Rotary News

Champions Awards – Gloria Nichols and Graydon Radford

Champions Awards – Gloria Nichols and Graydon Radford

The Champions Awards recognise outstanding humanitarian and community service conducted by volunteers from across Great Britain and Ireland.

Gloria Nichols from Brentwood Breakfast Rotary Club was nominated by Halstead Rotary Club for her contribution to the project Mary’s Meals. Gloria has single-handedly run the project across District 1240, co-ordinating the project across 60 clubs for the past 5 years.

Mary’s Meals is a charity providing life-changing meals to some of the world’s poorest children every school day. Their vision is that every child receives one good meal a day in a place of learning. This can help draw children to the classroom where they can receive an education that could one day free them from poverty.

Gloria and Rotary Clubs in district 1240 help by providing children with backpacks for of essentials to support them at school and with their studies. Along with stationary, they also include clothing, a water bottle and a comb to help their education, hygiene and health.

In order to get supplies to fill backpacks, Gloria negotiated with supermarkets and retail outlets who were able to donate vital supplies for the cause.

Thanks to the generosity of donations, Gloria with the help of Rotary Clubs in district 1240 were able to send over 200 backpacks this year. These will help 200 children in the poorest countries, giving them the supplies and resources they need to give them the best possible chance of escaping a life of poverty.

Mary’s Meals have expressed their grateful thanks to Rotarians across district 1240, and in particular Gloria for all her incredible efforts, as her dedication to the project helps to continue changing the lives of so many lives for children living in the poorest communities.

Find out more about Mary's Meals by visiting their website.

Graydon Radford has been a Good Neighbours Volunteer since 2014. He visits and helps many elderly people who are at risk of isolation, and helping them with day to day life such as taking them to appointments and food shops.

Good Neighbours helps to support and empower individuals to live the life they want and stay connected within their communities. It helps the elderly and vulnerable to they are still able to live their lives independently.

His dedication and enthusiasm to help elderly and vulnerable in the Shrewsbury area is an inspiration to all other volunteers and staff and Good Neighbours.

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing many people to self-isolate, now more than ever the Good Neighbours volunteer scheme supported communities to keep elderly and vulnerable safe. The importance of the scheme became evident as communities came together to help one another.

For more information on the Good Neighbours volunteer scheme, visit their website.