We had a very moving talk from Denzil a few months ago, a very passionate man who told us about the Rainbow Children's Home in Nepal.

This Children's home is dedicated to providing the orphaned, poor and marginalised children of Nepal with nutritious food, clean water, quality education and most importantly a loving, secure family and home. It is not only our aim to afford these children the bare essentials, but also to teach them about morality and instil in them a sense of community and respect for their fellow human beings. We will also provide them with a safe play environment where they can have fun, learn and develop the skill of social interaction.
Rainbow Children Home has no official affiliation with any local or foreign organisation upon which it can depend for steady financial support. Thus our children's home relies solely upon the generosity of individual sponsors for its income to upkeep the house and support the children's development.

The charities objectives are:

• To provide a safe and secure home for orphan and helpless children.
• To provide nutritious food. We ensure the children receive a balanced diet.
• To provide basic health care, hygiene advice and all the essentials they need to stay healthy. We have a health worker to look after them.
• To provide a safe play area, where the children can have fun and learn and develop the skills of social interaction. The children play on the swings and slide in our garden and we take them to play in the local park. We also take them swimming and rowing on the lake nearby occasionally.
• To teach the children the ethos of morality and instil in them a sense of community and respect for their fellow human beings.
• To provide good education to allow each child to reach their academic potential and open up opportunities for their futures.
• To provide the essentials required to receive an education i.e. stationery, uniforms etc.
• To provide the quality education. We have recruited a teacher to assist the children for their homework and help them to study well.
• We work closely with the public; regularly attend local meetings with social agents. These include government organisations, other children homes and orphanages and local families.
• We welcome Volunteers to come and interact with the children and help with their education. We provide a home stay program which gives volunteers the opportunity to stay in our home.
• To find more sponsors and funding to enable us to reach our goals.
• To provide our children with the best available educational opportunities and medical care.
• To co-ordinate and carry out joint efforts with other government and non-government organisations, well-wishers and donors and also to make appropriate mobilisation of resources for the fulfilment of the objectives of the organisation.
• To launch income generating activities to help to cover all expenses of the organisation.

As a result of hearing about the amazing work the charity does our club have sponsored one of the children, helping to cover the cost of their basic needs and ensure they receive an education to help themselves out of poverty in the future.

There is a bit of old weather folklore that says that it never rains on a Wednesday (when Bob organises a walk). Well, we can lay that one to rest as a group of us headed out and got rather soggy!!

This month we tried another new route around Bluey’s Farm in the Chilterns. We set out from Bovingdon Green, just west of Marlow, on what was a very enjoyable, if wet, walk!  Points of interest included:

• Bluey’s Farm, a Grade 2 listed property with origins from early 17th Century. There were splendid views over the valley.
• Shillingridge Wood, a fine example of a Chiltern beech wood, with some conifers.

This walk proved to be rather challenging, not just because of the weather, but because the Chiltern Hills are very hilly, but we all arrived safely in the end.  I'm not sure why everyone looks so cheerful in the photos though, it must have been the thoughts of the Bangers & Mash at  The Royal Oak, Bovingdon Green on our return!

Bletchley Park, once the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers is now a vibrant heritage attraction and one that members and their partners paid a visit to on Friday 3rd May.

On arrival we had light refreshments  before meeting our guide, Michael, for a one hour outdoor walking tour. Michael told us about the history and ownership of the original Victorian Mansion before its transformation into a very famous location from the war effort!  

In 1938 the mansion and much of the site was bought by a builder planning a housing estate, but within a few months Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair, head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6), bought it for £6,000, for use in the event of war.

A key advantage of Bletchley Park was its geographical location, that being relatively central in the UK, with the first personnel of the Government Code & Cypher School moving into Bletchley Park on 15 August 1939.

On the outbreak of the Second World War the main task was to break the German Enigma cyphers so that vital intelligence could be gathered. It was spectacularly successful, as history reports!  Each separate operation was housed in a Hut, for example, Hut 1, the first to be built in 1939, housed the wireless station.

After our tour we saw a short video about the impact Bletchley had on the outcome of D-Day and enjoyed lunch together before exploring the mansion and the Huts at our leisure.  We had such a wonderful day, learnt more than we thought we would and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks to Bernard for organising.

Archive photos courtesy of www.bletchleypark.org.uk 

​This month Bob found another new area to explore that saw us visit deepest, darkest Buckinghamshire!

Our base was Denham Village. Apparently, the name derived from the Old English for “homestead in the valley”.  The first point of interest was St Mary’s church & the house nearby which was the residence of the film actor, Sir John Mills.  Many of the charming cottages have featured on several films.

We crossed the River Misbourne before reaching the busy A412. Crossing carefully we then tackled the even busier A40.  We had to go through a gap in the hedge in the central reservation which was a new experience for all of us!  After that our route was very rural.

It was surprisingly wet underfoot and we passed the aptly named Froggy Lane.  Eventually, we reached Higher Denham and followed Old Rectory Lane back to the village.

After our new adventure we had a lovely lunch at The Falcon Inn....I wonder where we'll be taken next month!

On Wednesday April 10th it was time for our mystery restaurant social... On this occasion we we headed to Hounslow, where there are 142 different languages spoken and about the same number of restaurants!  

Uma had chosen the Yellow Chilli, a family run restaurant serving Punjabi and Afghan food.  Not only were we on a mystery tour and club social, we were also there to celebrate Uma's 40th anniversary of joining Windsor and Eton Rotary Club, so the evening started with champagne cocktails to mark the occasion.

