Community Service

Community Awards

Each year Sidcup Rotary Club hosts a Community Day Lunch to honour the contribution made by the voluntary sector to the local community. An annual Community Award is made to a long serving volunteer selected from local community groups, charities or the service sector.

In March 2024, The Worshipful Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Ahmet Dourmoush accompanied by the Mayoress Elmaz Dourmoush attended and presented the award to The New Generation Church, a member of the Pioneer network of churches. Its projects include Lark in the Park, Hope Community School, Blackfen Community Library and other worthy achievements. The award was received on behalf of the church by Paul Weston.

Paul is pictured with the Mayor and Mayoress (on the right) and Sidcup Rotary’s 2023/24 President Brenda Hitchcock.

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Sidcup Community Garden

The Club has also supported the Sidcup Community Garden Project since its launch in the Summer of 2015. The walled garden at Sidcup Place, for many years a formal rose garden, had become run down, litter strewn and neglected.

Sidcup Rotary assisted by providing finance, physical effort and plants and some of its members and partners continue to volunteer regularly to maintain the gardens.

The garden is a consistent winner of awards and recently has won a ‘Best Community Gardens Award 2024’ from The London Gardens Society, a Gold, ‘Best Community Garden’ by Ruxley in Bloom and a Silver Gilt award in the ‘Our Community’ class, by London in Bloom.

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.

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Christmas Collection
Residents look forward to seeing Sidcup Rotary’s sleigh with Santa and his helpers touring the streets around Sidcup to raise funds for worthy charitable causes. Members of local charities and youth groups assist with the collection to ensure its success and we all look forward to meeting the local children and residents in 2024..

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Christmas Day Lunch

Sidcup Rotary Club is delighted to sponsor and assist with the transport of the Sidcup Christmas Day lunch (held at the Carlton Road Day Centre) for elderly and disabled residents who might otherwise spend the day alone. 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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Young Musician of the Year

Sidcup Rotary Club’s Satellite Group members successfully organised the 13th Bexley Young Musician of the Year Awards Concert in March 2023 on behalf of three Rotary Clubs of Bexley.

The music was of a very high standard from excellent recitals by the eight finalists. It was no easy task for the three adjudicators to choose a winner but the silver cup eventually went to 16-year-old saxophonist Izzy Laing. (Shown in the centre below with her fellow musicians).

This is a biennial event and the 14th concert will take place on 15^th March 2025.

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Circus at Ruxley Manor Garden Centre

Thanks to Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, we are again able to distribute tickets for its Circus on two occasions to various organisations so that disadvantaged children with their parents or carers can attend. 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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Environmental Sustainability

One of Rotary International’s initiatives is to encourage activities which sustain the environment. Our Club has embraced this through its support in maintaining the Sidcup Community walled garden at Sidcup Place.

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Friends of Queen Mary's

Sidcup Rotarians are still heavily involved as Trustees of ‘Friends of Queen Mary’s’, not surprisingly as it was set up over 60 years ago by the Rotary Club of Sidcup, Queen Mary’s Hospital and the local community. A new Friends Café was opened in 2017 situated just inside the main entrance to QMH.

The Friends, supported by volunteers, work to generate profits which are distributed in the form of discretionary awards for the benefit and well-being of patients, visitors and staff at the Hospital. More than £3m has been awarded. Without the considerable voluntary effort these grants could not be made. The Friends need more volunteers. Can you help? Find out more by clicking on the link below