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Three Weeks to Go
3 Weeks to go to the Silves Rotary Club Pilgrimage
Another week closer to our pilgrimage and the final training programme is underway. This week a 7km walk around the junction of the Odelouca and Arade rivers is our gentle reintroduction after the heat of the summer. Just one of a number training walks over the last few months walk leader Philippe has organized to get the Silves Rotary Club team fit for the challenge.
Why go through the challenge? We hope to inspire you to make a donation or sponsor a pilgrim so that we can resource a much needed sensory room and garden for Autistic and Downs syndrome children in Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul. The children need a calm, safe haven to enable them to benefit fully from their time in school.
You can see from Philippe’s bio he is not new to the Camino having walked from France to Santiago some years ago with his family. He has also walked our route along with wife Carmen in June in preparation for the main event in just over three weeks’ time. His meticulous preparation and encouragement is all part of the support in place for those in the group who are older and carrying more injuries or health issues. We will introduce all the pilgrims over the next few weeks.
First: Philippe, mid 60s
He says I am a new Rotary member. I retired, a couple of years ago, from an international career, mainly in Operations leadership roles. My focus was always been around developing a meaningful purpose and rallying groups to achieve their goals through intensive teamwork.
I have never stopped practicing physical activities: running 2-3 times / week until my mid 50’s and during the last 10 years, walking on a daily basis. Some heart issues required the placement of a stent and a heart ablation was needed to eliminate arrhythmia.
Why I become a pilgrim?
Our family (spouse and two children) always loved nature and hiking. We have completed the French Camino de Santiago in 5 stages, over 5 years’ vacations. This Portuguese Camino project addresses several personal objectives: a noble purpose to help disabled children, teamwork to support each participant to make it to Santiago, physical exercise and enjoyment of the beautiful nature and landscapes.
Team Member: Petra Vahle-Francis, Mid sixties
Petra says: Having spent over 30 years performing classical music day and night, I was curious to learn something new. Curiosity drove me to the World Peace Academy at University of Basel, where I graduated with a diploma in Peace and Conflict Transformation, followed by a professional development diploma in conflict resolution from the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Together with my husband, I founded the “Corridors of Peace” Organisation in Switzerland, catering for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and all those living on the margins in different societies, home and abroad.
Luckily no major health issues yet, but had a serious fall causing dental replacement some 5 years ago. Definitely not as good as I used to be; with transition comes great challenges: in moving from Switzerland to the beautiful Algarve, I have not found a solid rhythm yet, but I will get there soon.
Why I become a pilgrim:
Since 2002 I have wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela but could not find the right time, group or persons to walk with. On a visit to Silves Rotary Club here in the Algarve, I was lucky to experience an inspiring lecture by Philippe Pfister, who has prepared all the logistics and background information for clubs Camino de Santiago de Compostela walk, to raise funds for children with learning difficulties. I feel it is a golden opportunity to walk with people of similar sensibilities. I am grateful to join this noble rotary project.
You can donate now at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives”
For more information email MOC.rotarysilves@gmail.com
Or Tel. 912584999
Help us make a difference!
Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives
A dozen members from Silves Rotary Club with a combined age of over 850 years decided to walk the Camino Portugues from Valença to Santiago de Compostela. Starting on the 24 September 2022 the pilgrims will walk some 120 km over six days to provide children with learning difficulties a calm and ideal place to learn.
Each team member will be supported by a class of pupils at the Agrupamento Escolas De Silves Sul and carry a mascot presented by their class so that the pilgrims can share their experience daily with the school children. You could say there will be 24 pilgrims.
Looking at them, you would not bet on these pilgrims making it. A couple have recently had hip replacements, one a heart surgery, another an eighty year old dodgy knee – whilst others have suffered a sprinkling of other injuries that one picks up in your seventies – yes, the average age of the pilgrims will be over seventy. They are the walking wounded.
Why go through the challenge? You may well ask. The answer is to raise money for this fantastic cause and to inspire you to donate to us so that we can resource a much needed sensory room and garden in Agrupamento Escolas De Silves Sul.
The school needs a sensory room and garden, a calm, safe haven to enable them to benefit fully from their time in school. The dedicated teachers at the school work hard to provide the children with the necessary skills to live independently in the future.
Silves Rotary Club Pilgrims are asking your help to raise 20,000 Euros, 100% of your donations will go to turn that old classroom and scrubby garden into a harmonious learning space with all the necessary resources. Any contribution no matter how small is welcome.
We are inspired by John Bunyan’s famous hymn which goes
He who would valiant be
Against all disaster.
Let him in constancy
Follow the master.
There’s no discouragement,
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
Be Inspired too. Please donate
More information in the next few weeks about the pilgrims:
You can donate now at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives”
Handover 2022/23
2021/22 has been a memorable year for Silves Rotary Club as for all Rotary clubs Covid has taken it’s toll. We worked hard under our President Alan Winn to help the community and to keep as many fundraising activities as possible. We had a great start to the year with Back to school, followed closely by the Christmas Shoe box appeal. We manage our first concert in two years and raised 4500€. We have been training for a sponsored walk along the Camino starting at the Portuguese border and finishing at Santiago to Compostela to provide a sensory room and garden for Autistic and Downs Syndrome pupils at Armacao de Pera school. Alan handed over to Isabel Flores for the year 2022/23. Isabel is shouldering the president’s job for the fifth time. Continuing our work in education is high on her agenda but she will add some touches of her own to support further members of the community.
Trying Walk
Saturday 14 May was the latest training day for our sponsored walk to Santiago de Compostela.
