President's message

I’m beginning my second Presidential Year, having served as Secretary for most of the period between my first Year (2018/19) and now. In 2018 I took on the Presidential job when I had been a member for only a year. Now, I know a bit more about the Club, about Rotary and about its members. But I don’t know everything!

Some say that being President is easy because you just have to make sure that others do the work. But my own working life, first as academic, then as electrical engineer, then as civil servant and finally as trade union officer has shown me that it’s not so easy to make sure that others do the work effectively. And if people don’t feel their contribution is effective and appreciated, they won’t make the effort or spare the time. Whether or not we’re still in employment, we all have many other things to do.

So my aim is to ensure that everything done for Rotary is worthwhile, satisfying and enjoyable. That’s the message we need to give to the local community as a whole and to people who could join us. Recruiting new members is vital. Our aim is to have at least 30 members (including corporate members) by 30 th June 2026. Developing contacts with local Hong Kong, Polish and Ukrainian communities is an important way to this.

We will be continuing the Christmas Santa Float which involves local charities in collecting typically £15000. Before then, we will present Rotary’s face at Fairs and other local events which also raise funds. We will seek out new projects to support the local community. We will focus on one or two international projects whilst being ready to respond quickly to emergencies.

All this should allow us to continue and develop the Club’s role as an enabler of effort by local organisations and charities, and to provide a variety of tasks members can do, according to their skills shown by audit.

We will provide clear and full information to members of what they can contribute through the Club. We will review meeting formats to suit members’ timetables, including those of younger members in work and corporate representatives. We can tailor jobs to the members, friends and other supporters available. We want everyone to contribute something worthwhile, and to obtain satisfaction and enjoyment from doing so.

Colin Myerscough

President 2025-26