Grand Theatre On Promotion Tour

Inner Wheel is for women of Rotarians and Rotaract, with the worldwide friendship society headquartered at Sale, Cheshire. 'District 19' covers most of Lancashire and all of Cumbria, stretching from Chorley to Hadrian's Wall and including 41 clubs.

Each Chairman nominates a charity of her choice and Jennifer has chosen to share her passion for Blackpool's Grand Theatre and raise money for Phase Two of the Glorious Grand Restoration, through our Sam Lee Appeal. Since last June when Jenny's historic year began, she has visited 25 clubs, and sixteen others are waiting impatiently for the pleasure of her company and fine theatrical oratory! Passion and enthusiasm for her cause are qualities Jennifer possesses in abundance. At a recent Inner Wheel rally in Llandudno, members suggested that Blackpool Council should employ her as their tourism ambassador!

Jennifer tells us that response to her talks has been excellent. "It is not" she says, "just about raising money. It is also about encouraging people to come to the Grand Theatre." Through Jennifer's propagations, the Grand has already received party bookings from as far afield as Workington and Carlisle and three clubs have sent donations in advance of next June's chairman's hand-over presentation in Kendal.

The Grand Theatre is the only No.1 theatre between Manchester and Glasgow on the west coast: Inner Wheel members have booked to see attractions such and Beauty and the Beast and Northern Broadsides in The Man With Two Gaffers.

The Sam Lee Appeal has now raised £330,000 towards the re-seating and re-carpeting of the theatre.

Jennifer is pictured in Matcham's Bar at the Grand Theatre.

From an address by Grand Theatre trustee Jennifer Jay to Inner Wheel members:

I have been a member of the St Annes-on-Sea Inner Wheel club for 19 years. I have been President and secretary of my club twice but this is my first attempt at becoming a District Officer. I am finding it very rewarding being part of the District team. I am learning all the time from my visits to the clubs in our district and however small the membership is, it is incredible how clubs keep up their good work and continue to help others less fortunate than themselves.

I am now well in to my third month of club visits and since July I have had pleasure in inducting four new members; two of the ladies had come into Inner Wheel by the honorary membership category and were delighted to be made active members. Also two of the clubs have Presidents at the moment who also came in through this category, so honorary membership is certainly proving to be a way forward and is definitely being encouraged by our association officers in Warwick Square.

I was born and educated in Blackpool and have been married to my husband Martin for 36 years. Together we ran our family business of two pharmacies and a beauty salon in St Annes and we are now retired and live in Lytham. We have two daughters, Victoria a deputy head of a primary school in Blackburn and Harriet who deals with European regulatory affairs for an international company in Warrington.

My hobbies are swimming, reading and I work very hard as a voluntary board member at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool which brings me on to my chosen charity which is The Glorious Grand Appeal.

I have given a lot of thought about where I should place my support. I have friends who work for major cancer charities, Barnado's, heart disease, and other organisations all of which do attract a great deal of public support .It is a fact that although Inner Wheel has been in existence for eighty two years people are still asking who we are and what do we do. We are continually being asked by our Association officers to try and bring the two special words "Inner Wheel'' more into the public eye. As the world is changing so rapidly it is becoming more and more difficult for us to find the time to commit ourselves to helping our communities.

So our commitment to the arts through the Grand Theatre will show how we can give these people who are quite naturally filled with anxiety and concerns some uplifting moments.

Experiences granted by an inclusive arts space can, for special periods in our difficult lives, give concentration to a few hours of pleasure and escapism. Allowing people to forget their troubles and lose themselves in another world is important to their well-being. Time and time again I have been able to witness at first hand the valuable benefits that theatre and performance can bring to disadvantaged lives be they adults or children. The Theatre is in continual contact with bus companies in the whole region. They are encouraged by the theatre's facilities to bring groups of disabled, hard of hearing, and partially sighted visitors to the performances. The theatre staff has recently been trained in sign language to help make their visits easier.

My aim is to raise the profile of Inner Wheel through this appeal. This will be done by the theatre in programmes and other acknowledgements that our District 19 will receive and our special contribution would be going towards accommodating all forms of disabled access, audio-described and signed performances and the theatre's educational programme.

So let us enjoy our year under the watchful eye of our delightful Association President Phil Fennelly. Phil, as you all probably know, has chosen Breakthrough Breast Cancer as her charity for the year. This charity hopes to ultimately eradicate breast cancer by trying to discover the cause of the disease. President Phil also asks us to remember we are members of a voluntary organisation and we should always show respect to one another and be ready to listen to new ideas from fellow members.

Let us go forward with a positive attitude and carry out our International President's theme which is show that you care through friendship and service. At this point, ladies, I would like to read you a little message from her.

"Be mindful of our history and those who have set our firm foundations, but look to the future as Inner Wheel plays a vital role in today's world and we must continue to move forward, always striving for a better future for our world and its people."

By www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk