Community Service

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Christmas Collection   

The Club’s traditional Christmas street and static collection again proved a success in 2025, especially for our younger residents who look forward to seeing Santa and his helpers touring Sidcup with his sleigh to raise funds for worthy charitable causes.  We plan to repeat the tour in December 2026 so watch out for the dates on our website nearer the time and then follow Santa’s progress each night via the link published when we will again be ably assisted by local community groups, whose support is much appreciated.

Due to this prime source of funds, Sidcup Rotary’s trustees made value donations to assist a range of organisations supporting the homeless etc (e.g. Whitechapel Mission, Bexley Winter Shelter and St Lawrence’s Charity Trust); Bexley Community and Ellenor hospices; those providing care and helping disabled adults and children (including Marie Curie, We are Beams, Blackfen Parkinsons Group and Make then Smile); as scout, guide and youth groups as well as other community groups.  

We will again be offering support locally and nationally in 2026/27 whilst also seeking to raise new funds through social and other activities.  We will again be supporting the Royal British Legion on its local Remembrance Day Poppy appeal.

We have reinstated litter picks in and around Sidcup High Street to support the local Britain in Bloom submission and to encourage a clean and tidy environment.

We also plan to promote the Club and its achievements through social media, sponsorship and possible competitions in schools.  Some local half/full marathon runners have already offered to wear Rotary sponsored ‘vests’ to promote our Club and their chosen charities and hope they each secure plenty of financial support at their respective events.

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Christmas Day Lunch

Sidcup Rotary Club has traditionally partly sponsored and assisted with the transport of the Sidcup Christmas Day lunch (held at the Carlton Road Day Centre).  This lunch has been organised annually for decades for elderly and disabled residents who might otherwise spend the day alone.  We are delighted to be associated with it.  Guests are usually joined by the Worshipful Mayor of Bexley.

We applaud the efforts of the many volunteers who willingly give of their time on Christmas Day to make this lunch such a resounding success.

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Links with the Lions Club

We plan to maintain our links, established in 2025, by continuing to work with the local Lions Club when we supported 3 of its initiatives including recycling old spectacles, a vision screening project in schools and the distribution of ‘Message in a Bottle’ containers that contain valuable information in the event of an emergency.  The picture shows our members distributing the containers ‘free’ at Morrisons supermarket in Sidcup in May 2026.  We plan to hold a similar event during our 2026/27 Rotary Year.

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Sidcup Community Garden

The Club has maintained it support for the Sidcup Community Garden Project since its launch in 2015 after the walled rose garden had become run-down, litter-strewn and neglected.

Sidcup Rotary Club has assisted by providing finance, physical effort and plants, and some of its members and partners continue to volunteer regularly to maintain the gardens. The one acre site is a haven of peace and tranquillity and a riot of colour. It is much appreciated by local residents and visitors alike and is a consistent winner of awards.

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Young Musician of the Year

Sidcup Rotary Club’s Satellite Group members successfully organised the 14th Bexley Young Musician of the Year Awards Concert in March 2025 on behalf of the Rotary Clubs Sidcup and Bexley.

The music was of a very high standard, with excellent recitals by the eight finalists. It was no easy task for the three adjudicators to choose a winner.

This is a biennial event and the 15th concert is planned to be held in 2027, so again ‘watch our website for announcements’.

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Circus at Ruxley Manor Garden Centre

Thanks to Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, we have again been to distribute donated tickets biannually enabling disadvantaged children and their parents or carers to attend its Circus.   Following each event a donation is made to a charity nominated by Ruxley’s director James Evans in recognition of the tickets donated by the Centre to the Club.

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Transport for Disabled people

Last year we were delighted to work with a local sponsor in negotiating and securing from the liquidator a former Bexley Accessible Transport Community minibus, originally funded by our Rotary Club’s Trust,  so that it could be donated to a local charity in support of a local group of disabled people.   

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Environmental Sustainability

One of Rotary International’s initiatives is to encourage activities that sustain the environment.  In addition to the regular litter picking in Sidcup already mentioned and our support in maintaining the Sidcup Community walled garden, we have also planted ‘purple crocuses’ in and around the area to signify Rotary International’s aim of eradicating Polio throughout the world.   

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