Founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, Rotary International is an organisation of service clubs located all over the world. Today there are over 1.2 million Rotarians and over 32,000 clubs. Hugely respected for its international humanitarian work, Rotary is less well known for its considerable impact on smaller projects locally.

Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” how true that is!

Back in 1957 our founder Don Coombe MBE, JP had agreed to take 24 lads from Wolverhampton on a summer holiday. Along with Jersey based Scout friend Peter Manton (later a Rotarian and Vice Dean of Jersey) Don set out to take these lads for a holiday of a lifetime to Jersey. Peter approached the Rotary Club of Jersey to provide some help and guidance for this inaugural trip, they responded by providing all the food necessary for their stay. Subsequently, Peter joined the Rotary Club and Don was made an honorary member and was

awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship. For the next 30 years, Rotary on the island provided truly amazing assistance to us, providing food, BBQ’s, Go-Karting, Swimming Pools, you name it-Rotary did it. At each event many Rotarians would be on hand to assist with and join in the fun. Although we no longer run the Jersey camp, our relationship and friendship with the Club and its members continues.

Our Chief Executive David Coombe is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Catford and in recent years we have received significant financial and “hands on” support from Catford, another club who love a BBQ.

We are delighted to have established a quite wonderful relationship with the Rotary Club of Westgate & Birchington. Based on the doorstep of our six Westgate on Sea holiday homes, the members of W & B have pulled out all the stops to help us. With the help of  the ladies of Inner Wheel (a sister organisation of

Rotary formed in 1923) they have provided a children’s party for our visiting children, taken them to McDonalds, participated in our BBQ, did the most amazing job on our Westgate gardens and have provided funding to sponsor this years 999 Club holiday to Westgate. W & B Rotarians will again be out in force for a series of festivities involving our guests this April. We would like to express our most sincere thanks to President Mike Benton for his support and encouragement and to President Elect Keith Coleman-Cooke who has  committed to continue the support and to all W & B Rotarians and in particular Rtn. John Hawkins and his charming wife Margaret for their help and friendship. We are also delighted that Margaret has selected us as her “charity of the year” for her year of office as District Chairman of the Inner Wheel 2009/10.

If you would like to consider joining Rotary visit their website at www.ribi.org (Great Britain and Ireland) or www.rotary.org (world-wide)