Rotary’s motto above is what inspires us to volunteer to help where we can in our local communities. We are fortunate in Guildford to have an amazing organisation called Disability Challengers.
Challengers is a charity that gives disabled children and young people the opportunity to play, have fun, and make friends in a safe and supportive environment. Our input, in assisting with fund raising events, is just a small part that we can play to allow the service that they give.
We were hugely touched by a message received from the one of the Challenger’s team which we would like to pass on. It sums up why we, ‘Rotary in Guildford’ do what we do.
On the 14th December the Vivace Chorus Choir gave a stunning performance of Christmas Carols conducted by their new music director Barbara Höfling at Holy Trinity Church Guildford. Amazing carols from Demark and Germany were also introduced together with the beautiful ‘CoventryCarol’. The programme was interspersed with appropriate Christmas readings.
The event was organised by the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey with refreshments provided by Guildford Chantries Rotary.
Rotary President Andy Bowen-Ashwin thanked Canon Simon Butler for the use of Holy Trinity Church, the Vivace Chorus for embracing the event and all those involved in setting up the event. He then introduced the Mayor Councillor Howard Smith to say a few words about his chosen Charities.
We will up date this post shortly with the sums made for the chosen Charities once all the costs are determined.
Ready for the IntervalOver 300 people were able to enjoy the stunning performance by the Vivace Chorus
On Sunday the 7th December the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey assisted the Challengers’ Santa Fun run with marshalling duties. The whole event was sponsored by Kelly’s storage.
It was a chilly damp day but at least the heavy rain stayed away.
Thanks to the efforts of the runners, sponsorship and generous supporters Challengers made some £8,000 for the Charity
Our rotary Team braved the elements and dispersed around the course to direct the runners
Santas ready for the offVarious costumesVarious dogsAn opportunity for pets to dress up as well
After 4 weekend mornings the new Gosden House School woodland shed is complete.
With willing helpers 2 Architects and a Structural Engineer what could possibly go wrong ! Weekend 1 ground clearing and the base goes down awaiting gravel fill.
Weekend 2 gravel fill goes down. We turned the instruction sheets this way and that way trying to match the myriad components to that which was actually supplied ! This was equivalent to an ‘Ikea Prototype’ before they had perfected their simple construction process.
Weekend 3 and the roof goes on
On the final weekend of the 30th November the roof covering and doors went on aided by Andy’s bacon buns which may have to become standard fare on future Gosden House Gardening weekends. (Every 4th Saturday of the month 10-12 am )
Bacon buns to energise
Hundreds of screws later we only had a few left over and a couple of pieces of wood !!
Merrow Junior School (formerly Bushy Hill) is proud to be a sporty and outdoors-loving school. They are lucky to have extensive facilities that enable this, including a large playing field, a trim trail, climbing areas and an all-weather MUGA pitch ( Multi use Games Area)
However, the all weather pitch was over 20 years old. It has been shut for the last 12 months as it has been too slippery to use. The consequences to the school have been dramatic – it meant the lunchtimes, break times and PE lessons have been restricted to the much smaller tarmac areas, which has caused significant disruption.
Costing of the project to renew the pitch is expected to total £133,000. Through the amazing efforts of the school, they have managed to secure over £125,000 from ‘Your Fund Surrey’, PTA fund raising, The Football Foundation, Governors’ Fund and Corporate sponsorship. Recognising the efforts already made, and to help get the project to its completion, Rotary Club of Guildford Wey were pleased to be able to help with a donation of £500 towards the completion of the new all weather pitch.
Ancillary facilities are yet to be completed, however it has been possible to get the actual pitch installed in advance of the next phase which is to install toilets and portable floodlights. It will be open for use for local community hire and access as well as for school use.
Rotary Club of Guildford Wey President, Andy Bowen-Ashwin, was pleased to be able to present the Club’s cheque of £500 to the Executive Head Teacher of the Merrow Federation, Mrs Louisa Dormer
They are both standing on the new sand-dressed artificial turf surface.
Mrs Dormer has written to the Club to express her “… heartfelt thanks for your extremely generous donation of £500 towards our All Weather Pitch project. It is very much appreciated and has helped enormously with our fundraising. “
The pitch before repairThe newly laid sand dressed artificial grass on a new shock padThe newly laid sand dressed artificial grass on a new shock pad
Masanga Hospital is a small rural hospital in central Sierra Leone that provides both outpatient and inpatient care. In recent years, illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes have become much more common, now causing over 40% of all deaths in the country.
