WHAT HAS ALRESFORD ROTARY DONE LOCALLY IN 2024?
In addition to helping residents in need, Alresford Rotary has been able to provide financial assistance to various local organisations including Alresford Scouts, St. Peter’s Church Ropley, the Thursday lunch club, Alresford Food Bank, Perins School, the Men’s Shed, Winchester Youth Counselling, Alresford Football Club, Sun Hill Infant school and St. John’s Church Alresford.
Alresford Rotary has litter picked on the south side of town and “spring cleaned” Broad Street, manned the Old Alresford car park for the Watercress Festival and the horse crossing at the September Agricultural Show, crushed and juiced apples at St. John’s Apple Day, roasted chestnuts to accompany the arrival of Father Christmas and sold locally sourced Christmas trees.
The previously neglected border outside Rousseau at Perins has been transformed and thanks to a generous legacy Alresford Rotary was able to make a significant contribution towards the cost of the riverbank improvements to the east of the Eel House, the provision of new benches along the Watercress Way and the new signage.
The generous support given to events such as Alresford Rotary’s annual Quiz, 10k run and Guy Fawkes celebrations enabled significant donations to be made to need in Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Libya, Morocco and Gaza (through ShelterBox and otherwise) and more locally Wessex Heartbeat and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Alresford Rotary has continued to support Lend With Care helping small start up entrepreneurs in the developing world (such as budding farmers, retail shopkeepers and fishermen) with micro loans of up to £30 each. During 2023 Alresford Rotary made117such loans and provided 480 small businesses with a lifeline, every month receiving repayments and reinvesting the monies to maximise the reach of the loans.
Since 2019 Alresford Rotary has helped almost 25,000 such business in Malawi, Zambia, the Philippines, Peru, Rwanda and Ecuador. A little goes a long way!