Tidings - VIEW FROM THE TARDIS - Rotary RIBI
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Fareham Meon Jan 2021
Tidings
VIEW FROM THE TARDIS
Isn’t January Dragging…..
And The Garden Looks Like Its Got Flu
The January 2021 edition of Tidings comes with the very best wishes to all readers for a
happy and healthy 2021 and the hope that we all will soon be able to live some form of
normal lifestyle again - whatever normal will be. The sages of Downing Street are now
forecasting more of the same until March/Apl. So ZOOM lives on - apparently the top
phrase of 2020 is “YOUR MUTE IS ON”.
Well we have survived the loss of the EEC and Dear Donald so January hasn’t been all
bad……. ZOOM on Rotarians and Stay Well.
Page 1 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
COMPUTERS FOR SCHOOLS
Members will be aware of the work done over the past few weeks to
help disadvantaged children and schools overcome the terrible
situation regarding further disadvantage through lack of affordable
education IT facilities for families on benefits. The following Press
release made to the media on Wednesday gives further information.
Youth Lead Ron Crank MBE
PRESS RELEASE
FAREHAM MEON ROTARY
FAREHAM MEON ROTARY CLUB DONATES THOUSANDS OF POUNDS
TO FAREHAM SCHOOLS FOR PROVISION OF IT EQUIPMENT FOR
DISADVANTAGED PUPILS
Fareham Meon Rotary Club have made an initial donation of over Three
Thousand Pounds to three Fareham Schools to enable the initial purchase of
16 Chromebooks for use by disadvantaged children in order to maintain their
vital studies.
Fareham Schools have a large and growing number of children whose
families need to take advantage of Free School meals and other family
benefits they cannot afford the essential equipment for their children to
maintain their important studies in both Primary and Secondary sectors.
The Head Teacher of St Columba School Fareham responded to the donation
by “welcoming the wonderful news that Rotary Club of Fareham Meon have
agreed to supply St Columba CE Primary with the funds for six Chrome
Books. This will assist our pupils and families with their vital remote learning
at this most challenging of times and we cannot thank you enough for your
wonderful generosity.”
Another Head Teacher of Wickham Primary School wrote saying “I am
enormously grateful for your donation. It will make a huge difference to some
of our families. We now have 55 children eligible for free school meals and
have only to date received 14 laptops from government sources for them.
Your donation means we can get vital support out there quickly. Thank you”
Page 2 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
Fareham Meon have utilised a legacy from former member the late Tom
Houghton which was be-quested to provide relief from hardship for the
disadvantaged, they have supplemented this by attracting other donations to
this enormously worthwhile cause.
The Rotary Club are now working closely with Fareham Academy to whom a
donation of Chromebooks has also been made.
Working alongside the Basics Bank of Fareham and Gosport they are also
providing funds for the relief of suffering and are making regular significant
donations to achieve that. Fareham Meon Rotary Club intend to extend their
work with the schools and with Basics Bank to provide much needed relief
and would welcome donations to assist them in their work.
Club President Len Bamber and Head of Youth Ron Crank stated that “we
have several mountains to climb in the relief of hardship at this awful time in
our lives. We are resolved to work in and with our community to climb those
mountains and do whatever we can to provide that relief. The numbers of
those on Free School meals and other benefits in Fareham Schools is
staggeringly high and growing. Please help us to help them.”
Donations to Fareham Meon Rotary Club would be very gratefully received by
contacting Fareham Meon Treasurer James Fullarton at
jamesfullarton@ntlworld.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A note of praise and thanks together with an indication of further hills ahead
has been received from Councillor Sue Bell, Lead Councillor for Social
Services at Fareham Borough Council:
From Councillor Sue Bell
Dear Len
Thank you for your email. Again a huge thank you for everything you
and the members of Fareham Meon Rotary are doing during this
pandemic. It really is making a huge difference and your help and
support is amazing.
Although we are still in lock down we are looking to the struggles
ahead as we emerge from it. I will ask Claire and Emma to make
contact with any support these projects may need.
Again thank you. Sue
Page 3 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
REFURBISHED LAPTOPS
Phase 2 of the aid to disadvantaged schoolchildren and families came
through the initiative of Past President Tony Owen who took up the call
from Lee on the Solent Golf Club for the identification , collection and
refurbishment of suitable Laptops and Tablets for making good and re-
provision to schools, also to help the disadvantaged.
To date well over 100 machines have been delivered to Solent Way
Computers on the DAEDALUS Innovation site who are using their
facilities and staff to deliver the refurbished and cleansed machines for the
schools programmes. Small cash donations are covering any need for
new power leads etc. Tony’s organising work has accounted for 30% of
those recovered and refurbed machines. Well done Tony.
A further agency is also involved, SMD Computers in Brockhurst Rd
Gosport are doing the same work. If you have or know of suitable tablets
or laptops which can be donated (Windows 7 or later) get in touch with
Tony and he will give you the details of next steps. (agvo@hotmail.co.uk)
Page 4 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
And finally on Laptops,
Obviously there is no bottomless pit of funds
to help.
