Another month passes and I’m on the slippery slope to being a ‘has-been’, all I can say though is what a great year it ‘has-been’!! Enough of those puns, next month I’ll tell you the real story of 2010/11 but until then, here is how May has gone...

Following the excellent success of our Youth Speaks Intermediate Team claiming first place in the national finals on 1st May, I went off for a short three day break to the Cotswolds. However, the post of DG and having a holiday do not seem particularly compatible but hey-ho I tried!

I returned to a very enjoyable President’s Night (Newport Pagnell and Wolverton & Stony Stratford), quickly followed by the Watford Clarendon MENCAP Games on 7th May. The games have been held for over 25 years and this year the competition was as fierce as ever.

The final RIBI Executive meeting of this year went well and there was plenty to discuss as we considered the role and responsibility of the quinquennial review. This group is charged to evaluate our practices and make recommendations for improvement – an essential aspect in the development of RIBI. I now know through experience that there are many practices which are outdated and inefficient within RIBI but I for one don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water! The review process will hopefully enable effective change as we continue to move our organisation forward and as with the ‘Big Debate’ at our Conference, we be able to take responsibility in developing solutions to our problems rather than just highlighting those weaknesses.

What a good month April has been.  Including having the month kick-off with superb performances from the school teams taking part in the regional finals of Youth Speaks at Haileybury School. Again a wonderful standard was demonstrated by everyone and I was delighted that one of our own teams, Roundwood Park School, will be representing D1260 in the national finals on 1st May...

 During 15th to 17th April the RIBI Conference was held. It was a super weekend jam packed with excellent projects in the Spotlight on Rotary and inspiring plenary speakers including the awesome Terry Waite CBE. I, too, was given the opportunity to talk on stage about this year’s Thanks for Life activities and in particular the efforts of clubs across RIBI supporting Focus on the Crocus. It was my biggest ‘gig’ yet and a little nerve-wracking considering the strength of other personalities presenting but a great practice ground for Scarborough!!

 Click the link for the RIBI Thanks for Life Video: http://tinyurl.com/Thanks-For-Life    

How quickly each month goes by, here we are with just 3 months to go until we ‘reach inside to embrace humanity’! So what has been happening here in District 1260 and what is still to come?

My month started with a safe return from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The humanitarian work being carried out on a daily basis through Rotary International in D3272 is remarkable and I was delighted to see how a matching grant for a sanitation system from Chesham Rotary Club has helped a rural school in Rawalpindi. On Wednesday 9th March at Tilsworth Golf Centre, I am giving a presentation about my experience of Rotary in Action in D3272. In all I  toured 27 different rural and urban community service projects initiated and supported by Rotarians – many in areas dogged by political or civil unrest and suffering from the effects of war. Projects ranged from supplying schools with simple teaching resources to the complete relocation and rebuilding of a village that had been swept away by severe flooding 9 months ago. The evening is ‘free’, just let me know if you’d like to come along by emailing: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it