WGC Rotary Steps Across the District: Fellowship and Collaboration with the Rotary Club of Dunstable

Welwyn Garden City Rotary Club’s President-Elect, Amanda Joseph, visited Dunstable this week to discuss regional collaboration, upcoming handovers, and the shared logistics of the annual Whipsnade Zoo Children’s Fun Day.

On Tuesday, our very own President-Elect (and District Membership Lead) Amanda Joseph made a special visit to the Rotary Club of Dunstable, experiencing firsthand the fantastic fellowship and dedicated community planning of our neighbouring club.

The meeting was excellently chaired by Dunstable’s President-Nominee, Ian Saunders. Amanda was treated to wonderful hospitality, starting with a traditional, hearty lunch of cottage pie followed by a classic sponge cake with custard. Adding to the international spirit of the afternoon, the Dunstable club secretary shared some fascinating stories from his recent visits to various Rotary clubs over in Florida, USA.

Planning for Regional Impact

With 22 members in attendance, the meeting covered extensive groundwork for the upcoming Rotary year, including Club Assembly preparations and the traditional handover proceedings.

A major focus of the business agenda was the final logistical coordination for the massive Rotary Children’s Fun Day at Whipsnade Zoo. Because Whipsnade Zoo sits within Dunstable’s immediate geographical area, they naturally act as the lead organising club, overseeing the complex operational planning required to host hundreds of children with special needs.

Two Different Approaches to Making a Difference

Organising large-scale, high-impact community events from scratch can place a heavy administrative burden on any single club.  The Rotary Childrens Fun Day /The Whipsnade Zoo project serves as a prime example of how regional collaboration works to support us all. Because Dunstable manages the core logistics on the ground, the project operates as a District-wide event. This allows clubs looking to make a difference without the pressure of managing independent event logistics to easily get involved and send deserving local children to an established, expertly run event.

Clubs can choose to buy into this established District day out, or they can opt to deliver something completely bespoke for their immediate community. Here at Welwyn Garden City, we have chosen the latter route for our current project.

We are currently liaising with three of our neighbouring clubs—the Rotary Clubs of Potters Bar, Hatfield, and Brookmans Park—to host our very own localised Children's Fun Day right here in Welwyn Garden City at Lakeside School, a fantastic local special needs school.

Our collaborative event was due to take place on Thursday 11 June. However, in a stark reminder of the challenges of event planning, unseasonable rain and thunderstorms forecast for the day meant we had to make the difficult decision to postpone. Not to be beaten by the British weather, our four clubs have already successfully rescheduled the Lakeside School Fun Day for Thursday 24 September, right at the start of the new academic term.

Looking Ahead: Registrations Open for 2027

Whether your club prefers to team up locally for a bespoke project like our upcoming day at Lakeside School, or wants to skip the independent logistics altogether by joining the Dunstable team at the zoo, collaborating through the Rotary network is the perfect solution.

Expressions and registrations of interest are already being taken for the 2027 Whipsnade event. It is a fantastic way for clubs to work together, and interested parties are encouraged to get in touch with the project team early to secure their involvement for next year.