WHAT IS CHARD ROTARY CLUB?

Have you ever heard of Chard Rotary Club, or wondered what it is all about? Well hopefully the following will give you a little more information about it?

WHAT IS CHARD ROTARY CLUB?

Chard Rotary Club comprises a group of local people, from all walks of life, who are interested in supporting both the local community and the wider world to enjoy a better life.

WHAT DOES THE CLUB DO?

We support other local organisations with their activities as well as running our own initiatives. Over the years we have supported Chard Carnival Committee, Chard Town Council, Chard and Crewkerne After Stroke Group, Chard Young Persons Centre amongst others. The Club was heavily involved in the setting up of the Chard Hospital League of Friends and Newsline, the talking newspaper for the blind and partially sighted.

One of our main activities during the year is our annual QUADKIDS Primary School Athletics Event, normally held in June. This involves pupils from up to 15 local Primary schools in an afternoon of friendly competition. We are ably helped in running this by the staff and pupils of Holyrood Academy and are grateful for the use of the schoo;s sports facilities.

We also fund raise for local and national groups and have been staunch supporters of Children's Hospice South West, Love Musgrove, Chard and Crewkerne After Stroke Group and many smaller charities in the area.

Internationally we are also quick to respond to natural disasters and can regularly be seen collecting at Tesco, most recently for the Syrian and Moroccan earthquakes and in support of the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.

We also have a fairly active social programme with visits to local restaurants, skittles evenings, pitch and put afternoons and events with other Rotary clubs.

WHO CAN BECOME A MEMBER?

Membership of the Club is open to anyone who shares this interest. We welcome everybody irrespective of gender, age, faith, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

WHEN AND WHERE DO WE MEET?

Currently the Club meets, face to face, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month in the Ballroom of the Phoenix Hotel, on Fore Street, Chard. 

To ensure that members who are, for whatever reason, unable to make a meeting we, normally, hold a meeting via ZOOM on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. This ensures that everyone is aware of what the Club has arranged, or planned for the future.

WHAT DO MEETINGS INVOLVE AND HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?

The form of the meeting varies throughout the month. All meetings at the Phoenix include a 2 course meal followed by:

2nd Tuesday - a speaker followed by a small amount of business

4th Tuesday - this is normally a Business meeting where the main discussion about what the Club's plans are takes place.

5th Tuesday - our very important Partners Evening where there is normally a speaker on a topic that will be of interest to our guests.

Meetings at the Phoenix start at 6.00pm and are normally finished by 8.00pm, although with a good speaker they can last a little longer. Zoom meetings start at 7.00pm and attendees are free to leave as and when they wish although the meeting usually ends between 8pm and 8.30pm.

Our ZOOM meeting, on 3rd Tuesday, may include a speaker or Rotary themed video followed by the opportunity to have a more general discussion.

WHAT IS THE COST OF A MEETING?

At the current time our meetings at the Phoenix cost £13.00 per person to cover the cost of the meal. There is no charge for attending a ZOOM meeting.

WHAT DO I DO IF I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND A MEETING TO FIND OUT MORE?

The easiest way is to use our contact form or send an email to chardrotaryclub@talktalk.net giving your contact details. Someone will then get back to you to make the necessary arrangements.

We look forward to hearing from you.