With this year’s president Ian Brunton in the chair, the 11th August meeting of Anstruther Rotary club was devoted to a review of the last twelve months’ achievements and to a look at plans for 2014/15. It was, especially, a chance to thank everyone who had had a hand in the successes.

Although a small club, Anstruther Rotary is very pleased to have close links to local primary schools and to Waid Academy and delighted to celebrate their successes in ‘Young Chef’ and ‘Young Musician’ events and participation in the Rotary Youth Leadership Award programme.

This year particular praise goes to Crail primary school, for an outstanding performance in the annual Rotary Primary Schools Quiz - an event that has now been running for over twenty-five years. Crail beat off competition from schools across the North and East of Scotland to take a hugely creditable and very well deserved second place in the hard-fought finals of the competition. The finals took place in the Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen and every one of the sixteen finalist teams had already performed brilliantly to get so far.

Internationally the club has been concentrating on raising funds for ‘Shelter Boxes’ – a cleverly designed and very portable box containing tents and all other equipment needed by a family to survive in the aftermath of natural disaster or conflict. This past year the club has been able to purchase six of these marvellous and life-saving pieces of equipment and would like to thank everyone who helped make it possible.

Finally, organiser Colin Campbell summarised the outcome of the club’s 2014 Charity Coastal Path Walk, which this year raised £16,780. It is organised as an event in which walkers themselves decide the charities they wish to support and has over the five years it has been run made a total of £65,877 for many, many different charitable causes.