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At its regular lunch meeting today, Farnborough Rotary club presented a cheque to the local charity, Step By Step

Amanda Dubarry the Chief Executive gave a presentation and showed a video made by some of Step byStep’s clients to show off its facilities, she  also thanked the club for its previous donations of nearly £4,000 last year.

Amanda also reminded the club of the charity’s mission “To offer friendly advice and to empower homeless people and those facing adversity to achieve their full potential.

They work with young people aged 16 to 25, (in some cases older than this), through a structured combination of services including accommodation, support, training, and counselling.

As she re-iterated yesterday, “We don’t just provide emergency accommodation ‘to keep people off the streets’, but a structured scheme of accommodation and support giving opportunities which can lead to independent living”..

Step by Step work with their clients to progress them through the scheme as they experience decreasing levels of supervision, but they remain fully supported throughout their stay with them.

Farnborough Rotary Club’s President Jim Thomson, thanked Amanda for her presentation and presented a cheque for £500.

Amanda is pictured with Jim Thomson and one of Step By Steps’s clients, who gave a brief description of living at the accommodation.

Farnborough Rotary Club raised £13,000 over the Christmas period 2011 and is busy distributing monies to local charities.

Farnborough Rotary Club has announced the death of one of its former presidents Mike Gosney, who died Wednesday 15th February after a short illness aged 73.

Although he was born in Raynes Park London, he spent most of his life in Farnborough and attended Farnborough Grammar School.

After leaving school, he join the RAF as a medical orderly for his National Service.

He trained as a Quantity Surveyor in London, after being discharged from the RAF, but returned to Farnborough to set up his architectural services business with his wife Jo.

In the early days Mike concentrated on house extensions and small building projects, but soon found a niche in altering houses for the disabled and ensured they received the grants to which they were entitled to.

Mike was very much involved in the local community for the last 54 years, when he joined Round Table and helped to establish the annual donkey derby held on King George playing fields.

Mike joined Farnborough Rotary club in 1977 and continued to organise the donkey derby and was the main director of the event which benefits many local charities.

He became president of the Farnborough club in 1984 and later became a District Governor in 1993, which has the honour of leading and advising 52 other local clubs throughout Surrey and Hampshire.

As District Governor, he travelled to America for annual conferences and made many friends worldwide in the Rotary movement. He was honoured by Rotary and awarded one of its highest accolades the Paul Harris Award for his work locally and nationally.

The current president Jim Thomson said “He will be great missed within the Rotary community in Farnborough, where he was a leading light, a real “Go To’ person but also at district, national and international level. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mike’s Family”.

Mike leaves a wife Jo, two daughters Debbie and Dawn, four grandchildren and a brother Bill.

Today we inducted a new member to the Rotary Club of Farnborough.

Peter Gardener, who is a director of resources at Rushmoor Bourough council.

He lives in Farnborough and has worked with the local council for over 36 years.

Peter is keen on water sports and enjoys water skiing in his spare time.

We warmly welcome Peter to the club.

He will serve on the community committee.

In the picture Peter Gardener (left) and President Sean Usher