Hats off to our unsung heroes

While some of it is high-profile, much of it unseen.

Their record of voluntary service is unsurpassed. But because many of them have been working away for generation after generation the value and extent of what they achieve tends to be under-estimated by the general public.

Last weekend the public were able to see an example of this work at first hand.

By again staging its annual Community Charity Walk, the Rotary Club of Bexhill provided the means for more than 500 people to raise sponsorship money for their chosen good causes.

To do this, club members called on the help of their wives and friends.

They involved young members of the Interact Club which Rotary has founded at St Richard's Catholic College.

As this event grows annually so do the logistics and the responsibilities.

Club members foot-slogged the three walks to sign-post the routes.

They undertook the massive task of registering entrants, then took on responsibility for their comfort and safety by manning road-crossings, running check-points, giving out much-appreciated soft drinks.

But as the last walkers were returning to St Richard's the work was still continuing. "Sweepers" were checking for any lost souls along the way.

Those waymarks had to be collected and a hundred-and-one other administrative chores completed before the final seal could be put on another highly-successful fund-raising event on the community's behalf.

It is believed that for the second year running the walk has raised more than 30,000 for good causes. Some 1,400 of that was for beleaguered blind charity Homecall.

The cash helped set the seal of success of the 15,000 campaign to save Homecall locally, one which had already been aided by a 500 gift from the Rotary Club of Senlac.

This weekend Bexhill Rotary Club will again be helping the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital stage its annual Hospital Garden Party.

They will be lending manpower for the unglamorous but essential task of loading up the tables and chairs borrowed for the occasion.

Bexhill Club of Past Rotarians will, as always, be faithfully manning the gates for the event.

The list of stalls and side-shows which ever-dependable Bexhill Lions Club will be running at the Garden Party is as impressive as it is encouraging.

Where would we be without the unsung heroes of the community service clubs?