Page 16 - link magazine

16 swindonlink.com • May 2012
Rotary to the rescue with a new mini-bus for Belarus school

Three members of the Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown have returned from Belarus where they
handed over a mini-bus to a school in the village of Ozarichi which has received a lot of support from
people in Swindon under the umbrella of Wiltshire based Chernobyl Children In Need.

Thank you Swindon. Rotary Club of Swindon Thamesdown president Bob Barrett with members Steve Davison and Richard
Goddard, and Adrian and Theresa Walker from Chernobyl Children In Need Charity at the mini-bus handover in March
The bus is in constant use trans- take youngsters in need of treatment of a matching grant from Rotary
porting children from outlying on the six hour journey to a special- District 1100 and America.
districts to and from the school and ist hospital in the capital Minsk. www.rotaryclubofswindonthames-
kindergarten, for school trips and Rotary members raised $35,000 down.org.uk
to deliver Chernobyl Children In (£22,000) over two years to enable Chernobyl Children In Need:
Need parcels to families. the purchase of the bus with the aid www.ccin.co.uk
Ozarichi is close to the Chernobyl
exclusion zone created following Children discover the delights of Iran
the nuclear disaster 26 years ago.
Children from the area suffer from Lydiard Millicent Primary School pupils were able to celebrate festival
poor health owing to contamination Norooz or the first day of Spring with help from Swindon’s Iranian
of the soil. The bus is now used to community on 23 March.

Walk Swindon

Walking is ideal natural exercise.

New Walk Fit Groups
Enjoy lighter evenings, get out,
get fit and make new friends

Evening Walk Fit
Thursday 7.00pm – 8.00pm Zeinab Shabannejad with Mari Sadit, Delara Badii and Romina Khoshnahal in front of
a Haft Sin table which is laid with symbolic items for Nooroz. Photo: Danielle Forsyth
from the Link Centre
£2.80 £3.65 Parents visited classes to talk said the day was an opportunity to
Swindon card Non card about Iran, its culture and Farsi learn more about a country which
holders holders language and all the children were several children come from.
Daytime Walk Fit able to sample a wide range of tra- “We receive a very narrow ste-
Monday 10.00am – 11.30am ditional foods and sweets served reotyped image of Iran through
the media but the chance to work
during the festival.
from the Link Centre Joint organiser Stella Mortazavi closely with parents from the com-
said there were some 200 families of munity has been fantastic. The staff
Iranian origin in the Swindon area. have learnt so much about the
“As there are several families with culture and the pictures show that
children at Lydiard Millicent we it is such a beautiful country.
To find out more about the Swindon Walking Festival, thought we would celebrate Nooroz “The children decorated craft
local walking routes and sociable walking groups visit here. It’s a non-religious event in items, made flags and learnt some
www.getwalking.org/swindon a Zorastrian tradition pre-dating words in Farsi. The playgroup also
D12873/12 or contact Amanda on 01793 465413. Islam, that celebrates the renewal came over to try some of the deli-
of nature and lasts for 13 days. On cious food.
the last day the whole of Iran goes The Swindon Iranian community
out and enjoys a picnic.” enjoyed a get-together at Lydiard
Deputy headteacher Carly Selby Millicent Village Hall on 23 March.

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