About Us
The Rotary Club of Bracknell was inaugurated on 7 July, 1962, our Mother Club being Ascot. Our Charter was presented in March, 1962. This year we are celebrating our Golden Jubilee with a 50th Anniversary Dinner on 12th June 2012. Please see the article published under Events.
For the greater part of its life the Rotary Club of Bracknell has enjoyed a membership of 20-30 members. The membership fell below the 30 mark but with the changes to membership requirements we are gaining new members and the future looks good. Our Rotary Club is dual gender. The Club has always been run on Rotary International guide lines and over the years the Service Committees have helped very many deserving causes and from these activities have sprung longer commitments. In the past, the Rotary Club of Bracknell has combined with other organisations to run events. Currently our main event is the Three Counties Cycle Ride which attracts some 600 riders and has over the years raised over £385,000 for a variety of deserving charities. Money was raised from these events for such causes as Freedom from Hunger, the Air Ambulance, Thames Valley Hospicecare, Heart Radio Children’s Charity, Age Concern (Bracknell Forest , Motor Neuron Disease Association, PEACH (Autism) and many other local and national causes.
From its inception the Rotary Club of Bracknell has held a Town Centre collection each Christmas, spread over two days, thereby raising considerable funds to assist the local community.
Other ongoing commitments include a Carol Service and we take part in a literacy programme assisting local Primary Schools. We are trying to increase Cancer Awareness in Schools, we organise a Stroke Awareness programme in Charles Square in Bracknell, help and run a Young Chef Competition, make Christmas Street Collections and help Age Concern with the packing and distribution of Christmas hampers.
The Rotary Club of Bracknell instigated the inception of the Rotaract Club of Bracknell which was a very successful organisation for young men and women in the 18 to 31 age range. Unfortunately, after years of successful service in the community, the Rotaract Club closed due to lack of members. We would be very interested in hearing from anyone willing to help our Club restart the Rotaract Club.
We were responsible for the formation of Easthampstead Rotary Club, with full support of Ascot and Wokingham Clubs.
Over the years we have also been instrumental in forming a Probus Club, a Retirement Association and also a Victim Support Group.
We are particularly proud of our past contribution to Polio Plus a world wide project of Rotary International which has virtually eliminated Polio in all except a very few countries. We also support projects jointly with Rotary Foundation.
On the social side we have consistently supported the District Darts' Competition by entering two/three teams each of 4 players. Our 'A' team have won the competition no less than 9 times. We regularly have an International meal at various local restaurants, have enjoyed an evening of skittles, a canal boat ride and spent a couple of days in Calais as guests of the Calais Rotary Club and many other social trips and visits. In the autumn of 2008, the club organised two trips: Luxembourg and Bruges and in 2009 are organising a Weekend Away to Rye. In October 2011 we held a weekend away in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons in Wales.
We have participated in and supported many Civic occasions and each year a large part of our membership joins the Royal British Legion in their annual Act of Remembrance (wreath laying ceremony and procession) at the Town War Memorial and at the Civic Service which follows, for Remembrance Sunday.
In January 2011 we organised our first Burns’ Night Charity Dinner in aid of Help for Heroes and as this was successful we held another on 21st January 2012 raising £1000 for the charity.
Why not join us for a meeting? The location is the Bracknell Old Manor Hotel. For more information please Contact Us.
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