A Message From #Epsom Rotary Club – helping the community @EpsomRotary
30th April 2020
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As we all too well know almost all elements of our daily lives are being impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak. Rotary clubs are no different and there is no way we can continue  ”business as usual”. But as all Rotary clubs and members often do in times of need Epsom Rotary will continue to carry out activities that can best help the local community during these unprecedented times.

We are using our contacts within the locality, built up over many years, to help us understand what is required, whether it be cash or help in kind, and crucially for it to be targeted at the right areas. In these extraordinary times of social distancing we, like so many others, now hold regular zoom meetings so we can review what we are doing and what needs to be done. On a lighter note we’ve even held a zoom quiz which seemed to work well!

Reflecting the Rotary ethos of service above self individual Rotarians and partners of Rotarians made a public appeal for face and hand creams, lip balms to protect frontline workers from the damage caused by PPE and for scrub bags. Over 2000 creams/balms and several hundred scrub bags have been delivered to various parts of the Epsom and St Hellier Trust. Many thanks to all those within Rotary and the wider community who donated creams/balms and made scrub bags and to the organisers of the appeal. You have made a real difference.

We have donated £1500 to Epsom food bank specifically for the co-vid crisis and also £1000 to NHS staff for their Wellbeing Areas where they can take a well earned break during their long shifts. We are currently arranging for more equipment to be purchased by Epsom Rotary Club and donated and will post an update on this as soon a possible. More specifically there is an urgent need for face cream help with the chafing caused by face masks so we have recently delivered to Epsom hospital some 40-50 jars of face cream.

This is the urgent requirement for face cream. Those of you who saw the Ch 4 documentary, which included Epsom & St Helier ITU, the wearing of masks for hours on end, really affects their facial skin & it looked painful. Carol & I have spent most of the day trying to source about 50 pots of cream for Epsom hospital. Most suppliers, including Amazon, are restricting purchases to 1 per person or charging exorbitant prices, with no guaranteed delivery dates. Carol contacted Caroline Harris & she can acquire 40 jars of cream at a cost of about £209. These can be delivered for use at Epsom hospital.

We have held a number of fund raising activities including a members “camp in” which raised just under £300 and an auction of a bottle of wine signed by the Prime Minister which raised £60, all the proceeds from which went to the NHS. We are also pleased to announce that our virtual quiz night raised £800 for the fight against covid-19..

As well as Epsom Rotary Club members fund raising they have, like so many of the local community, made personal donations to NHS frontline workers. Individual Rotarians are also volunteering to help out in their neighbourhoods.

Over the following weeks and months Epsom Rotary Club will continue to help the local community in the most effective way they can. From time to time we will keep you informed about what we have done and what we are currently.

If you would like to make a difference to the community but are not sure how to do it you might like to contact us about volunteering to help.  You can email our Club President, Ronnie Smith at Katzhome@talktalk.net  for more details. You might even consider joining us so to see more about us have a look at our website at     https://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=874 . 

Once again many thanks for your support for what Epsom Rotary Club and other local community support groups are doing. Your help is so much appreciated by all our frontline workers and it does make a difference in the fight against Coronavirus. 

Ronnie Smith

President of Epsom Rotary Club

 

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