On Thursday 22nd June we were able to hold our Dragon’s Den competition in the Corn Exchange, Faringdon.
During the evening the panel and all those who attended listened to 11 fabulous pitches from a wide variety of organizations from the local area. Whilst all the guests were treated to a great buffet dinner, the panel then went away to decide whether any organisation had been successful.
Huge thanks to Sarah Benson for taking all the photos for the evening. An honorary member of our Rotary club and a past president, she was also responsible for organising the club’s first Dragons’ Den.
I am pleased to say that the evening was hugely successful and 11 pitches received either the money they had bid for or in some cases a little extra was awarded!
The organisations that benefited from the event were as follows:
The Place
Awarded £2146 to pay for families within Faringdon and the local area to attend a day to trip to the Cotswold Wildlife Park
Folly Tower and Woodland
Awarded £500 to go towards a carved wooden story telling chair
FAAAZE
Awarded £1000 to go towards day trips, new equipment and supplies for the youth group
Friends of Shellingford School (FoSS)
Awarded £1020 to restore the pond area within the school and purchase a story telling chair and stool to help improve the children’s outdoor learning
Goodlake Explorer Scout Unit
Awarded £2000 to help the unit purchase some much needed camping equipment and supplies.
Little All Sorts
Awarded £500 to purchase team T-shirts, new baby toys and arts and craft material.
1st Faringdon Scouts
Awarded £1000 to towards new camping equipment and vital camping toilet
Faringdon (Bromsgrove) Day Centre
Awarded £1280 to help towards day trips, new games and to pay for session activities
Applewood House
Awarded £2000 to improve the garden area for the residents
Root and Branch
Awarded £2500 to fund a wildlife pond and therapeutic garden area.
It was a hugely special evening to round off the end of the rotary year. Everyone taking part put in a lot of effort not only to their presentations but also throughout the year to the organisations they represented. As a community we are very lucky to have so many different projects which reach out to so many people from all walks of life. Each group should be proud of what they achieve within their organization. As a club we hope that money we have been able to give will go some way to helping benefit each group and also help improve the lives of those who attend.
Thank you to everyone in the local community who supports Rotary events such as; the Buscot fun run, Fireworks, Festive Faringdon Thomas/Santa and Christmas Tree recycling. The money we raise during these events, then allows evenings like Dragons Den to happen and enables us to support a wide range of projects. Thank you all for your contributions.
Laura Bond
White Horse Rotary Faringdon