Roding Rotary Club

On 23 July our club President, Bob Bishop, went to White Bridge School in Buckhurst Hill. This was the last day of their school year and a special final assembly was held to say farewell to 53 Year 6 leavers. During her presidential year Past President Hazel Liddell had put aside funds to provide dictionaries for local schools and as Rotarian Ann Haigh is a governor of White Bridge it seemed fitting that we should present them there. The parents of the leavers were first entertained to coffee and cakes. The assembly began with a display of art and craft work by the leavers and then each one made a short speech about their best memories of school. Certificates were presented for achievements in swimming and for good attendance. Bob made a short speech where he showed the pupils a copy of Tom Sawyer he had been presented with in his primary school over fifty years ago. He hoped the dictionaries would last equally well. Finally Lorraine Smart, the chair of governors, whose own twin sons, James and Ryan were among the leavers, presented each leaver with a leaving certificate and a school bookmark and Bob presented each with a Rotary dictionary. Each dictionary had a label personalised for the recipient. The Head Teacher, Mrs Plested, wished the leavers well in their new schools and said how much the school appreciated the gift of the dictionaries.