The Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside

Five members of Corringham Thameside, together with rotarians from all over the district were busy at the V-Festival site in Chelmsford on both Monday and Tuesday 23rd and 24th August. Organised by the Rotary Club of Havering the rotarians set about dismantling and collecting the tents that were abandoned by the visitors to the V-Festival. The tents, sleeping bags, chairs and other camping equipment were collected and taken away to a warehouse where they will be checked and sorted before being sold off to raise money for Essex Air Ambulance and the Rotary Foundation. This is the second year that Corringham Thameside have participated in this project which as well as being hard work it includes removing a lot of rubbish from the tents before they can be taken down and recycled. Well done – Brian Munroe, Clive Yallop, John Cooper, Peter Mestanek and David Fenn.

On Thursday 29th July thirty friends and family together with rotarians met at Ye Olde Plough House for a Friends and Family evening. After enjoying a meal of roast turkey the guests were entertained by Mr Tony Bartella who read a number of poems he had written.
First up was the verse he composed for the opening of the school garden in Corringham, and this was followed by a succession of other verses he had written on such diverse subjects as Women shopping for shoes, National service, the Olympics, School,and the pleasures of Fatherhood.
Tony’s verse kept his audience spellbound, and his sharp wit brought forth much laughter. In proposing the vote of thanks, Rotarian Terry Finnegan paid tribute to Tony’s skills as a poet and his great observation skills as well as his sense of humour. Everybody present had enjoyed a most interesting and entertaining evening with the BARD FROM BASILDON.