FAQs

ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF PETERBOROUGH ORTONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please note, because of the restrictions imposed as a result of the Corona Virus outbreak, we are unable to physically get together for the moment, but we are meeting through video conferencing so please feel free to ask to be included via the Contact Us section on the web site.

Q - What is Rotary all about?

A – A Rotary Club is a collection of men and women who want to make a difference, both in the community and internationally.  Our impact starts with our members – people who unite to take action and create lasting change.  National and global partnerships with other organisations allow us to maximise our input.

Our activities are split into several strands :-

We :-

·      Run events to raise funds that can then be distributed to Charities in cash or we purchase specific items on their behalf.

·      Promote curriculum-based competitions in local schools to help students express themselves artistically or scientifically.

·      Lend our individual physical support for projects in the community

·      Make a real difference in the world. Crowd funding was developed by Rotary long before the internet.  Because it is worldwide, the Rotary Foundation[1] consolidates huge sums from Clubs with which it can sponsor ambitious projects like the eradication of polio from the world, which has almost been achieved.  We play our part.

·      Socialise.  In normal times, we share a meal at our regular meetings and once a month we hold a social event.  At the moment we have to organise everything on Zoom.  All we can do is hope that we can soon start to meet again, if only for social occasions at different venues.

Q – Can anyone join Rotary?

A – There is no qualification required for joining and we welcome people of all faiths, ages, ethnic backgrounds and genders.  All we ask is that you are prepared to give up some of your time to support our activities and to play a part in the running of the Club.

Q – Can I help without becoming a Member?

A – Yes, you would be welcome.  If, for example, you sympathise with the aims of a particular cause that we are supporting, we would appreciate the help you could give without asking for a commitment beyond that.  Hopefully, of course, you would become interested in other aspects of our activities and we would be happy to see your further engagement.

Q – Where and when do you meet?

A – Our routine has been disrupted by the Corona Virus outbreak.  We now gather on Zoom on a Tuesday evening at 7.00pm.  As and when lockdown restrictions are eased and we can meet up again in person we will decide on venues and times that are appropriate at the time and we will post the arrangements on the web site.

If you would like to participate to see what we are all about, then please use the Contact us  section on our website and one of us will definitely get in touch to give you the details of where, when and how.

Q – Would I have to attend every meeting?

A – like any Club, we function at our best when we have a good attendance of members.  We would want you to feel involved and motivated to be part of what was going on and to contribute at as many meetings as you could manage, but there is no attendance register.

Q – Are you a Charity?

A – The Club itself is not a Charity but we raise money for charitable purposes and run a Registered Charity Fund to administer receipts and payments.

Q – How do I join?

A – Very simple.  If you send us a message one of the Members will invite you along to a meeting and you will be able to judge for yourself whether it will interest you.  There is no obligation at any stage and you can come to more than one meeting as a visitor to get a fuller picture.  If you are interested but reluctant to commit, then we can offer you Associate Membership which allows you to participate in our activities and gives you a period to decide whether or not to go for full membership.  

If you are a commercial organisation that would like to sponsor access to the club for some of your staff then we can also discuss Corporate Membership whereby a subscription would cover the involvement of several people from your organisation.  They would be able to participate in our activities but you would have the ability to change the personnel if circumstances change.

Q – Is Rotary just in England?

A – Rotary is truly world-wide, linked by an umbrella organisation called Rotary International.  There are 1,700clubs in the British Isles (three in Peterborough alone) and 133,000 clubs worldwide in 200 countries.  As a member of one club you are effectively a member of them all.

Q – Who benefits from Rotary?

A – We donate to and support local Charities and organisations, and International charities directly as well as major projects such as the eradication of polio, through the Rotary Foundation.

Rotary is also well placed to respond to disasters and emergencies very quickly and effectively because there is always a Club close to where the help is needed and aid can be channelled through them to avoid the risk of it being appropriated by others.

Q – Why should I join Rotary when there are so many charities that I could help directly?

A – This is not an issue, actually, because being a Rotarian does not preclude you from volunteering with other Charities directly.  Our members already help with the Peterborough Food Bank, Peterborough Sailability and The Crocus Café for people with dementia, and are busy helping people in difficulty as a result of the Corona Virus lockdown.

But, to answer the question, there are two reasons – Influence and Sociability.

We are always open to ideas for raising money or sponsoring a project to give direct help to a Charity.  You could be following up your own ideas and making things happen for your favourite cause.  It is the members who decide which charities the club will support and the events we will hold to raise money.

Also, you could be doing those things in the spirit of comradeship and friendship which a well-functioning Club will provide.

Q – What are the benefits of being a Rotarian?

A – Apart from the comradeship of fellow members, you also stand to gain from working with like-minded people who want to give back to the community. 

If you wish, you can take advantage of the fact that you will be welcomed in any Rotary club anywhere in the world. 

Q – I’ve heard that Rotary is expensive – how much will it cost me?

A – Our annual subscription is £110   

APPENDICES

·      Rotary International backed Causes and Projects

·      Youth Camps and Exchanges

·      Young Leadership courses

·      International relief operations – Shelter Boxes, Water Aid, Tradeaid

·      The eradication of polio worldwide

·      Cleansing of the oceans from plastic waste

·      Provision and operation of Mercy Ships to attend Emergency zones

·      Our local Projects and Fund Raising Events

·      Crocus Café to provide a meeting place for people with dementia (unfortunately not able to meet just now because of Covid 19)

·      Support for Family Voices – a charity to help families who have children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) based at Orton Goldhay centre.  We helped tidy the site and painted the fence.  We want to provide wheelchair friendly picnic tables to allow for social interaction once that can be allowed. Local schools are helping us with that.

·      Flight4Life – offering the sponsorship of birds in a (currently historic) pigeon race with prizes for the winners and runners up. Proceeds go to the End Polio Now campaign

·      The Rotary Choir – drawn from Clubs across the area

·      Race Night – held in November – will be held on line this year

·      Quiz Night – scheduled for March (hopefully in person)

·      Duck Race – scheduled in spring next year

·      Volunteering for Foodbank Peterborough

·      Volunteering at Sailability, Ferry Meadows

·      Planting Trees in association with Peterborough Environment City Trust

·      Many competitions sponsored in local schools to help the personal development of students.  These include Young Chef, Young Photographer, Slam Jam (a poetry performance competition), Young Environmentalist, National Citizens Service 

·      Support for Up The Garden Bath – a Community Interest Company (non profit making) who are installing planters and renovating garden areas to improve the environment in the community.

·      Collecting aluminium cans to be transformed into helipads for hospitals

·      Helping the volunteers sewing Scrubs for the NHS (For the love of scrubs and the Butterfly Legacy Project) – delivering the completed uniforms and assisting logistics generally

·      Our Members have been sewing Face Coverings and selling them to raise funds for our Charitable causes

·      The causes our Club has supported financially over the last few years

·      The David School in Sierra Leone

·      The Light Project for homeless people in Peterborough

·      Family Voices

·      Nene Park Academy – Shakespeare Festival

·      Sailability Peterborough

·      Purple Community Fund in the Philippines

·      Shelter Box

·      Rotary Foundation

·      Local Scouts

·      Smile charity – giving relief to Kosovo

·      Bushfields Academy – scientific Lego kits