With all Community fundraising events this Spring and Summer cancelled due to COVID-19, Easthampstead Rotarians continue to adapt and support local charities.
Zoom meetings not only for long-term planning, but also a first club get-together with an invited outside speaker, Claire Mather from the Bracknell Foodbank.
More than 20 members enjoyed Claire’s presentation which covered the dramatic increase in demand they, like other Foodbanks, are experiencing with many in our communities unable to work and largely housebound and with little or no social contact.
Demand has more than doubled with up to 500 requests last month alone.
Co-operation with Tesco for supplies and British Gas for transport helped provide 13 tonnes of essential food during May.
For more information go to bracknell.foodbank.org.uk/
Since the UK lockdown measures were introduced in mid-March, Easthampstead Rotarians have donated more than £2,000 to both the Bracknell and Wokingham Foodbanks.
Other financial and clothes donations to The Cowshed, a new Hurst-based charity which provides good quality cleaned and ironed clothes and other essentials free to anyone in need. For more details go to www.thecowshed.org
Among the community events postponed or cancelled by Covid-19, was the 3 Counties Cycle Ride, due to take place on Sunday, June 7. The event organisers, the Rotary Club of Bracknell, instead provided a Community Challenge, asking people to exercise during the lockdown in aid of their charities. For more see 3ccr.org/
3CCR organising committee member and Easthampstead Rotarian, Peter von Bergen is just one of the event’s supporters who took up the Community Challenge.
“My goal is to Cycle (exercise bike), Walk (with Pickle, our Bichon Frise rescue, seen here helping my warm-up), and Row (Pilates) the equivalent of 10 times the longest 3CCR route (54 miles) so 540 miles.
“No animals were harmed during my Community Challenge.”
So far, with a week to go, Peter has reached 250 miles in support of Thames Valley Air Ambulance. For more details on its work, visit www.tvairambulance.org.uk
“People have given so generously to my JustGiving page, total to-date £335.
“To spur me on, people can still give to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pa-bergen”
Easthampstead Rotarians – working with the community for the community. Check out our website: www.easthampsteadrotary.org or follow us on Facebook.
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