Last week we welcomed back Rosemary Bidwell one of the club’s earliest lady members. In 2003 Rosemary had journeyed to Sierra Leone to see where money the club had raised would be used, what she saw shocked her and became a life’s work.

Rosemary used to run a Bridal shop in Warwick Market Square, and the contrast in Wellington north of Freetown was stark. A vicious civil war had been waged for 11 years from 1991 leaving children orphaned and maimed. Abandoned children on crutches, sleeping where they could amidst corruption and poverty, without infrastructure, sanitation, electricity, running water, animals or milk. Getting to know some of them, she realised that unless someone helped them they would not survive.

Returning to the UK Rosemary took the decision to sell her business and went back to help the children. Starting with small numbers in a rented house, children were given somewhere safe and fed, and had their wounds treated. Rosemary installed a manager and returned home to raise funds and established a charity “Cotton Tree Children’s Trust”.

Returning three or four times a year at regular intervals the last 20 years have been a struggle, raising funds in the UK and with corruption making life difficult in Sierra Leone. In 2014 Rosemary had to be evacuated following illness and then Ebola struck, but she has stuck by the local people and their orphanage is still running. A key concern is now to get the young people educated so they can fulfil their potential and work in their community.

President Alan Bailey thanked Rosemary for her commitment to the children gave her a donation of £450 to fund the nursing education of one of the young people. Members viewed an exhibition she had brought and purchased copies of her book – “A story of Hope and Happiness …” Rosemary Bidwell. Further information www.cottontreechild.org.

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