Local East Sutherland Club Activities

East Sutherland Supports RNLI

As one of William Sutherland's final duties as President of the Rotary Club of East Sutherland he handed over a cheque for £300 to Sandy Cowie of Helmsdale who accepted it on behalf of the RNLI, ie "The Lifeboat Service" which does such an essential and fantastic job looking after all those who go to sea off Sutherland and around the coasts of the UK.
 

CAMBUSAVIE GOES DIGITAL!

With all the changes in broadcasting the Friends of Cambusavie group recognised that the hospital must update their TV facilities and replace and augment their Televisions in the wards and in the lounges to meet the new digital age.   This was quite an undertaking as a dozen or more TV had to be purchased along with the associated digibox etc.  However as always the Sutherland community was quick to respond to this need and the Friends group was overwhelmed by the generosity which quickly raised most of the money.  However the Rotary Club of East Sutherland heard that their was a shortfall if the lounge areas were to have a TV so that patients and their visitors could watch together and immediately dispatched President William Sutherland to Golpsie so that they could watch the European Cup Final Chair Gerry Lambes was overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of every one who has contributed and thanks the Rotary members for all they do for the community.

Pic shows L to R

Gerry Lambes   Senior nurse Jean Murray   Rotary President William Sutherland,  sec. Mary MacRae  and Carl Lambes

Why are men reluctant to visit the Doctor?

Compelling guest speaker Dr Shina Grant explains why they should at Rotary meeting..

The merits of a timely visit to the Doctor was a recurring theme throughout the recent talk presented by Retired GP and committee member of Men's Health Highland (MHH) Dr Shina Grant.  Dr Shina gave a talk at the Sutherland Inn in Brora to the local Rotary meeting making it clear that, in an alarming number of cases, delaying GP visits can cause more trouble than seeking a prompt diagnosis, perhaps making conditions chronic or worse!

MHH is a charity, set up in 1989, in response to the alarmingly poor male health statistics in Scotland generally, and particularly in Highland.

Its aims are:

• to raise awareness of male health issues.
• To promote good health among men in Highland.
• To conduct research into men's health issues and to bring together available evidence and the research findings.
• To liaise with Health Board Planners.

The MHH runs stalls in public places - shopping centres, local shows, colleges and business - where blood pressures, heights, and weights are measured and leaflets given.
Research has been conducted in GP Practices , organised conferences and also the very successful Town House Talks on various medical and social topics.  The very small amount of funding from NHS Highland only pays for modest expenses, whilst most of the work is voluntary and based on time given up free from a committee made up of various health professionals along with interested members of the public.   Prevention is much less expensive than the cure in nearly all cases so an early diagnosis saves money!

In the main part of the Rotary talk, Dr Shina looked at several illnesses - at the statistics, at the outcomes for men, at the need for urgent assistance in the case of suspected heart attack or stroke, and at the prevention of these diseases.  Dr Shina looked at Type II diabetes, and then moved on to diseases of the prostate gland and the importance of investigation of symptoms to distinguish between a benign condition and a possible cancerous one.

Each of these diseases was linked to available leaflets.  The talk concluded with the need to recognise when our bodies are behaving differently and then to seek professional advice - especially aimed at the men in the audience as the statistics show that men have a proven tendancy for Ostrich-like behaviour - sticking their heads in the sand & hoping 'it'll go away'.

Hospitality at the University Campus Hotel

A superb evening was enjoyed when East Sutherland Rotary met in the Burghfield Hotel, Dornoch. 35 members and guests visited the Catering and Hospitality Campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands, and what an excellent visit it was!

The food was exceptional.
The service was first class.
The wine was extremely drinkable.
And the enthusiasm of the students and the staff was evident.

After eating far more than was good for them, everyone enjoyed a talk for the students and the lecturers before taking the grand tour of the facilities; kitchens, dining rooms, lecture rooms, function rooms, even the luxurious bedrooms.  The students acted as vivacious and well informed guides.

The event was so well organised and so impeccably catered for that everyone voted that the club should return sooner rather than later.

Pic shows--- Rotary President William Sutherland with Chef Gordon Smillie, Restaurant lecturer John Simpson along with students Chris Friel, Amy Henderson and Daniel Smith.

Funding Local Initiatives

Lawson Memorial Hospital League of Friends

The Rotary Club of East Sutherland hands a cheque for £500 to the Lawson Memorial Hospital League of Friends in Golspie. Centre, handing over the cheque is Club President Alistair Risk to League of Friends Chairwoman Sandra Peterkin. Pictured left to right are: Brenda Macmillan (League Treasurer), Juna Sutherland (League of Friends), Alistair Risk (Rotary Club E.S President), Sandra Peterkin (League Chairwoman), Hugh Johnston (Rotary Club of E. S), Ishbel Clarkson (League Secretary), Alisdair Miller (Rotary Club of E.S), Isobel Murray (Rotary Club of E.S), and Christine Henderson (Rotary Club of E.S)... Photograph by Clive Grewcock Photography, Golspie.

Maggie's Cancer Centres

Hearts warmed in mid November winter visit from Judith Ross of Maggie's

The Club had the pleasure of welcoming Judith Ross from Maggie's Centre at Raigmore Hospital Inverness.  The members were enthralled by her talk on the care delivered by this wonderful charity which helps people with cancer from all over the Highlands.  In fact the members were so impressed that they immediately handed over a cheque for £500 to help with the running costs of this vital service.

Picture shows the Club's Vocational Chair Fiona Risk with Community officer Noel Steeley and Secetary Alisdair Miller along with Judith Ross holding her well deserved cheque.
 

Healthy Hut Talk to Rotary

New President Alistair Risk welcomed representitives of the Healthy Hut initiative to the Rotary Club meeting in the Sutherland Inn Brora.  

John Whifield, Ann Sabine and Kendra are the driving force behind the school Bio-diversity Garden and are keen to encourage the development of an out door classroom which can double as a sports pavilion, an equipment store and much more.the plan is to raise sufficient cash through donations and through community effort so that they can create this facility with the aid of govenment grants.the embryo plan ensures that the new building will not only provide the comfort and the facility that is required on a practical basis but that it will be as energy efficient as posible and that it will support and enhence the Biodiversty area, the vegetable garden and the willow hedge etc that have already proved to be such a success with the school children and their parents"we really want to create an iconic building that will encourage and enthuse not only the current school pupils but for generations ahead--a facility which will help them understand just how important our natural enviroment is and how to enjoy that environment through out their lives" stated Kendra. 

Picture shows President Alistair with Kendra, John and Ann holding the booklet they and the children have produced about this project