One of the regular service activities organised by the Abingdon Vesper club is a period of three weeks when a barge, specially designed and built to accommodate physically disabled people, is hired for a three week period each summer.  A group of Rotarians have been trained to skipper the vessel and each day another two Rotarians support the activity as crew.

Organisations in touch with local people having a wide range of disabilities help us to reach those who would benefit from a day out.  But for many, it is much more than a day out; some help with the steering of the barge, some with the operation of the locks, and many go home having achieved more than they had ever thought possible.  And for those who just wanted a gentle day out on the water, the experience gives them something far outside the normal routine of a limited lifestyle.

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Even in our relatively affluent local community, there are children who would have a very thin Christmas if it were not for another activity supported by the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper.  We collect good second-hand and new toys (or donations with which to buy new toys) and our very own Father Christmas sees that they reach the most needy destinations.

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Going up the age range, appropriate club members help those coming up to school leaving age to develop confidence and skills in handling interview situations; we also sponsor both able bodied and disabled young adults in the age range 18-25 for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) to enable them to undertake leadership development training.  Martyn Young is our most recent Award Winner; to read his first-hand account of his experience, click here.

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Another regular service activity undertaken by the Abingdon Vesper Club is the provision of transport to convey members of the local Stroke Club to their fortnightly meetings.  We not only transport some of the members, but we stay with them during their club activities, and the social contact this gives them is as valuable as the provision of transport.

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Some years ago, Abingdon Vesper had contact with a Ugandan Rotarian who had been sent to the UK to learn about sustainable farming techniques.  Arising from this contact, we established a strong link with the village of Mubende. 

Our club bought a set of hand tools for every farmer (mainly women) in the community and they were presented personally by a team of four Rotarians from our club.   We went back later and gave them goats which (in chronological order) produced fertiliser, milk and meat for them.  Our third project, just being completed, was the construct a well so that they had access to fresh water in the village instead of having to walk four miles each way to get it.

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Group Study Exchange is a Rotary International project executed at District level.  Abingdon Rotary strongly supports this project, which broadens the outlook and experience of a small group of younger people who are selected on the basis that they are

• already making good progress in their chosen careers

• and will benefit from spending time with Rotarian families in foreign countries whilst looking at that country’s approach to problems in their own areas of interest.

Participants learn a great deal about the culture of the country they visit and grow greatly in confidence as they make presentations about their home environment and their work.  Lasting friendships frequently result from Group Study Exchange visits.  It is a two-way process; in the last year, Abingdon Vesper has sponsored a young man to participate in a trip to Taiwan, and the club has also received and hosted the corresponding Taiwanese team.

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Another aspect of international service which we undertake is acting as Counsellors for foreign students who come to the UK to follow post-graduate studies under the Ambassadorial Scholars programme.  With Oxford University being a prime target for overseas post-graduate students, there are numerous opportunities to undertake this rewarding task.  Again, considerable appreciation for the ways of people of another culture is one of the many benefits which we gain from this kind of activity.

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