Rotary in the UK

It has been fun to visit the local Rotary clubs on our trip, and talk with Rotarians about their fundraisers, social events, projects, membership, etc. Clubs here seem to be doing a good job of community service, with quite a few projects that focus on children. They also have many smaller fundraising events where the money collected goes to specific international projects such as disaster relief, shelter boxes, polio eradication, and club favorites like supporting orphanages, helping AIDS victims, etc.

District 1250 has the same number of clubs as our district (around 61), but fewer members (1850 compared to our 3000), so the clubs are generally smaller in size. I would say from my observations so far, that the average age of the members is higher than clubs in our district, and there are much less women members. Several clubs don't have any women, and we've been told that a few don't care to have any.

There is a strong organization here called Inner Wheel, which his made up of spouses (like the old Rotary Anns). There are some very active groups in this area, and they provide a positive outlet for women who want to be involved in fellowship and service, and at the same time be linked with Rotary in a way.

Some of the clubs here have an interesting concept called "friends of Rotary". I'm trying to find out more, but it seems like people can get involved in Rotary projects, and attend occasional meetings without joining the club. This partial involvement give them a chance to see if Rotary might be for them, and it give the clubs more help with projects. Hmmm, something to think about. There are lots of other great ideas I am gleening from our visit.

Overall, the hospitality shown us has been outstanding. We couldn't ask for better hosts throughout our trip. This Rotary fellowship doesn't surprise me, but I think it has been an eye-opener for the non-Rotarian team members. We can't wait to host the District 1250 team when they come to our area at the end of this month.