History and Background

Oswestry lies in a South Eastern corner of Rotary District 1180 which includes only 3 clubs in Shropshire, all in Oswestry: ours, our daughter club Oswestry Borderland and Oswestry Cambrian.

Granted its charter on 9th August 1929, the Rotary Club of Oswestry is well over 90 years old and the 14th oldest in the District and has been dual-gender since 2002.

We currently have 24 members and between us we cover many professions, including teaching, dentistry, the law, surgery, banking, insurance and interior design.

The Club is committed to serving its local community as well as supporting International initiatives further afield, with charities such as Shelterbox, The Trussell Trust, Midland Air Ambulance and the Rotary medical response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis all having benefited from our fund-raising efforts in recent years.

As trustees of a bequest from a local benefactress, the late Mary Hignett, the Club supports local projects by means of grants given to local organisations with a special interest in sports and the arts. Click on the link to the right to download Application Forms and Guidance Notes.

Since 2006, using funds from this bequest, the club has organised an annual Crucial Crew type event called LifeLine (Rhaff Achub in Welsh) which welcomes Year 6 pupils from both sides of the border to Park Hall, the home of Oswestry Agricultural Show. More than 400 young people from over 20 schools attended last year.  In groups of between 3 and 6 they move between 10 scenarios to teach them about keeping safe on railways, farms, in the home and when cycling.  They are encouraged to wise up about the dangers of drugs, strangers and the internet. Finally they witness a car travelling at 30 mph failing to stop until it has burst balloons representing children who misjudged the stopping distance. All the accompanying teachers praised the lessons learnt by their pupils.  The Rotary Club of Oswestry is very grateful to our project partners, the Police, Fire Service, HM Coastguard, the St John Ambulance, the British Transport Police and the NFU.

We also find time to have fun! As part of our usually active social programme (Covid aside), we will enjoy  sporting and entertainment events of many kinds.  Our Club's Rotaventure initiative demonstrates another side of Rotary with which we are not usually identified - a sort of Outward Bound!

Our members go into the local maintained secondary school, The Marches, where we give interview experience to the Year 11s preparing to take their GCSEs and enter the world of work or go on to Further Education. Our youth works continue through our active Vocational Committee who run the Millicent Kaye Art Competition, Youth Speaks Competition and the Investment Competition.

If this short description of life in Oswestry Rotary Club has kindled your interest, please contact us through the website or come to lunch and meet us, 17:30 Mondays (except Bank Holidays) at The Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry.