PRESIDENTS ADDRESS

I am very pleased to of been asked to be the President of the Rotary Club of Haslemere for the year 2023 / 24, it is a real honour, especially as I have only been a member for the past three or four year

So who am I? Yes, my name is Ken Griffiths, but I am probably better known in Haslemere by my pseudonym, which is Community Ken and the picture reflects my caricature. I didn’t want to frighten you with an actual photo of myself.

Some of you will know me from my involvement in a number of other Haslemere organisations such as Weyhill In Bloom, Haslemere Community Station, Little Lumpy and of course Haslemere Fringe Festival. Over the last year, I have also been instrumental in organising a couple of other major Haslemere events with the celebration of HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Coronation of HM King Charles. The carnival processions through the Town, featuring so many other organisations were a real success and then finishing with the celebrations on Lion Green, showed Haslemere ‘punching well above its weight’.  

Well looking forward to my Presidential year, where does that take us?  I am taking over from Paul Mills who is an extremely difficult act to follow. Unusually he covered two years and has lead us out of COVID and positioned us firmly into a Haslemere and surrounding villages community organisation. You will find us supporting every local event and that is something I and the club wish to continue.

I am pleased to announce that my charities for this year are the Hunter Centre, supporting those living with dementia and Talk to Me, a counselling service operating out of Haslewey Community Centre. You can find out more about these organisations on my Charities Page. When the need arises, you will also find us out on the streets raising money for appropriate Emergency Relief programmes. I.E last year we were there supporting the relief effort in Ukraine and the floods in Pakistan.

What I am looking for in my Presidential year, is working in partnership with many of the other local community organisations. By working together in partnership, our combined strength is greater and as such, we can collectively deliver even more for the local community and of course also support those important international relief organisations.

If you share my vision, why not check us out as a club and as well as helping us in our the good works within the community, enjoy the social side that the club has to offer.

Oh yes, you may of guessed from my caricature, I do a bit of running and this year I will be taking part in the Great South Run to raise money for my Rotary charities. Would you like to join me!   

Ken President 2023/24