The Rotary Club of Leicester is one of the oldest and largest
Rotary Clubs in the United Kingdom, with over 80 members, drawn from men and women
living in, or whose business serves, the City of Leicester.
In today's increasingly busy working environment where lunch breaks
are rarely taken, it is pleasant to get away to lunch and interact with fellow members of
the local business and professional community on a regular weekly basis, for just a short
time.
The Club's accent is on fellowship, and on service projects for
the benefit of those less fortunate than oursleves. Directly, and through the
worldwide Rotary movement, our Club cares for the local community and for the world
through our international service, particularly in developing countries such as water
purification and supply projects. Equally, Rotary cares for the people of the
world through programmes such as the Rotary Foundation which among many
other things provides scholarships for young people to study in other countries.
The Foundation is also leading PolioPlus - a 20 year
campaign started in 1985 in partnership with international and national bodies with the
aim of totally eliminating the scourge of polio. Over 75 million children and adults
at risk were immunised on a single day as part of the Polio Plus campaign.
In addition to the Club's work in practical community, vocational
and international assistance and fund-raising, throughout the year there are a
range of social events such as visits to firms and other places of interest to which
partners and friends are invited. There are also many opportunities to join
with Rotarians from other Clubs who share similar outside interests. The Club also
has an active golf section.
What is Rotary?
Rotarians are business and professional leaders who take an active
role in their communities while greatly enriching their personal and professional lives. A
Rotary Club contains a diverse group of professional leaders from the community that the
club serves.
Founded in 1905 by Chicago attorney Paul P. Harris, Rotary
International is a world-wide, non-political, non-religous and non-sectarian organisation
for business and professional men and women. From that original Chicago Club -
called Rotary, because originally the meetings rotatated from the business premises of one
member to another each week - today the movement has over 30,000 Rotary Clubs with over
1.2 million members in over 160 countries. (Follow this link for more
information on the history of Rotary.)
Membership in a Rotary
Club offers the opportunity for effecting change within the community, for meeting other
business and professional people, and to advance understanding of - and have an impact on
- international humanitarian issues.
Every Rotarian is a welcome
visitor at meetings of any other Rotary Club worldwide - a particular attraction for those
who travel, locally, nationally or internationally, whether on business or for pleasure.
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy
enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the
worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as
an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and
community life;
FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a
world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Who can join?
The Rotary Club of Leicester always welcomes business and
professional men and women of good character living in, or serving, the area, who are able
to meet the obligations of Rotary membership, and in particular regular attendance at
Rotary meetings in either their own or any other Club, and participation in some part of
the Club's programmes of community, vocational and international service.
The Club retains the traditional Rotary aim of having as its
"Active" members one representative of each of the main businesses and
professions of the Club's territory, but those retiring become Past Service members and
longer serving members still working are encouraged to move to Senior Active membership so
that their professional or business "classification" is released for a new, and
probably younger, member, while it is now also possible to have Additional Active members.
