Rasen Rotarians thinking outside the shoebox

The speaker at their virtual weekly gathering was Colin Ince, a retired consultant anaesthetist from Merseyside and a member of St Helen’s Rotary, as well as a trustee of the Shoebox scheme.

Colin told how the scheme began in 1994 when Rotary Clubs north and west of Manchester plus the Isle of Man started collecting shoeboxes full of gifts for the people of Romania.

At that time, Romania was frequently in the news with stories and images of the terrible suffering taking place in the overcrowded orphanages.

The initial catalyst for this was past district governor Val Scerri, who had links with Spurgeons Child Care Organisation,

Three years later, in 1997, the Shoebox scheme became a Rotary-supported project and it has grown from there.

Currently the project delivers around 50,000 shoeboxes annually to a number of countries, with the aim of trying to give comfort and to raise morale to children and families who often have little outside help.

Market Rasen Shoebox co-ordinator Barry Chambers said: “Market Rasen Rotary, in conjunction with the Market Rasen Mail, have supported the project for a number of years and the scheme has proved to be a good project for involving our local school children.

“Unfortunately, this year we have made the decision not to collect this year, due to the logistical problems and safety concerns around Covid-19.

“As this is an all-year-round projet, we may look at collecting earlier in 2021.”