The Rotary Club of Rochdale
The Rotary Club of Rochdale is a member of Rotary International. There are 32,907 Rotary Clubs in 200 countries and geographical regions.
There are 1,225,046 Rotarians Worldwide
The first Rotary Meeting was held in February 1905. The Rotary Club of Rochdale was formed in 1926. We are a group of friends and business people who enjoy fellowship and volunteer our time and talents to serve our community at home and overseas
The President this Rotary year 2009/2010 is Dr.Elvet Smith Tel 01706 644534. . Elvet can be contacted by e.mail on elvet@cliffview.myzen.co.uk
The Immediate Past President is John Kay Tel 01706 767409
The Rochdale Rotary Club has Community, Vocational and International activities;
Rochdale Community Projects
- Kids Out-members take out children with dis abilities to a fun park where they enjoy a day out with other similar children from the North West
- Disabled Sports day-Rotary sponsors this st Helens event and about 20 people of all ages talke part in sporting activities such as archery,bowls,weightlifting,pool
- Christmas Parcels -around 50 hampers are delivered by hand to disadvataged young and old of Rochdale -arthritis sufferers,mentally ill,the frail and elderly
- Our Charities for 2009/2010 are Petrus Day Centre and Samaritans.Our funds for these come from our Arts and Crafts fair,bag packing at Morrisons,sponsored walks at Wardle and Nidderdale and a Gracie Field theatre brass band Concert.
- Members organise an annual craft fair at Rochdale Town hall on Heritage weekend with charity stalls and diabetes awareness team available
- The Petrus Community is supported with collection of towels,clothes,bedding
- Stroke awareness day in Wheatsheaf centre includes blood pressure testing and information from a volunteer medical team organised by medical Rotary members.
- 'Friends Together' is a befriending scheme supporting the Mentally fragile members of the Rochdale Community and is training up befrienders to help this group.
- Seniors Out is a new project and recently in collaboration with Age Concern took 40 elderly to Lancastrian Organ Heritage Centre Eccles for a fun Musical day out
Rochdale Vocational Projects
- The club is helping to improve adult literacy with our 'Rotating Books' scheme by placing books in public places for people to borrow and then pass on to a friend,or return to where they were found
- Redwood School is strongly supported and recent donated 'Dictionaries for Life'to help with literacy and learning.
- Members are involved with a number of local secondary schools Oulder Hill.Falinge Park and Wardle enrolling pupils in 'Youth Speaks' speechmaking national contest,Trips to the Excitement of Science at Manchester university and The Royal Institution London. Most Improved student awards are presented each year at the schools' awards evenings
- A recent new award was 'Best Apprentice of the Year' at Hopwood Hall college to encourage interest in a valuable vocational form of learning
- Rochdale Youth Orchestra ha s been sponsored for the last decade to allow young musicians to do public concerts in Rochdale
Rochdale International Projects
- The Rotary Shelter Box Trust sends survival packs to disaster areas -boxes include a tent for 10 people with sleeping bags,food,torches,water tablets,ropes,shovels and other survival necessities at times of earthquakes,Tsunamis,natural disasters eg in China and South East Asia 8 boxes costing £450 have been sent in last 3 years
- Lifeboxes are also packed by members at a local warehouse for individual families in disaster areas.They contain mainly clothing to help families cope at a very difficult time during disasters when homes are destroyed.
- Shoe Box Scheme,An Eritrean orphanage,Life Education for young people ,a Send A Cow scheme for African villages are other Charities heavily sponsored by the club in the last few years