RIBI Archives - Swanage and Purbeck Rotary

Swanage Rotary has been able to attract a significant number of new members to the club in the current Rotary year, so we thought we’d ask one of them, Chris LeFevre, what attracted him to the club.

“I joined Rotary in 2008 as a member of the Abingdon Vesper Club in Oxfordshire. One of the great advantages of being a Rotarian is being able to visit Rotary clubs around the world. Wherever you happen to be you can go along to the meeting of the local club and you find an instant network of new friends and contacts. It is also an excellent way of getting to know a particular town or area. I took advantage of this opportunity when visiting Swanage and when we decided to move to Purbeck I had no hesitation in requesting a transfer of my membership to the Rotary Club of Swanage and Purbeck. The process is very straightforward and I was made most welcome from the very start.

My former Club prided itself on punching above its weight with a number of major projects. Swanage and Purbeck seems even more active with an incredible number of events running through the year making Rotary a real part of everyday life in Swanage. I have also been impressed by the innovative Business Partners programme run by the Club and the strong commitment to the welfare of all members. I’m looking forward to getting actively involved and, I hope, making a positive contribution to this awesome Club!”

It’s great to hear that we seem to be doing the right things in attracting membership to Swanage Rotary and we look forward to Chris and our other new members playing an active part in the activities and events that the club runs.

Thanks Chris!

The weather may have taken a nasty turn for the worse, but nothing stops Swanage Rotarians from carrying on with their planned activities and there’s been quite a lot going on over the past week or so.

At our meeting on 21st February we were delighted to welcome PCSO Iain Leslie and his wife Kerrie to our meeting. Iain has been recognised for his superb work in the local community by being awarded a Rotary Dorset Police Award and the picture shows President Ro and Community & Vocational Committee Chairman Maggie presenting Iain with his certificate. Iain spoke passionately about how much he feels welcomed in the local community and how much he enjoys working and living in the area.

Last Saturday (25th) saw the Silver ~~Sunday~~ Saturday event, postponed from October 2017, take place at Emmanuel Baptist Church with 80 friends. At the same time, Swanage and Purbeck Rotary took the opportunity to celebrate Rotary’s 113th birthday which was reached earlier last week.

Afternoon tea with delicious cakes and sandwiches were greatly enjoyed as was the music kindly provided by Jacqui, Angus and Amanda. The celebration birthday cake was made by Wendy Quayle and was cut by President Elect Linda Winter and Rotarian Hubert Pierce. The event was provided free of charge but guests did make generous donations for Dementia Friendly /Admiral Nurses and £ 130.75 will be added to their funds.

Organisers Rotarians Maggie Hardy and Mo Andrews would like to thank all those who contributed to the very successful afternoon in any way. See our Facebook page for more photos.

Then, at our meeting this week, and despite the sub-zero temperatures and howling gale, we decamped from our usual venue to meet at The Knoll House Hotel in Studland. This was actually the meeting venue for the very first meeting of Swanage Rotary back in 1959. Aside from it being a Fellowship event, to which more than 30 people attended, we were delighted to welcome another two new members to the club – Tracy Tennant (the new General Manager of the Knoll House), and Chris LeFevre, who has recently moved to Purbeck and has transferred to us from Abingdon Vesper RC.
Tracy and Chris were formally inducted and welcomed to the club and both were invited to say a few words. With the formalities over, everyone present enjoyed a sumptuous two course meal from the Knoll House kitchen, followed by coffee and tea.

Grateful thanks goes to the management and staff of the Knoll House for hosting us so well and we look forward to Tracy and Chris integrating fully into the club and its activities.

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