings and partners are invited along to enjoy the festive celebrations.
Fellowship Meals.
A rota plan is arranged each year for a member of the Club to host two other
members and their partners to a meal, either lunch or dinner. The members
being hosted give a sum of money to the Club for charity. This is a very
friendly way for the members to get to know each other.
Within Rotary 1010 District we meet with other Rotary Clubs and enjoy fun and fellowship by competing in the following:-
Gavel Competition.
The Gavel Competition is a series games evening where Rotary Clubs in District
1010 compete against each other in a knock out, culminating in a final which
can have clubs in the semi finals travelling a good distance to enjoy the
competition.
In 2007, Oldmeldrum Club won through to the the final in Alloa
in June.
In 2008, we were the winners of the national Gavel Competition at
the final in Dunfermline.
In 2009, being last year's winners, we hosted the final in Oldmeldrum, having
earlier in the competion, been knocked out by the eventual overall winners,
Dyce. For some photos and a brief write-up of the final, click on Gavel
Final 2009
Annual Cricket Match against Ellon Rotary Club
Since 2004 on a Sunday afternoon in September Oldmeldrum and Ellon Rotary
Clubs play cricket at the Methlick Cricket Club. Oldmeldrum won this year
for the fourth time. The match was played in full Rotary fellowship and is
always a good social event.
Annual Petanque
For the past three years Oldmeldrum have hosted and invited Ellon Rotary
Club to join us for a Petanque competition on the courts at Pitmedden Gardens
. This is a great evening of fun, friendship and rivalry.
Curling
We have some enthusiastic members who enjoy curling and are planning to
join forces with the Dyce Rotary Club to form a joint team.
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