7 club members took part in a two stage walk around the Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande areas. Stage one included areas around the estuary with its cooling breezes and flamingos and stage two further in land amongst fields of poppies.
Each part was approximately 7.5km in length and so older members who will walk the Camino as a team were able to walk the shorter distance where fitter members were able to complete the full distance.
Further training walks will take place before the summer and in the early autumn in readiness for the sponsored walk starting in Valence on 23 September.
The club is hoping to raise sufficient money to complete the funding of a sensory room and safe outside area for children between 4 and 9 years with autism, Downs Syndrome and other disabilities in the Agroupamento Silves Sul school campus in Armacao de Pera.
The school has a similar facility on its Algoz campus for older children from the age of 10 upwards.
The club has already raised over 4000€ from the concert at the end of April.
RC Silves has a strong commitment to supporting our community and will continue to make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate.
COOL MANOUCHE – OH SO COOL!
On Saturday 30 April, Rotary Silves gave a highly successful concert to a packed house in the Teatro Mascarenhas Gregorio in Silves. The concert featured the well-known group Cool Manouche, Playing their very special gypsy jazz, they entertained the audience royally with classics such as Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing” and “Nuages”.
Our thanks go to Câmara de Silves for allowing us to use the theatre. Rotary Silves donated the proceeds from ticket sales, a total amount of €3,900.00, to Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul, headed by Carlos Silva Diretor do Agrupamento. The sum will go towards their project to build and equip a sensory room and a sensory garden in Armação de Pera to help students with learning difficulties to find peace of mind.
The longest training walk yet!
You may ask what we are training for. Well Philippe came up with the idea of a Rotary charity walk to Santiago de Compostelo. No, not from Silves. We would start instead from the north of Portugal and walk through to Santiago itself. This is some 120 kms which we hope to complete within a week – that means about 20 kms per day. All in aid of a much needed Sensory Room and Garden for Armancao de Pera School’s challenged children.
Philippe has started slowly with our training programme. Walk number 5 on Saturday 16 April of 13 kms was around the Barragem do Arade, just over half of what we will be expected to manage on a daily basis on the course itself.
Our starting point
View from the Top
Still smiling half way round
Only two made it the full distance, so we need to gear up to a fitness not yet apparent in our members, who by my calculations on average will never celebrate their seventieth birthday again.
Two Survivors
We will be asking the public to sponsor or donate to members who complete this Olympian challenge. To help them, we will be giving details of the participants in the forthcoming weeks. Follow this space
Cool Manouche Concert 30 April in Silves
Come and enjoy the swinging gypsy jazz played by the popular group “COOL MANOUCHE”. The date is Saturday 30th April 2022 starting at 8pm sharp at the Mascarenhas Gregorio Theatre in Silves. Doors will open at 7pm and sparkling wine & snacks will be served before the performance, included in the ticket.
You will love the “COOL MANOUCHE” sound. Their style of jazz was originated by Django Reinhardt the Romani guitarist who took Paris by storm in the nightclubs of the 1930’s-50’s. A real foot-tapping rhythm.
The event is being presented by Silves Rotary Club in aid of bringing to life a sensory room and garden for kids with learning difficulties in the Armacao de Pera area of Silves Council.
The ticket is €25 donation per person. Bookings phone Sue Butler-Cole on 933 374 865 or e-mail: sueloram@gmail.com. Alternatively contact Maria Carvalho on 916 145 739.
Only restriction – masks must be worn.
RC Silves in Training!
We had the original baker’s dozen on parade again this Saturday, except Pam and Alan Winn who sent in “sickies”. Today our leader, Philippe, has chosen another scenic walk through the Salgados wetland reserve between Galé and Armação de Pera. A distance of 7 kms which our gang covered in two hours
You may ask what we are training for. Well Philippe came up with the idea of a Rotary charity walk to Santiago de Compostelo. No, not from Silves. We would start instead from the north of Portugal and walk through to Santiago itself. This is some 120 kms which we hope to complete within a week – that means 20 kms per day, with the last pilgrimage bit on our knees.
So, Philippe is starting slowly with this training programme. Our current walk of 7 kms is just a third of what we will be expected to manage on a daily basis on the course itself. So we need to gear up to a fitness not yet apparent in our dozen, who by my calculations on average will never celebrate their seventieth birthday again. We do not expect to be equipping them with zimmer frames but the odd bengala may be required.
We will be asking the public to bet on which members will manage to complete this Olympian challenge within the week. To help them, we will be giving details of the participants in the forthcoming weeks during the training and their current physical state. Follow this space
Walking in the Algarve
RC Silves looks at many ways to raise funds for our community in Silves and to do it through fellowship. We are looking at many possibilities for fundraising one of which focuses on exercise. To get ready for this possible challenge we have started some training walks. The first was a 7K walk around the Arade and Odelouca Rivers. A bakers dozen took part and all managed it well. Two members who were back in the UK joined us in spirit. They walked in the snow and ice. Much Chillier.
The Sun, Solar System and the Galactic Neighbourhood
Rainer Kroth is a member of RC Silves and has a keen interest in the Universe and beyond. In this first part of his presentation. Rainer provided and excellent introduction to our close neighbours in the Galaxy. He enthralled us with surprising facts, beautiful pictures and illustrations and left us looking forward to part two. Alan our club president, thanked him on behalf of the members, however the resounding applause at the end of the talk spoke wonders.
Below are just two of the wonderful pictures that illustrated his talk.
Rotary Clube de Silves 