A Welcome from President Joe Trickey

As President of the Rotary Club of Croydon South I wish to extend a warm welcome to our web site. Please take the time to look through our site and read the news stories which show the enjoyable life of our Club. We are always happy to welcome visitors to our meetings and to our events, so if you want to come along just contact us or turn up on the day. Throughout the year we have many diverse events and activities for all.

The Club meets for luncheon every Monday, 12.30pm for 12:50 p.m. at: Addington Court Golf Centre, Featherbed Lane, Croydon, CR0 9AA
Tel: 020 8657 0281

Visiting Rotarians can be assured of a very warm welcome!

Cometh December its Christmas all the way. By 23rd December still trying to get through the collections meant that even IPP Bernard could not be encouraged to complete Are you looking forward to Christmas ? ………………….. with a smile until he climbed onto the float for the last evening and as ever, despite the rain and the ice he made Christmas come true for so many children. Can I thank all those who were Santa on the float or in the grotto, those who collected, hosted, marshalled, drove the vehicles, counted the money, maintained the system, housed the float and made the process of raising in the region of £6k look so easy and enjoyable. This year we welcome Will Ryan to the ranks of Santa for the first time, we look forward to many more opportunities in the future.

Thanks to Bernard who said he really didn’t want to be Santa on the sleigh this year, but agreed to help me out whenever he could, and he did  – thanks a million.  Santa’s stood to attention for six long weeks to provide Santa every weekend and sometimes during the week for special needs children at Knights in Chelsham – you were all great, and your services were appreciated by the children concerned, by me, and importantly by David Knight. A cheque has been recieved for £1065 kindly donated by Knight's Garden Centers for our services.

This year we trialled gift aid envelopes on three routes and so far the signs are encouraging, whilst our Treasurer as ever is cautious, we have our fingers crossed that we may be lucky to receive in the region of £250.00 if the authorities are on our side and happy with our return. So, whilst we must not count our chickens just yet, we are hopeful, and plan that the exercise may be repeated next year. Thank Tim for the idea and Ian for his hard work on the night and with the return.

All in all, our efforts this year will have brought in just under £7000 (not including the gift aid) and given the conditions and economic climate we should be very proud of this figure. Thanks to all of the members of the public who have supported us this year, particularly those who filled in the back of your gift aid envalopes.

Just when we finally thought we had braved the worst of the weather, the failing sound system and the administrative error made by Waitrose, with the collections behind us and Knights counting our pennies, – it was Christmas Day, with the paths still icy but time to meet for breakfast before delivering our parcels to those in need throughout the area. Rotarians and their grandchildren, children and partners gathered at Tim’s home for Tom to lay on, as ever, a superb breakfast which fortified us to brave the still slightly icy conditions in order to deliver our parcels. I am delighted to say that only one parcel was returned due to a house move. The remaining items not used in the parcels and the returned parcel have been passed to Purley Baptist Church for inclusion in their shelter for the homeless which runs over the Christmas and New Year period.  Thanks to everyone who gave up their Christmas morning to bring cheer to those less fortunate, and in particular to IPP Bernard who celebrates his 39th year of distributing parcels on Christmas morning – thank you so much for the commitment and support, and from all those who have received parcels from you over the years. This is certainly a model to which we should all aspire.