‘Enter the Dragon III’ were the winners of the 'Dragon Boat Regatta’ arranged by Hertford Shires Rotary Club on 19th June 2010.

With early summer weather and fans packed along the banks of the River Lee, Ware, 11 teams of 11 people took on each other in a series of heats over a 250m stretch of the River Lee in craft modeled on Chinese Dragon Boats.

The participating teams were drawn from local businesses, pubs/clubs and groups of individuals. For many, it was an opportunity to take part in a team-building day. Most importantly, the event has raised the profile of Rotary, and funds were raised for Rotary-supported charities including Keetch Cottage, RedR and Meningitis Research.

The regatta has become an annual event in the Rotary’s Club calendar, and features on the river in Ware, in mid-summer.

Commenting on the event, President of Hertford Shires Rotary Club Bob Frost said ‘Congratulations to Enter the Dragon III’ for winning the event. It was great to see many teams taking part and enjoying the day on the river. Thanks to the teams’ effort, many Rotary-supported charities will benefit from the day’.

Members of the Club, along with Rotarians from Amwell and Ware, supported the annual Stroke Awareness Day in Ware on 24th April.

The event, in association with The Stoke Association, provides a walk-in blood pressure testing service to raise awareness of strokes and their close links with high blood pressure. Over 150 people took part each for the few minutes needed for a blood pressure test to be carried out.

Stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK and is a leading cause of adult disability. It is estimated that a quarter of strokes will happen to people aged under 65. Information about stroke and measures that can reduce high blood pressure was available.

A big THANK YOU to the over 250 people who celebrated St George's Day with the The Overtures and Hertford Shires Rotary Club.

The evening was a huge success and over £3,500 was raised for Rotary-supported charities.

Special thanks also go to the Michael Jackson Tribute Group from John Warner School and members of Ware Operatic Society.

The Hertford Shires Rotary Club Annual Schools Essay Competition prize-giving took place in Hertford Library on 21st April.

Club President Bob Frost welcomed the children, parents and teachers and presented the prizes and certificates with Youth Opportunities Committee Chairman Bill Wright. Five primary schools took part in the competition and there were nineteen finalists. Pupils were asked to write about “What they want to do when they leave school”. The standard of essays was as high as the Rotary Club has come to expect and an extra judging was needed in order to agree a final winner.

Individual school winners were: Harriet Carne from Abel Smith who wrote about becoming an illustrator, Charlotte Bird from Bengeo about becoming a chef; Kate Wood from Mill Mead who would like to become a wildlife photographer, Peter Harris from Morgans who wishes to be a film director and Edward Brown from Wheatcroft who would choose an engineering career.

The overall winner was judged to be Kate Wood from Mill Mead, and overall runners-up are Harriet Carne, Charlotte Bird, Ellen Hogg and Peter Harris, and our prospective engineer Edward Brown from Wheatcroft received a Special Mention.

Hertford Shires Rotary Club thanks the staff of Hertford Library for their assistance in putting on the event, and The Merchant House restaurant for hosting a short reception following the presentations.

Hertford Shires Rotary Club, with the Hanbury Manor Hotel, awarded its annual Young Chef Competition to Chris Holdys from Richard Hale School at an event at Hanbury Manor in March. Eight competitors from local schools including Richard Hale School, St Edmunds, Chauncey and Sele took part in preparing a three-course dinner, under the watchful attention of Hanbury’s Zodiac Restaurant Head Chef Sebastian and Simon Small, runner-up on Master Chef.

During the three hours of studious preparation, the school pupils got down to making their own bread, pastry shapes, mousse, soufflés, duck breast, and lots more.

Thanks to everyone - pupils, teachers, parents, staff at Hanbury Manor and Rotarians who all made it a great event.

Hertford Shires Rotarian Jasmine Morris spearheaded the Club’s recent support for the End Polio Now campaign of Rotary International. The "Purple Pinkie" project in Hoddesdon was a huge success with schoolchildren helping to raise awareness and monies for the campaign. Last summer, Jasmine kicked off the fundraising efforts by appearing on sculptor Antony Gormley’s plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. The Purple Pinkie project in Hoddesdon has so far raised over £5,000, and Jasmine was overwhelmed by the response of the schools and pupils towards the initiative.