New Tameside Rotary President takes up the role

Amanda shares her ambition for the year ahead

Tameside Rotary has a new president after Amanda Reed-Raja was presented with the chains of office at an official ceremony.

The event was a double celebration, with the Rotary team also hosting its Community Cash Awards at Ashton Masonic Hall.

No fewer than 22 community groups received cash awards, made possible by the thousands of pounds raised through Tameside Rotary’s annual Santa Float appeal last December.

Each year, Rotary pledges to distribute the funds raised to as many local groups as possible. However, the judging criteria is rigorous, with far more organisations applying for support than it is possible to fund.

Awards ranging from £100 to £375 were presented on the night by Amanda in her first official engagement as President, following the handover of the chains of office by past President Manhar Taylor on behalf of previous president Mike Glover.

Ambition

Amanda has ambitious plans for the year ahead, including encouraging more young people and local businesses to become involved with Rotary in both voluntary and supportive roles.

She also hopes to support smaller charities working with people living with dementia, a cause particularly close to her heart.

Having joined Rotary just two years ago, Amanda is keen to strengthen the organisation’s membership base and attract younger people, whether through full membership or by becoming “Rotary Friends”.

She is also hoping to encourage more community groups to work alongside Rotary by supporting key fundraising events such as the Santa Float and Tameside Beer Festival.

Tameside Rotary’s Santa Float tours the streets of Ashton in the run-up to Christmas each year, bringing the magic of Father Christmas to local children and families. Planning for the event begins long before December, however, with preparations getting under way as early as March.

The generous donations collected during the festive tour raise thousands of pounds annually, making initiatives such as the recent Small Grants awards possible.

But Amanda says the organisation needs more younger volunteers to help sustain and grow those efforts.

“That’s where we need to get more community groups involved. We need gyms with their teams and uniformed groups such as the Guides and Scouts to help,” she said.

“We also need to look at corporate payback,” Amanda added, explaining that she hopes to encourage businesses to support Rotary through employee volunteering days, without staff necessarily having to become Rotary members themselves.

“We have Rotary Friends, which means people can come along, help at events and join our volunteer database,” she explained.

“What we offer is a little different to traditional volunteering roles as well, because we’re looking for volunteers for our Beer Festival in September - and who doesn’t want to volunteer at a beer festival?”

Dementia

Supporting smaller local dementia charities is also high on Amanda’s agenda. Having a parent living with the condition, she understands first-hand the importance of the support available to both individuals and carers.

By raising funds and awareness for these organisations, Amanda hopes to give something back to the groups that have helped her own family.

“I want to make sure these day groups can continue and thrive during my presidential year,” she said. “It’s important to keep them going.”

Amanda is also looking to identify a youth organisation to support during her year in office.

Rotary’s work extends far beyond the local community, and Tameside Rotary remains active in supporting a range of international initiatives.

Amanda will shortly be visiting the island of Koh Samui in Thailand to learn more about the work being carried out by Rotary there.

Safety

She explained that local Rotary members have focused on improving opportunities for children to learn how to swim safely. With no public swimming pool on the island, many children learn in the sea, which has led to a number of tragic incidents.

Amanda compares the situation with the recent heatwave in the UK, when young people were tempted to swim in lakes and reservoirs, sometimes with fatal consequences. She is considering how Rotary might help promote water safety education during her presidential year.

As previously reported, Tameside Rotary has also played an active role in supporting Ukraine.

“We have a midwife who we have been supporting, and the work she carries out is amazing. We wouldn’t know about these opportunities to help if we weren’t part of Rotary,” Amanda explained.

Anyone interested in finding out more about Tameside Rotary can visit its website and social media channels, whether they are considering joining the organisation or supporting its work in a voluntary capacity.

Tameside businesses and local groups interested in becoming involved with the Tameside Beer Festival are invited to email beerfestival@tamesiderotary.onmicrosoft.com for further information.