Encouraging creative technology talent
Imagine having to design, build and test a moon rocket with only wooden dowel, card, square-sectioned wood, rubber bands, modelling material and Sellotape to work with. And you have only fours hours in which to complete the job.
That’s the sort of task facing more than 120 students from Harpenden and St Albans secondary schools taking part in a Rotary Technology Tournament held each November. We run this event in association with the two St Albans Rotary clubs, with sponsorship from local businesses.
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Raising £130,000 for a Ugandan women’s hospital
How do you raise more than £130,000 to equip a Ugandan women’s medical centre with an operating theatre, transforming the centre into a fully-fledged hospital?
That was the task begun by Rotary in Harpenden under the leadership of Dr Jim McWhirter of the Reading Matins Rotary Club.
Donation for the President’s cause
Terry Heritage marks the end of her year as Rotary in Harpenden President by presenting a cheque for £5,000 to the staff of Harpenden Plus Partnership, her special cause during her presidential year.
Terry said: ’Our donation will be used to support the work of family counsellors and the purchase of training courses for families and children around behaviour and trauma. During my visit I heard the challenges that children and families are facing especially around socialisation following the Covid pandemic.’
‘The best ideas we have seen’
Pitching their business ideas to three Dragons, Year 6 at High Beeches Junior School excelled themselves.
All 60 children were invited to form teams to create businesses to be operated at an upcoming school event with parents. Rotary in Harpenden provided training together with seed corn money to get the teams started. We then arranged for the Dragons to put the children through their paces.