Axminster Rotary Club members have been busy helping the community despite the disruption caused by Covid-19 pandemic.

Press officer Martin King said: “From the very beginning of the crisis the club realised that our main fundraising events would be in jeopardy. Our Charity Golf Day was cancelled, the Axe Vale Show was cancelled and Stockland Fete, where we help every year, likewise.

“But fortunately from our charity fund we have still been able to assist a number of good causes.”

Martin explained: “One of our early actions was to contribute £300 towards the cost of transporting an x-ray machine that had been donated by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to go to Kagando Hospital in Uganda. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Anna Crabbe, the machine is now providing much needed services in that hospital.”

Next to benefit was the Axe Vale Netball Club, who received £400 from the Rotarians.

Martin said: “They have a fantastic membership, with ages from eight to 80 and have been absolutely superb in the efforts they have made to keep interest going during the crisis. Their latest is to add up all their individual walking exercise miles, aiming to get to the distance from Axminster to Australia. They have reached Malta already!”

Martin added: “We were very pleased to assist both the Axminster Scout Group and the Axminster Town Youth Football Club with £200 each towards the cost of equipment they needed. The leaders of both organisations have been absolutely wonderful in the dedication and effort they have made to keep the young people interested and entertained despite the lack of any proper meetings and live events.

“We were also able to carry out one of our regular activities, which is to distribute Dictionary 4 Life books to all year 6 primary school children in our district. This year we provided them to two schools in Axminster and to schools in All Saints, Hawkchurch, Kilmington, Membury, Musbury, Shute and Chardstock. They were much appreciated and particularly helpful to the pupils who were having to home school during lock down.”

Normally the Rotarians would have been helping the Axminster Cancer Research fundraisers with their collections outside Tesco but this was not possible so the club donated £500 to the charity.

Martin said: “At the end of the year we were delighted and so grateful to receive from the good people of Colyton the magnificent sum of £1,055 to be sent to Shelterbox. They have been raising money for Shelterbox for many years now and of course the need for this type of emergency assistance has only increased as Ccovid has spread globally.

“We were able to donate £500 to Rotary Foundation, which is the global fund of Rotary International that provides millions of pounds humanitarian assistance every year. Their best known project is End Polio Now, which started 40 years ago.

“Rotary, working with the World Health Organisation, has succeeded in virtually eliminating the disease. Rotarians have over the years raised over £500 million for this project alone.”

Axminster Rotary Club was very pleased that they were able to help so many good causes and congratulated all the dedicated people in our community that have worked so hard to keep their clubs, charities and schools going in such unprecedented times.

If anyone would like to know more about Rotary or would be interested in joining us please contact Martin King on 01460 220319.