LATEST NEWS

The Rotary Club of Maidenhead has regular weekly meetings and organises many events and activities. The club meeting venue is now Desborough Bowling Club, 10 Green Lane, Maidenhead SL6 1XZ.  
​Please check the calendar for up to date information on meetings and events.
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​For further information please contact the club (see bottom of page).

Silent auction raises funds for charity

The Club's penultimate evening meeting for the year at Maidenhead Golf Club on November 25th had an added bonus of a Silent Auction of some extraordinary and generous donations. 

The handful of very useful brand new items consisted of an ice cream maker, a slow cooker, dinner service for four, a Multi Chef and a set of nine wooden salad bowls.

Four lots were sold. The wooden bowls unfortunately had to return home again, but the organiser Yvonne Johnson-Mullin could happily hand over the rest to three lucky bidders: Patricia Lattimer (twice!), Tony Hill and President Matthew Burdett. 

Thanks to everyone who contributed – £175.00 was added to the Rotary Club's charity account!

Rotary awards two Paul Harris fellowships at Chachoki Eye Camp

The club decided to honour two individuals who have been instrumental in the success of the project.

​Gurdip Bahra travelled to his ancestral village of Chachoki, Punjab, India and presented Paul Harris Fellowships at the 15th Eye Camp to Mr. Sarup Singh Bansal, Secretary of the Hospital Trust, and Dr. Tushar Aggarwal, an ophthalmic surgeon.

Two new members welcomed into the club

Induction of Marsha Elms OBE – Marsha was inducted at our meeting on Monday 11th November by President Matthew. She is a retired Head Teacher and former Magistrate and is the current President of the Maidenhead Arts Society. We wish Marsha  a long association with Rotary and welcome her to our club.
Induction of  David Carney – Monday 18th November saw the second of our proposed members inducted by President Matthew. John was a former District Judge and is originally from Lancashire. We hope that he enjoys his Rotary Service and look forward to him participating in Rotary life.

Help for young people overseas

At the club meeting on Monday 11th November, guest speaker Natalie Hernandez from Brighton & Hove Rotary Club introduced us to her club's project – Chat Club. It's a project she has been involved with since 2017-18.
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Chat Club connects mentors in the UK with underprivileged and disadvantaged young people in schools and orphanages in Zanzibar and Kenya. 

The initiative helps to build self-belief and confidence in the youngsters as well as improving their language skills.

The “OHO” or Pleasant Surprise Tour to Japan

Foreword from Frank Knowles, who recently returned from a trip to Japan with other Rotarians: As a participant on the above trip I thought members might be interested to read an account of this from a fellow attendee, Carol Cartier (a Canadian Rotarian). I have been asked to put together a presentation on my trip and I will do this for early 2025 and present it to the Club at a suitable meeting.

The trip was described as an "OHO" or pleasant surprise tour, and that was the case: Oishi for delicious, Heiwa for peace, and Onsen for the Japanese hot springs we enjoyed.

Boundary Walk fundraising record broken

The Maidenhead Boundary Walk 2024 was a day full of memories for all those who took part, and a resounding success, bringing together 549 walkers who raised an impressive £22,538 for over 58 different charities.
  
The Rotary Clubs of Maidenhead and Maidenhead Bridge (with volunteer support from Maidenhead Rotaract, the Civic Society and GoodGym), organised the event which drew participants from across the community to take part in this historic 13-mile tradition of 'Beating the Bounds'.

Centenary planning starts now

​Rain didn't stop Vice President Maria Scavetta and Cathie Lodge from having a preliminary meeting with Councillor Jack Douglas, who is the Cabinet Member for Communities, Leisure and Volunteering from 2023 until 2027.

The meeting was lively and very positive, discussing how Rotary, the community and the council can work together to celebrate Maidenhead Rotary Club's centenary in 2026. The initial meeting was mainly trying to find a site for our Rotary Centenary Rondel, but also to discuss how we can help and work together with what is required in our town and gardens. The club have to wait for approval of a suitable site before the task of researching, costing and planning begins. Watch this space!

Golf Day funds Rotary charities

Maidenhead Rotary Club held their annual Charity Golf Day at Maidenhead Golf Club on 11th September, which was followed by a dinner for competitors and guests.

Eddie Clarke, Chair of the organising committee said “Despite weather varying from lovely sunshine to hail, everyone had a great day, which was reflected in the many compliments we received. We raised an amazing £5,700 for our charities. I would like to thank our volunteers, sponsors, particularly Shanly Foundation and of course all the golfers who took part on the day”.

Shelterbox charity award for club

This message has been received from Shelterbox:
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​'As a celebration of all your activities in the past Rotary year, I wanted to offer my thanks on behalf of ShelterBox for the amazing fundraising that you have carried out with your community and as a club. According to our records, the Rotary Club of Maidenhead
​raised a total of £2,180 in Rotary year 2023/2024.

Congratulations on becoming a Bronze Partner Club!
 
To say thank you and to acknowledge the efforts of clubs, we award Partner Clubs certificates each year. There are four Partner Club levels, linked to how much you donate: Bronze - £2,000; Silver - £4,000; Gold - £6,000, and Platinum - £10,000.

Thank you again for your continued support of our vital work to ensure that no-one is left without shelter after disaster. It’s only thanks to generous individuals and clubs such as yourselves that we can make the necessary commitment to supporting communities as they recover and rebuild their lives.'
Download the file below to see how communities are being helped:
partner_clubs_impact_report_23-24_final.pdf
File Size: 4442 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members in more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves the lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.

Our weekly meetings are a great way to keep in touch with what's happening in our local area and further afield and also catch up with friends and contacts. We welcome visitors and new members to our meetings - as a Rotarian you are welcome at any Rotary meeting anywhere in the world.

Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” and it inspires members to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards, and promote good will and peace in the world. ​
Helping the local community is one of the primary roles of Rotary and you may have seen Rotarians at work supporting communities without even realising it. 

At the Rotary Club of Maidenhead, we take our community service seriously.  We always strive to give back to the area in which we work and live.
  • Would you like the satisfaction of contributing to your local community?
  • Would you like to make new friends?
  • Have you any ideas for helping people in the local community and the surrounding area?
  • Are you interested in professional networking?

Contact Us

If you're interested in joining our club, want to find out more information or are looking for support for your charity or event please do get in touch.

Tweet us on: @MHeadRotary