All change at Fareham Meon! Ceremony takes place despite the heat

Cosham born and bred David Fawcett formally took over as President of Fareham Meon Rotary Club at a sparkling event on the hottest night of the year.

 Temperatures in the mid-30s did not deter a full house attending the prestigious Changeover Ceremony taking place at the Lysses House Hotel in Fareham on June 24.

Paul Jones stepped down as President after a year of intense activity which saw great strides in fundraising, success in the annual shoebox and Easter Egg appeals, a strong commitment to youth and education and significant increase in the social media coverage of the Club. In his outgoing President’s address Paul commented “As I pass the Presidency to David I do so with a great deal of pride, our successes of the last 12 months have been extensive, and I pass the baton on with the club in good shape. “

Pompey Season Ticket holder David, 62, is currently community fundraiser at Abby’s Heroes, the Park Gate based Children’s cancer charity and brings with him over 40 years’ experience in the Social Value /Corporate Social Responsibility world where he won a number of individual awards. In his first words as President, he said “As we enter our Sapphire year as a club we should build on the excellent foundations laid by those that came before us. Together we can strengthen our club, serve our community and ensure Fareham Meon continues to make a difference for another 45 years.”

The event was also attended by Rotary District Governor Richard Burnett and inspirational guest speaker Jim Roberson who in a keynote speech reflected on his personal journey as a young athlete in New York, being the first African American at Bronxville High School to the classrooms of the UK.  Also at the event was magician Ian McKeown who wowed guests with his table magic.

As the event came to an end and David began his year as President he concluded “The extreme heat did not deter so many of you from attending tonight and I am very excited to see what the next 12 months will bring. The opportunity to make a difference in our community whilst enjoying friendship and fellowship with like-minded people is at the heart of everything we do. I know this will continue as we move forward together.”