To help tackle this, the hospital started a weekly clinic in 2023 focused on preventing and managing these long-term conditions. Patients are reviewed regularly, receive vital medication to prevent complications and are supported to stay well. Because healthcare in Sierra Leone must be paid for privately—and poverty is widespread—many people cannot afford the medications they need.
The NCD clinic therefore aims to provide free check-ups, follow-up appointments, and essential medications, relying entirely on outside funding to make this possible.
Thanks to the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey’s generous contribution, the clinic has been able to make huge improvements. Your support has provided laptops to keep proper medical records and gather data for research, as well as reliable blood pressure monitors and even portable ECG machines to detect heart problems early. These tools have dramatically raised the standard of care and are making a real difference in the lives of people who otherwise would not have access to treatment.
The lady who brought the clock in was kind enough to let us know..”…My nephew is blind and he loves a ticking clock but it had stopped ticking and I want to give it to him on his birthday (tomorrow)! Its ticking and chiming away beautifully! 😍” See picture below.
Booking in at THE HIVEBMW back on ‘the road’Our workshopClock back on time & ticking !Dish back in one pieceRepair in progressOur seamstress in actionCrane repair in progress
Those few items that we couldn´t repair on the day were returned to the owners with advice on further action to avoid them being discarded or where bespoke components could be purchased that we could use for repair at a future Repair Café date.
If you feel you would like to join our repairers once a month CLICK HERE
Since 1986, Rotary International has been leading the fight against Polio, working with the World Health Organisation and Governments to vaccinate all the world’s children. Today the wild Polio virus exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. When children receive the vaccine, their little finger is marked with a purple dye. To publicise the Polio Eradication programme, Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland plants purple Crocus in public places. The Rotary Club of Guildford Wey, a number of whose members live in Shalford, acquired 4000 Purple Crocus Bulbs and planted them on Saturday 25th October in the grass area opposite Snooty’s Groceries next to the Orchard. Our thanks to Shalford Councillors Dominique Williams & Catherine Houston for obtaining Council permission for the planting and Rotary organiser and Shalford resident Andrew Jackson for organising the project for Rotary. We would also like to thank volunteers who assisted Rotary in the day with special thanks to Douglas Reid of the Shalford, Peasmarsh & Chilworth (SCP) Garden Club.
Rotary Rondel marked out on grassCouncillors Dominique Williams & Catherine Houston with Rotary organiser Andrew JacksonRotary Members and volunteers ready for the ‘off’
Representatives of Rotary Club of Guildford Wey attended the opening of the new Gosden House School Bakehouse on 17 October 2025. The new bakehouse provides a professional and modern kitchen and dining area for students to learn baking techniques and the opportunity to gain work experience in local cafes to put their newly gained skills to use. The students had cooked a variety of delicious bakes for the opening day including cheese straws, brownies and biscuits which were served to attendees along with coffee and tea. Councillor Howard Smith, Mayor of Guildford declared the bakehouse open and complimented the school on all their hard work to put in place a first-class professional baking learning facility and for the wonderful cakes. At the same time Michael Ramcharan of Rotary Club of Guildford Wey, presented a cheque for £700 to the headmistress. This was raised at the recent Rotary “Gosdenberry” charity music afternoon and cream tea held in the school’s walled garden on last August bank holiday Monday. Rotary Wey are also regular visitors to the school helping the grounds team with various garden related projects and tasks each month.
Michael Ramcharan of Rotary Club of Guildford Wey, presented a cheque for £700 to the headteacher Mrs C KnellerCouncillor Howard Smith, Mayor of Guildford declared the bakehouse open
Rotary Club of Guildford joined local volunteer groups for a Volunteers Fair to raise awareness and gain contacts for future projects and assistance on Wednesday 14th October 2025. It was an interesting and productive afternoon talking to many other organisations, charities and individual visitors. Pictured are members of Rotary Club of Guildford Wey and Liz from MCR Pathways, the mentor voluntary children charity who were also at the fair. Rotary Wey had recently made a donation to allow MCR to purchase some display and advertising materials for use at events.
