River safety campaigner Kirsty takes up associate member role to help Shrewsbury Rotary club
A river safety campaigner has been recruited to help a Rotary club in Shrewsbury.
Kirsty Walsh, ambassador for the West Mercia Search and Rescue volunteers, gave a Zoom talk to members of Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club on her campaigning for water safety measures on the River Severn.
And members were so impressed, they have recruited her.
Kirsty suffered the devastating loss of her husband Shane when he fell into the River Severn in Shrewsbury after a night out in September 2017 and drowned.
Now, in her capacity as ambassador for West Mercia Search and Rescue, she goes out to schools, colleges and other organisations to spread the message of water safety which is helping to ensure her husband’s memory lives on.
At the time of her Rotary talk last November, speaker secretary Garth Joscelyne said people were not always aware of the dangers of large rivers and it was ‘fantastic’ that she had channelled her energies into achieving such a positive outcome and come through everything so strongly.
Club president John Law commented: “It is absolutely amazing the way you are dealing with a personal tragedy and then going forward in that way.”
Now Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club has offered Kirsty associate membership, a role that she said she was ‘most happy’ to accept.
Aspirations
“I am delighted to be part of the club and to assist in any way I can," she said.
"I enjoyed giving members my Zoom talk and I look forward to working closely with them to hopefully assist them achieve their aspirations.”
One of her Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club immediate roles will be to strengthen its social media presence with a view to increasing awareness of its activities, including its successful fundraising for local charities.
Kirsty added: “I am eagerly looking forward to becoming involved in helping the club with social media to further develop its image in the community it serves.
“I have developed an interest in the benefits of social media and hope to pass on a great deal of my knowledge to add another dimension in helping the club reach an even wider audience and therefore expanding its portfolio of projects both in the short and longer term.
“I am also aware that the club is ambitious to increase its membership of both men and women and hopefully my input into social media will give it the platform needed to help recruit people who are interested in Rotary and Shrewsbury Severn in particular.”
Mr Law added: “We are delighted to welcome Kirsty as an associate member and in addition to the undoubted skills and social media experience she brings to us that she also enjoys our Rotary fellowship which is equally important.”
In the meantime, anyone interested in hearing more about Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club and becoming a member can email secretary Gareth Watkins at gdmw@hotmail.co.uk
