Gipping Valley Rotarians 'Make Their MIND Up'

Members of Gipping Rotary Club gave up two days of their time to redecorate the Stowmarket Community Resource Centre operated by East Suffolk Mind.   The mental health charity's Ipswich Street centre was badly in need of a spruce-up, and the club volunteered to do the job over the weekend while it was closed.   "We are ever so grateful for the voluntary work put in by our friends in Rotary," said centre manager Rick Keating-Fedders. "It has helped us give the place a clean, warm and friendly atmosphere."   This was the second practical community project undertaken in Stowmarket by Gipping Valley Rotarians in recent months. At the end of last year ten members spent a day putting up a wooden pergola in the grounds of Red Gables, the voluntary services headquarters in Ipswich Road.   Philip Freeman, the current president, said that his club believed it was important to provide practical help to the community as well as to raise money for projects.   "Our club is lucky to have a considerable number of active members with hands-on skills, and we feel we can contribute as much by our personal labours as we can by providing  financial backing. Working together on projects like this also helps to foster the social cohesion of the club."   Gipping Valley is one of the newest Rotary Clubs in East Anglia and is always keen to hear from potential new members who would like to join a club that blends community charitable work with a strong calendar of social events. Membership is open to both sexes and all ages.   Anybody interested in membership should in the first instance contact Membership Secretary Peter Andrews on 01449 675038 or email membership@gippingvalleyrotary.org