The speaker at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Kendal on 13^th May was Rotarian Duncan Hamlett of the Rotary Club of Lunesdale who is also the Area Representative of the charity, ‘Mary’s Meals’.

He gave a very moving presentation highlighting the work done by the charity in Malawi and further outlined the proposed scheme to provide some ‘under 6 centres’ for the country.  ‘Mary’s Meals’, which was started in 2002, is now providing meals, daily, for over three quarters of a million children and for only £10.70 they can feed one child for a year. 

The scheme to build the new centres will cost £52,000 and will be funded local Rotary Clubs in the north west of England with matching grants from Rotary International.

Rotarian David Oates was honoured by receiving the prestigious award of a Paul Harris Fellowship at the recent Charter Night of the Rotary Club of Kendal.

David was one the trio who last October kayaked from Kendal to London, a distance of 380 miles which raised over £10,000 in sponsorship for various charities and he is a trustee of Sandgate School, one of the beneficiaries.

David, a past President of the club, is responsible for organising the Three Counties Challenge cycle event and also for masterminding the ‘Tree of Memories’ in Kendal held over the Christmas period annually which raised money for ‘Help the Heroes’. He was presented the award by the President, Pat Hutchinson.

On 24^th April , the Rotary Club of Kendal held their annual Charter Night at the Stonecross Manor Hotel which was attended by Rotarians and guests from all around the north west.

The special guests, The Mayor of Kendal, Cllr. John Wilshaw, the Chairman of SLDC, Jo Stephenson, the President of Kendal Lions Club, John Over, Rotary District Governor, David Simpson and the President of the Inner wheel Club of Kendal, Margaret Morrison, were entertained by the main speaker, Sheila Dibnah (the widow of Fred Dibnah) who told us a little more about her efforts as Fred's widow to promote his name, and bring together memories of her late husband and regaled us with many humorous stories about him.

The speaker at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Kendal on 15^th April was Chris Bibby of Bibby’s Coaches of Ingleton.

He, being the great grandson of the founder of the business Clem Bibby, gave a presentation detailing the history of the company from its early beginnings as a Fruit & Veg retailer, with its three shops around the area, to its gradual transformation into the well known Coach operator we see today.

The family company employs about 50 people who provide a whole range of services and have a fleet of coaches, minibuses and cars which travel all over the country and Europe.