Yesterday, representatives of the Taunton branch visited the London clubhouse to present outgoing Director-General Roddy Porter with a cheque to support the humanitarian and education projects ROSL undertakes.
Taunton branch President Norman Brade, Secretary Neil Milne, and Treasurer Sylvia Becker joined Roddy, his wife Marianne, Director of Humanitarian Projects Margaret Adrian-Vallance and Editor Mark Brierley for lunch, before presenting the cheque to the Golden Jubilee Trust, through which ROSL funds its philanthropic projects.
Speaking after lunch, Secretary Neil Milne explained the branch's motivation for fundraising: "Lots of the members of the Taunton branch have worked overseas and have themselves experienced first hand the difference humanitarian work can make. The branch doesn't lose sight of the fact that a very important part of what ROSL does is to support humanitarian and education projects.
"So, we invited Margaret to talk to us and everybody was so taken with what she said about the way the charity is set up. The money is very tightly controlled and targeted. She gave examples of the people that have benefited from the humanitarian and education projects, in a variety of countries. We found it very uplifting and inspirational and the sort of projects we would like to support."
The money was raised through the regular raffles held at every meeting of the Taunton branch, plus donations from individual members and a set amount of the ticket price from the Queen's Birthday lunch, which was put aside for charitable causes.
This donation comes as the next edition of the Overseas journal focuses on charitable giving and includes testimonials from other ROSL donors, looking at what they have donated, be it money, time or expertise, and why they decided to get involved. The journal will arrive on your doorstep at the start of September and will also be available on the ROSL website.
The lunch was also an opportunity for the Taunton branch to bid Roddy a fond farewell, presenting him with gifts as a thank you for all the support he has given to the branch network during his time as Director-General.
