The
Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley is one of the youngest Rotary Clubs in
Suffolk. It was inaugurated in October 2002 and received its charter on 24th
January 2003.
The
club belongs to District 1080 of the worldwide Rotary International movement.
Our members subscribe to all the core beliefs of the Rotary movement (its motto
being ‘Service Above Self’) but we have adopted a more informal and less
traditional profile for our club, choosing to operate in ways we consider to be
more appropriate to a service organisation of the 21st century.
During
its relatively short existence our club has raised many thousands of pounds and
contributed a great deal of hands-on assistance to support the work of local
and international projects.
Abroad
the club supports worldwide Rotary initiatives to eradicate polio and increase
the provision of clean water supplies in the Third World. It is also providing
direct monetary and practical support to the development of a children’s home
in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.
Among
local projects we have recently assisted are the East Anglian Children’s
Hospice, the East Suffolk Child Development Service’s Laurel Centre in
Stowmarket, the Jubilee Court home for the elderly in Stowupland and the East
Suffolk Mind mental health charity. Many other local organisations and
individuals have benefited from our help, and we also support local students on
recognised projects and youth leadership courses.
The
club has a strong programme of social events (some designed to raise funds,
others just to provide entertainment) in addition to its regular meetings,
which are held on Thursday evenings at the Cedars Hotel, Stowmarket.
The
club currently has 20 members, both men and women. We welcome applications for
membership from anyone living and/or working in the Mid Suffolk area.
