More about the Rotary Club of Rugeley

The Rotary Club of Rugeley is part of Rotary International.

Rotary, now over 100 years old, boasts of being "the largest voluntary organisation in the world". It has more than 1.2 million members in some 200 different countries.

In Great Britain and Ireland, there are 57,000 members spread across some 1800 clubs, covering most cities and towns.

Rotary has as its ethos "Service above Self" and seeks to provide humanitarian assistance to disadvantaged communities and individuals locally, nationally and internationally.

More information about Rotary and what it does can be found by using the About Rotary linkorbyvisitingthewebsitesofRotary Internationalor Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland (Rotary GB&I).

Meanwhile, locally, the Early Years of RotaryinRugeleystartedwhenthe Rotary Club of Rugeley was officially founded on 22^nd July 1949,the Inaugural Meeting being held in the dining hall of Shooting Butts Camp.

On 28th March 1949 a decision was taken to form a Provisional Formation Committee and the following were appointed: Messrs. J. Wyld, J.V. Edwards, J. Pendelbury, B. Oakley, S. Yarrow, G. Hindley, E.W.Hambridge, and the Rev. Thacker.

The club's first secretary was John Edwards, who later became District Treasurer and then Rotary GB&I Chairman of the club service committee.

On 13^th February 1950 the club was told that RI had granted its charter, and at the Charter Festival of the club over 100 Rotarians attended an assembly in Rugeley Town Hall.

Press comment on the occasion " The Hall was decorated for the occasion by members of the Inner Wheel Club of Rugeley, who had not spared themselves in presenting an aura of enchantment to an otherwise unpretentious room".

In 1970 71 Past President Don Wood was elected District Governor of District 106.