We have clearly established that there is a
problem facing local Headmasters and Schools due to the numbers
of schoolchildren on benefits and free school meals and we have
done a great deal to help.
There are also still a number of very needy schools who we would
like to help but we cannot do everything. We are trying to
prioritise those most in need where we can.
One good side effect has been that our work has actually sparked
members of the public to get in touch with us for more
information so that they can donate to their chosen schools
directly - every little helps and also raises the profile of Fareham
Meon Rotary.
Once we are out of lockdown and able to mount fundraising in our
traditional manner, this area may well become a suitable project
for further targeted fundraising. In the interim we will be seeking
public donations via the web, by social messaging and word of
mouth. Some success already on this.
Members can however also further help if they choose to do so by
perhaps directing or switching their current “dinner monies”
allocation to the schools laptop project
James would be delighted to hear from any more who would like
to do that.
Page 5 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
BASICS BANK OF FAREHAM AND GOSPORT
Club were delighted to have as a Guest Speaker via ZOOM on 20 January
our old friend Phil Rutt the manager of the Fareham and Gosport Basics
Bank. We have been working with Phil for several years and he wished to
come along and thank us for the support Fareham Meon had provided to
him and the Basics Bank during that time.
Having had to close their COVID unfriendly facility during Lockdown 1
and pass on their mantle temporarily to the Acts of Kindness Charity the
Basics Bank is now back and in new fit for purpose premises in Fareham It
is quickly re-establishing its strong presence in the aid provided to the
homeless and the work to ensure the prevention of homelessness.
COVID has not changed the Basics Bank work , it has merely increased
the volume. Phil recounted many examples of previously un-encountered
scenarios of the needs now touching previously affluent families or
individuals who are now rapidly becoming destitute as the Lockdown bites
hard into local society.
The Basics Bank work is measurably effective. 60% of clients are only
seen once and those they see 3 or four times are very few indeed. Phil
started on the road with Basics Bank in 2010 sorting tins of food, chatting /
drinking tea and looking after some 800 referrals a year. By 2016 that
referral rate had risen to over 2000. The referrals come from 3rd Party
agencies , the apportionment is one third from Fareham and two thirds
from Gosport.
Page 6 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
Currently :
• Inbound food donations are increasing considerably
• Aid is now delivered rather than collected (far more user friendly)
• There has been an upsurge in new volunteers
• The profile of those needing help is changing considerably
The Basics Bank organisation and team are committed to caring for the
homeless in Fareham and Gosport but even more so to preventing
homelessness largely by providing food aid.
Phil thanked Fareham Meon Rotary Club profusely for their past and their
continuing support , when pressed he said the only thing he would be
grateful for more of are more delivery drivers to deliver aid to those in
need. Whilst it fully understood why many cannot meet that call at the
moment, anyone able to to do so please get in touch with Phil at
philip.rutt@icloud.com
Phil is fond of the maxim “Better to light the candle than curse the
darkness”. He believes strongly that you judge a society on how it treats
it’s vulnerable.
We enjoyed Phil’s talk immensely. Thank you Phil we look forward to
continuing our strong relationship.
Page 7 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
A Speaker Presentation from Lesley
Paradise on The Richmond
Fellowship
Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity founded in Richmond
Surrey which has been working with individuals, families and communities to
make recovery a reality for over 60 years. It now provides services across
the British Isles. Richmond Fellowship is now part of Recovery Focus, a
group of expert charities built to inspire mental health recovery together
Our first speaker evening of the year featured Lesley Paradise who is an Area
manager for Richmond Fellowship covering much of the Hants and South
West who gave us an outline of their current
services and their future work.
By bringing together partners with strong individual
skill sets Lesley explained that their mental health
services work hand-in-hand with the people they
support so as to give them the confidence and self
belief that they need to establish an important place
in society and that they have a real contribution to make to that society.
Since the Charity’s inception in 1959 they have developed a range of services
providing support to thousands of people across the country to help them
manage the day to day impacts of living with mental ill health. Their services
include supported housing, community, crisis houses, residential homes,
employment support and social enterprises. Their mission was described as
simple : helping people by
• Actively taking part in decisions about their support
• Giving them ownership and control around the support they receive
Page 8 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
• Taking part in activities they value, including mainstream community
activities
• Living in accommodation that promotes their independence and
recovery
• Benefitting from the type of support they are receiving – be it practical,
emotional, social, personal, cultural or spiritual
• Achieving new levels of self confidence and independence.
Lesley described the journey that an individual
makes from the point of referring themselves or
being referred by a third party agency to regain
their stability and well being through often
homeless situations to independent living with
dignity.
They utilise the skills of mental health
professionals from all spheres of activity as well
as a large cadre of volunteers.
Their business structure includes bidding for and delivering contracts with
Housing , Health and Social Service agencies across the country to help
those with mental illness recover and to provide a stable infrastructure to
enable that recovery.
She outlined the services and properties existing in our own area and
updated on the pressures presented by delivering those services in a COVID
impacted environment stressing the growing reliance on social media
connectivity for those in assisted or independent living and on the delivery of
services remotely often in very difficult situations.
