Previous Activities

As the world changes so do our opportunities for fund raising. Here are a few of the activities the club has been involved with in the past.

Car Boot Sales

In 2016 The Rotary Club of Alford and Mablethorpe attended 3 car boot sales through the summer selling items donated by Rotarians and friends. It only needs two volunteers to set up and run the stall and although it’s an early start it’s all over by 1pm so it’s quite an efficient way to raise funds.

The money raised after costs is paid into our charity account ready to be donated to worthwhile causes as and when required. The three sales we attended in 2016 raised a total of around £900.

We have been attending the busy Car Boot at Strawberry Fields on the A52 opposite the Trunch Road turn off for Chapel St Leonards which is popular with the holiday makers and residents from the areas many caravan parks.

The Rotary Book Stall

Rotarian Brian Harrison and his wife Bryn ran a second-hand book stall for Rotary charities between 1993 and 2016 when Brian sadly passed away. Over the years it raised in the region of £25,000 for charities by selling books for 6 or so Sundays each summer.

The stall commenced in a very small way and at a number of locations around Mablethorpe, including outside “Shampers” Wine Bar, then owned by our much missed member, the late Kevin Fawcett. The stall eventually settled outside the Meridale Centre at Sutton on Sea (to which considerable thanks are due for the facilities provided). While Brian and Bryn continued to oversee the pricing, sorting and selling of all the donated books, they were also helped by other club members in setting up and manning the stalls.

One of the many International projects the book stall supported was the charity, Lincs With India, which Brian, together with a couple of other Rotarians, started to support severely disadvantaged boys and girls in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This has been a very successful project and now houses 100 children in order that they can go to school.

With Brian’s sad passing it seemed that we should have a re-think, especially as e-books have taken over the world and second hand book stalls have appeared everywhere, including supermarkets. We could never replace the input which Brian had – he was irreplaceable! So we reluctantly decided that 2016 would be the last year for this project.

We shall miss all the fun of running the book stall and would like to say a huge thank you to all the folks who have supported us throughout the years. You have helped the Rotary Club of Alford and Mablethorpe make a difference to many children who, without it, may not have had the opportunity to go to school and learn to read.

Mablethorpe & District Show

In early 1999 the Mablethorpe Show and Carnival, which traditionally took place in the school grounds and from which the school received some financial benefit, was in danger of being abandoned due to lack of support for the organisation and running of the event.  A partnership between the school and our Rotary Club has ensured the continuation of this highly successful event every year from 1999 to 2015 when the school closed (with the exception of cancellation in 2007 due to flooding).

The Mablethorpe & District Show was the area’s largest open-air event which was held annually. The show was a family day out which offered something for everyone. People came to bargain at the Car Boot Sale,  to see the Main Arena Attractions, to see the various Side Show Attractions, to see what the various Charities &Trade stalls have got to offer, to see the Classic & Vintage Cars on Display and a working Drainage Board Display, to look at our local Fire Engine, Coastguard Vehicle and our Lifeboat, see the old working Oil Engines on Display, to try their luck on different games, to have a go on the different amusements –  this event had all of these things and much more.

The Mablethorpe & District Show was held at the Tennyson High School, Seaholme Road, Mablethorpe. The show was attended by literally thousands of locals and tourists and over the years and raised over £40,000; this sum was shared between Tennyson School Association and Rotary.

Melodies by the Lake

Pictures from the musical afternoon arranged by Malcolm & Anne White at their home in Well. The event raised over £1100.