Eleven of us sat down at 7.45 and by 11pm we had been presented with, and consumed, up to 20 dishes of authentic and delicious food consisting of a myriad of tastes and flavours. Uma had chosen all the food with the help of the owner insisting on only one condition...no chillies!

All who attended agreed it was an excellent night and Uma confirmed to us yet again how well he can organise such a unique dining experience.  The night was a great example of Rotary fellowship and camaraderie, with an opportunity to visit a truly ethnic restaurant which we might normally pass by.

Windsor and Eton Rotarian Derek Bishop, wearing his other disguise as Mayor of Eton, was a pivotal member of the restoration team, not only as part of the driving committee but also in designing and constructing himself the new bridge. 

The watercourse restoration project was officially opened last Tuesday with the unveiling of a plaque by Lord Waldegrave of North Hill and a ribbon cutting at the bridge by Eton Mayoress Mrs Glenys Bishop. 

​What a fantastic community project, with partners galore contributing to what in effect re-established the island of "Eyot-tun", from which the name Eton is derived.

Members of District 9 Inner Wheel and the longest surviving club so far, the Inner Wheel Club of Windsor & Eton, celebrated its 80th anniversary at the idyllic setting of Stirrups Country House Hotel in Maidens Green (Bracknell) together with friends and families, including the RBWM Mayor and Mayoress. Seven of our own Rotarians and their spouses also attend, along with former member Bob Heybourn and Christine.

The celebration was started by the current president Mary Weaver, with words of gratitude about the past, present and the future.

Representatives from District 9 (Vicky Mountford), the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in GB&I (Ann Acaster), the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (Mayor Paul Lion), Windsor & Eton Rotary Club (Richard Carleton) and the Rotary Club of Windsor St. George (Andreas Stavrinides) presented their greetings and spoke highly about the Inner Wheel Club's involvement in the local communities.

There followed an excellent 3-course lunch and coffee and mints after which there was a short 'thank you all' from Inner Wheel President Mary.

The lunch guest  was a distinguished harpist, Margaret Watson Dip. ABRSM, one of the busiest professional harpists in the South East, with performances for social and corporate events.  Not only did Margaret play a wide variety of music, ranging from 'pop' through 'traditional' to classic, but also talked about the harp as an instrument; how it was made (cost of a new one about £30k); the (47) strings, tuning and playing - seven-foot pedals with 3 positions for each pedal!

Absolutely fascinating and informative - and her final quote, from the composer Shostakovich, "a harpist spends 90% of the time tuning the harp and 10% of the time playing out-of-tune" brought the house down.

The celebration could not have ended without the traditional raffle and after the final toast we all wended our way home from a splendid luncheon.

By Chris Simon and Paul Andreianu

This month Bob led us to a previously unexplored area around Taplow.  It was a windy morning but the rain stayed away so we set off from the car park near Taplow Church, went through a series of kissing gates and then reached the A4.

We followed the lane under the railway & past the lake on the left before crossing a number of fields and The Jubilee River, after a while we reached The Thames. We stopped for a quick break whilst enjoying the views of the luxury houses along the Berkshire side of the river.

Continuing our stroll we arrived at Brunel’s Railway Bridge, which is known as “the sounding arch” because of its echo.  The bridge has the flattest & widest brick built arch in the world and really is an example of amazing engineering.

After "testing" the echo we headed back to the A4  where we crossed into Mill Lane before following the path back to Taplow.

Total distance 3.8 miles, lots of laughter and some beautiful sights along the wa!

Of course no ramble is complete until lunch and a pint are consumed, this time at The Feathers, across the road from Cliveden House.  Apparently, Edward VIII frequented the pub during the 1870's when he was Prince of Wales, just another little known fact we thought we'd share with everyone!

Here's to the next wander round the countryside!

Following a recent talk at our Rotary Club by Tony Churchill the Founder of 'OKOurKids' we have decided to support the project by getting their book called 'Watch Out 'into all the schools in the area with Key Stage 1 pupils.

OK Our Kids is a community interest company that helps young children to deal confidently with the challenges and dangers of staying safe at home, in school and in the community.
 
Their Mission
Our mission is to help our young children deal confidently with the challenges and dangers of staying safe at home, school and in the community: to empower them with the skills they need to face everyday situations knowing what is the right thing to do and leading others by their example. We aim to achieve success in our mission through educational partnerships with schools, businesses, and community and parent groups.
 
Their Inspiration
‘OK Our Kids’ first Watch Out book was the inspired idea of Claire Annison, a serving Police Officer with Thames Valley Police, and Tony Churchill, a former Police Community Support Officer. Through their work in Primary Schools and the wider Community, Claire and Tony saw the need for a new initiative to develop resources specifically designed to educate, inform and empower primary school children to stay safe in the community and on-line. ‘OK Our Kids’ was then further developed by Tony and Lynn Churchill to provide help, guidance and counseling to schools and families that have already been affected by events involving child safety and protection.
 
How we are supporting the campaign
We have so far had a good response to our initial contact with schools and in the next few weeks we will take a copy of the book to those interested to encourage them to share with their pupils.
 
The book 'Watch Out' is a child's guide to everyday dangers, it is well written and illustrated in a way that the children will understand.
 
If you’d like to find out more about this project or support us please do contact us.
 
More details of OKOurKids can be found on www.okourkids.org.uk