THE Rotary Club of Swindon is hosting one big virtual event to fundraise for every charity it is supporting.

The usual fundraising activities have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, so the club will be using the JumbleBee online auction to showcase an array of lots from November 5 to 21.

Club president Debbie Vincent said:, “The ongoing social distancing restrictions have made it very difficult to support charities, as our fundraising activities usually centre around social events throughout the year.

"Unfortunately, our annual Charity Ball this year had to be cancelled along with a number of other events planned by our club’s five Committees in aid of local community and international projects including my chosen charity, Brighter Futures, raising money for the A&E department at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital.”

“Another casualty of Covid-19 has been our weekly meeting at The Kings. We are the oldest Rotary Club in Swindon and it’s the first time in nearly 100 years that members have been unable to get together on Thursday lunchtimes, but the internet has proven to be a saving grace and, since lockdown, we have continued to attend meetings via video conferencing.

"And now, instead of raising money through a number of different functions, we’re focusing our efforts on collecting donated items for a big online charity auction.

“We are delighted with the initial response and have already been promised all kinds of auction lots, from Christmas gifts and goodies to ‘pre-loved’ items and from special experiences including meals for two and flights over the Wiltshire countryside to high value items such as an exquisite Longines ladies diamond watch.

"Needless to say, we are hugely grateful to Deacon & Sons for their generosity, as we want to raise as much money as possible for the local, national and international charities we’re supporting this Rotary year.

"We have a good number of lots already and are anticipating many more, so that everyone can have fun bidding for items for themselves or their loved ones. This might be the perfect opportunity to find that special Christmas present.”

All funds raised will be shared between Brighter Futures, Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, The Open Door Centre (Swindon & District), KidsOut, Action Through Enterprise (ATE Ghana), Edu Fun SA and End Polio Now.

To donate auction items, please call Sue Frawley on 07881 246110 or email frawleys@aol.com by October 31. Register to bid online at www.jumblebee.co.uk from November 5.