This year Mozart’s "Marriage of Figaro” was presented on Saturday 19th October; it proved to be a very successful production indeed under the enthusiastic professional direction of Nick Fowler. The Community Hall was full with well over three hundred people in attendance and it yielded a very healthy retiring collection of almost £2,000 which Woodbridge Rotary Club share between support of next year’s Opera for Woodbridge event and our other charities.
Eight days later on Sunday 27th October saw us out and about in Butley/Rendlesham Forest staging the Ruff Stuff off road cycle event. Our team comprised of Woodbridge Rotary Club, supported by members of Deben Rotary Club as well as friends and family, together with the very important refreshments team organised by the Inner Wheel Club. At this point we would especially mention Peter Whelan who runs Plomesgate Cycle Club, Peter has been involved from the first event about eight years ago, setting out course markers and collecting after the last rider has passed through, ensuring the forest is not spoilt by unnecessary detritus, we are very grateful to Peter for his support in this respect.
We enjoyed a record year with 230 cyclists participating, which raised a total of a just under £3,000 as receipts currently stand, from which hall hire expenses etc., must be paid. However, we still expect the net figure will prove to be a record. The net proceeds will again be split supporting Bike Active, East Anglia’s Air Ambulance, Plomesgate Cycles and the balance to our general charity fund. From modest beginnings this very popular event has gone from strength to strength; this year we had entrants from far and wide, Basildon and Stanford le Hope in Essex, as well as Cambridge and Norwich to name just a few places. The cyclists are an enthusiastic bunch and were already talking of coming along to the 2025 Ruff Stuff. Planning and formal approval procedures are an important part of this day, with preparation work starting many months ahead of the event. The weather on 28th was also delightful, more like a Summer than an October Autumnal day, so that has no doubt also contributed to the success of this year’s event.
Our thoughts now turn towards upcoming events, where we are already well ahead in planning (dare I mention Christmas?), with the tree erection on Market Hill taking place on 27th November, the WRC bottle stall at the Christmas Fair in the Thoroughfare on 1st December and with the traditional Carol Service outside the Shire Hall on 18th December.
We are happy to receive visitors at our meetings and keen to see new members of our Club. It is a simple process to join, we welcome all who are interested in joining. We meet most Fridays at The Bull Hotel on Market Hill, if you have any interest or curiosity, you will be made to feel at home, we are a convivial bunch, come along and say hello, contact details are below, or just pop in to the bar on the right of the main entrance between 12:30 and 13:00 and have a chat.
