Nonsuch Rotary’s primary fund raising activity is its Christmas Collection. For the past 22 years Club members have been taking Father Christmas to the streets of Worcester Park, Stoneleigh and Cheam to meet the children and to collect for local charities. Father Christmas also visits the local supermarkets; Waitrose in Worcester Park, Sainsburys in North Cheam and Tesco in Cheam Park Farm.

The collection is very rewarding for its collectors; financially in that much needed funds are raised for local charities, healthy in that walkers get a great deal of pre-Christmas exercise and enjoyable in seeing the pleasure Father Christmas brings to the children he meets on his travels.

But it can be hard on the collectors, walking up to six miles a night in the cold and sometimes wet of December evenings. There is, however, one particular route that all Rotarians look forward to! Since 1986, at one particular house, the home of the Walker family, collectors are met with a tray of silver goblets of sherry and plates of hot mince pies.

Mrs Cherry Walker started this most welcome practice 22 years ago and ever since Nonsuch Rotarians have looked forward to this wonderful custom by a very generous family in which Cherry has been ably supported by her husband Mike and their children.