A very thought provoking presentation so early in the Year delivered by a very
professional Scot with a delightful name and clearly in love with her job.
Thank you Lesley Paradise.
Visit the excellent website at
richmondfellowship.org.uk
Page 9 of 14
Fareham Meon Jan 2021
JANUARY 2021
Some welcome news this month in that a small rise in membership has us
heading back to the target of 100 members and an increased level of support
to the Charities the Club supports so well
Why not give a birthday present in 2021 to a grandchild with a monthly place
in the Fareham Meon 100 Club draw ?
Winners for January 2021 are
1st. Alison Oswald.
2nd. Jenny Billings for Floyd.
3rd. Brian Ray for Sam.
All the best and thank you so much for your support.
Richard
Page 10 of 14Fareham Meon Jan 2021
LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY
Club welcomed on 27 January Ginny Martin to talk to us about making
Lasting Power of Attorney more simple to understand.
Ginny has had a career in healthcare and has worked for the Care Quality Commission,
she now works for an agency delivering Powers of Attorney called Lasting Powers of
Attorney Made Simple. We learned that there are different types of power of attorney:
Ordinary power of attorney
This covers decisions about your financial affairs and is valid while you have mental
capacity. It is suitable if you need cover for a temporary period (hospital stay or holiday) or
if you find it hard to get out, or you want someone to act for you.
Lasting power of attorney (LPA)
An LPA covers decisions about your financial affairs, or your health and care. It comes
into effect if you lose mental capacity, or if you no longer want to make decisions for
yourself. You would set up an LPA if you want to make sure you're covered in the future.
You can have an LPA for either or both eventualities.
Enduring power of attorney (EPA)
EPAs were replaced by LPAs in October 2007. However, if you made and signed an EPA
before 1 October 2007, it should still be valid. An EPA covers decisions about your
property and financial affairs, and it comes into effect if you lose mental capacity, or if you
want someone to act on your behalf.
Ginny explained that with people now living longer and with increasing incidence of dementia there
is also the challenge that those suffering with dementia are also living longer and hence the greater
need to consider closely investment in a Power of Attorney for the management of financial and
health affairs
Page 11 of 14Fareham Meon Jan 2021
She further explained that you must not assume that if you are married or in a civil
partnership that your spouse will automatically be able to deal with your bank
account and pensions, or make decisions about your healthcare if you lose physical
or mental ability. This is not the case, without an LPA in place there will not be the
legal authority to manage the affairs of the other. She outlined the many instances of
difficulty to handle for example things as seemingly straightforward as Sky or Virgin
media or Utility company accounts in the other’s name.
How Can You Get One There are three ways you can obtain a LPA :
• you can do it yourself by going online to the Office of the Public Guardian to get
the relevant forms and an information pack - this is described as cheap but very
challenging in terms of complexity, the complexity was described as prohibitive .
• The second option is to engage a solicitor who will professionally and legally guide
you through the process and register the PA with the Office of the Public Guardian -
this was described as a very expensive method of achieving the registration but
fixed costs are freely available to see
• Thirdly and becoming the most used method is to engage a specialist company
whose staff are specifically trained specially for purpose. This is described as a
cheaper option.
Who can be appointed as your Attorney ? You can appoint several or multiple
attorneys but one common approach is to set up what is called a “Mirror LPA” where
a couple set up a package where they jointly and severally appoint the other as their
Attorney. But in essence anyone over the age of 18 who is of sound mind and
without a criminal record can be appointed as an attorney. More info on the websites.
How Much ? £82 for each registration but then the advice and guidance and legal
direction/certification costs vary from firm to firm. A number of solicitor sites on the
web do detail their fixed costs for the work
Thank You. A very topical area requiring much thought, members can read more at
www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney, Age Concern website www.ageuk.org.uk, Citizens
Advice or many solicitors or specialist companies advertise on their web site pages.
Thanks were made to Ginny for bringing the subject to club.
Page 12 of 14Fareham Meon Jan 2021
FEBRUARY 2021 PROGRAMME
1900 3rd February
Speaker meeting with John Harvey talking on
“Ghost Walks of Fareham” Hosted by Richard
Gardner and with Vote of Thanks from Geoff Smith
1700 10 February
Council meeting
1900 10 February
Club Meeting
1900 17 February
An Evening of Laughter via ZOOM for Members and
Partners with Mike Storr on Masters of Mirth. Hosted
by Peter Pollard and with Vote of Thanks by Brian
Ray
1900 24 February
Speaker meeting with Karen Skinner - Day Opportunities Manager at
Hampshire County Council. Host Arthur Mathisen and with Vote of
Thanks by Geoff Smith
Page 13 of 14Fareham Meon Jan 2021
A FITTING FAREWELL
Our great friend and Rotary Colleague John
Freemantle is carried to his rest on the Victorian bier
that he rescued and lovingly restored and which has
been used for a number of Titchfield funerals.
The streets were lined with friends and old colleagues
from his many pursuits. James Fullarton made a
moving eulogy on John’s Rotary life at the funeral and
Carol Freemantle John’s wife has written a lovely
obituary in February’s Titchfield Parish Magazine.
God Bless John
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