How we work

We work with young people

In partnership with local schools and Coleg Ceredigion we run a varied programme of activities and competitions for young people. Our Young Chef competitors, in Coleg Ceredigion’s catering department,  are asked to prepare and cook a two course meal. It is judged by a local chef with the winner progressing to the Rotary area competition. Organized  in conjunction with FotoAber, Young photographers, in age groups, are asked to produce images on selected themes with the opportunity for outstanding pictures to be used on Rotary cards or in Aberystwyth town publicity material. The entrants in our Young Musician competition, piano, singing, brass or string instruments,  perform at an ‘entertainments’ evening meeting of the club. Again, the winners move on to the  Rotary area competition. We also offer Welsh and English language public speaking competitions where the winners are eligible to proceed to an area event. We also offer  bi-lingual assistance to local schools for pupils who plan to progress into employment or Further/Higher education, through our Mock Interview programme. Our well established Kids Out is an annual activity day for Special Needs young children and their  carers.
Through a Foundation Scholarship scheme we annually offer a grant to local young people (normally 1 or 2 each year) to support them undertaking a humanitarian or experience stretching project abroad. We also annually sponsor 1 or 2 young people to attend a week long professionally run ‘outward bound’ style course (usually in the Brecon Beacons) under the Rotary RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) scheme.

We help our local community

Our Rotary club has an established record stretching back over 70 years, of expressing our motto, “Service above Self”, through our members dedication to improve the quality of life for all people. We do this by providing a range of services to local organisations including; driving for the visually impaired,RVS and Help the Aged,  delivering newspapers in the local hospital, litter collecting in the town and on local beaches, implementing the ‘Message in a Bottle’ scheme and assisting Aberystwyth Town activities such as the annual Carnival, Christmas lights, annual Cyclefest, and fireworks.

We fund raise for local, national and international  causes

We are increasingly aware that many organisations are in real need of financial assistance to maintain their valuable services. We therefore organise, through our respective committees, a wide range of fund raising events.  Through the generosity of Aberystwyth townspeople and visitors,  our annual street Christmas collection scheme, has raised over £30,000 over the last decade. All the money, with the addition of Gift Aid, is donated to local charities. The proceeds from the Wishing Well on Aberystwyth promenade, in previous years were donated to one of Rotary’s great success stories, eliminating polio worldwide, but is now donated to Water Aid.  

We socialise

Any “Service” club needs a strong social element if it is to be successful, and the surest sign of a successful club is though its recruitment and retention of active members. On that score our consistent 40+ membership tally speaks for itself. We aim to blend our socialising and fundraising efforts together. Fortnightly lunchtime meetings are our regular socialising events, where we invite guest speakers to address the club on a wide range of subjects. Click here to read the latest topics. Also at our lunches  we discuss and conduct affairs associated with running the club. We also organise activities involving non members to combine socialising and charity fund raising. Events over the last few years included; a Fashion show sponsored by a local dress shop; a Silent Auction where members donated prizes to be ‘silently’ sold; an authentic charcoal cooked Pig Roast raising funds for international projects; a Duck Race providing a spectacle on the Rheidol river ending at Trefechan bridge; a ‘musical soiree’ presented by some of the club’s talented musical members; inter-Rotary club quizzes in the West Wales area. We regularly organise away days for club members and occasional guests;  Gregynog Hall, Newtown, Pontcysyllte aqueduct, Cosford air museum, Menai Straits, Bletchley Park.