John Brooker receives Champion of Change Award at the House of Lord

Photo: Chris Wood Studios

Middleton Rotarian John Brooker receiving his Champion of Change Award with Lord Wallace MP and Rotary Great Britain and Ireland President Peter King

John Brooker has received a Champion of Change Award at the House of Lords for his commitment to Rotary and community work in Kenya.

Mr Brooker, a member of Middleton Rotary, received the award for his work over the past 19 years in helping provide education for children in the Shanzu community of Kenya and setting up The Friends of Mikoroshoni Primary School charity of which he leads the team to raise the £30,000 per annum required to continue the work.

Retired headteacher, Mr Brooker was among 12 previously unsung Rotarians who were honoured by some of Britain’s top politicians in Whitehall last week.

Presenting the Rotary Great Britain and Ireland (RGBI) Champions of Change Awards, was host for the evening the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, the Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness.

He described Rotary as 'a great movement' and said he had been very humbled to see the achievements of the 12 awardees.

Nominations for the awards were in two categories — domestic and international — and invited from across RGBI’s 29 districts, which takes in 1,800 clubs and 50,000 members.

Awardees projects ranged from improving education facilities in Kenya and Uganda and raising awareness of child slavery to organising disability sports events in Wales and peace events in Scotland and Jersey. Another project in Ireland provides constructive training and work to prisoners while, at the same time providing bicycles to enable children in The Gambia to get to school.

RGBI President Peter King welcomed the guests, including the Awardees’ MPs, among whom were Minister for Communities the Rt Hon Eric Pickles and the Chief Minister of Jersey, Senator Ian Gorst. The District Governors who had nominated the Awardee also attended along with representatives from other non-profit organisations.

It was also an opportunity for Rotary to showcase the talent of its national Young Musician of the Year vocalist Isabelle Atkinson who sang Rossini’s La Promessa — just one of the many Rotary projects which helps young people to develop their skills.