On Your Bike 2025

 Community, Event, News, Uncategorized
Jun 162025
 

What an amazing day at the Annual “On Your Bike” Charity Ride! We were delighted to have Deputy Mayor Alison Williams open On Your Bike 2025 together with President Elect Joy Besford.

President, Mark Underwood, couldn’t join due to concerts in Australia but was with us in spirit. Special thanks to President Elect, Joy Besford for standing in and overseeing the day and looking after Gravesham Deputy Mayor.

Huge gratitude to the Gravesham with Ebbsfleet members and their families who volunteered.

A big thank you to Stuart Orr from the Gravesend CTC Cycling Club for pre-riding the routes and for his work in supervising and recruiting a team of volunteers to sweep the rides over the years.

We also want to extand our special thanks to the Rochester Rotary, Gravesend & Meopham Rotary, The Lions, ADSS and RAYNET radio operators who tracked progress right throughout the day. We and all the riders were delighted that once again Gravesend Inner Wheel provided the famous bread pudding at Checkpoint 5.

The “On Your Bike” Charity Ride plays a crucial role in promoting wellness, community spirit and charitable support, making a positive impact on individuals and families in the Gravesham and Ebbsfleet areas and surrounding areas.

We look forward to seeing everyone at On Your Bike 2026 on Sunday 10th May.

Excited to share a snippet from an interview with Gravesham with Ebbsfleet Rotary’s On Your Bike Chair, Brian Portway and Treasurer Andrew Moffat. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ayAPuMePQGfV_gkEcQ38YzgPzPEu_Qsw/view?usp=drive_linkVideo by: Dr Arlene Orr, District Public Image 2025

Rotary Gala Concert 2025

 Concerrts, Event, News, Uncategorized
Feb 262025
 

Thank you to our audience and especially our musicians for an excellent Rotary Gala Concert at Cobham Hall on Friday evening, 11 April.

Spine tingling performances by voice, guitar, clarinet and piano and many converts to music by viola.

Proceeds will go to the United Nations Food Fund, Doctors Without Borders and Gravesham Sanctuary.

Gravesham with Ebbsfleet Rotary presented its 2025 Rotary Gala Concert in the breath taking surroundings of the Gilt Hall at Cobham Hall.

Nine artists bringing viola, guitar, clarinet, piano and voice.

Music by Dvorak, Purcell, J S Bach, Vaughan-Williams, Fernando Sor, R Strauss, Frederick Loewe and more.

The Erdesz Viola Trio: Rivka Golani, Yohei Nakajima, Gábor Somfai

Rhian Davies, mezzo soprano accompanied by Jack Stone, piano

Harold Gordon-Smith, guitar

Marina Shevlin, clarinet accompanied by Maxim Rowlands, piano

Grace Iyashere, soprano accompanied by Maxim Rowlands, piano

Proceeds go to the UN Food Programme, Médecins Sans Frontières and Gravesham Sanctuary.

On Your Bike 2025

 Event
Feb 262025
 

We welcomed over 380 riders for On Your Bike 2025.

There were 300 riders entered via RaceNation up until the start and another 80 that arrived on the day.

Thank you . . .  and especially as we had a morning of 10 degree temperatures and blustery winds! 

Sunday, 18 May was the 37th On Your Bike sponsored ride through North Kent starting and finishing at the Riverside Leisure Area beside the River Thames at Gravesend with riders on 15, 30 or 45 mile routes through many of the most beautiful country lanes in Kent. 

We thank all of you for riding including our regular riders, those who enjoyed OYB for the first time and especially those who brought another rider with them. Our checkpoints with refreshments, support vehicles and radio links were there including major amounts of our famous bread pudding at the Cobham Checkpoint.

The rolling start was launched by Deputy Mayor of Gravesham Councillor Alison Williams and President-elect of Gravesham with Ebbsfleet Rotary Joy Besford.

The youngest rider was two years old and safely in his chair riding with dad! Plus one rider had personally collected over £600 in sponsorship!

Our thanks also to the Rotarians, Lions and ADSS volunteers at the checkpoints and our cycling sweepers from Gravesend CTC — not forgetting the RAYNET radio operators who tracked progress right through.

Also our sponsors who help us make sure the maximum amount of donations get to critical charities.

Your wheelpower is helping Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Services and other Rotary supported charities. More news soon!