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| Mike Neville, August 2008 | |||
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The Rotary Club of Rushden
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Implementation of the Charter During the summer of 1934 exploratory discussions were held under the auspices of The Kettering Rotary Club with 12 prominent local men in attendance, and it was decided to form The Rotary Club of Rushden. Our Charter was implemented in February 1935 with C.W.Horrell, Boot and Shoe Manufacturer, installed as the club’s first president, and the yearly subscription was set at 2 guineas [£2.10] along with territorial limits of 5 miles from Rushden agreed upon for membership. The annual subscription remained at 2 guineas until 1948 when it was increased to 2½ guineas, and later on in those early days increased again to £3 per year! As far as records reveal, the club at that time started with 23 founder members, increasing to 34 during the first 12 months. Most members came from varying connections within the footwear industry (which was prominent in Rushden at that time), along with other classifications from building, local government, pharmacy, religion, machinery, motor engineering, retail, education, law, banking, etc. ‘Rotary’ was started back in 1905 by Paul Harris in Chicago with businessmen getting together as a small group, to meet regularly with the aim of friendship and to put a service back into their local community for people who were less fortunate than themselves – the Rotary motto being ‘Service above Self’. At the formation of the Rushden Club, Rotary was only represented in two other county towns – Northampton (1921) and Kettering (1930) – but, over more recent years, the Rushden Club has been instrumental in helping the formation of clubs in Wellingborough, Thrapston & Raunds, Rushden Chichele, and is at the present time (2008) working towards setting up a third club within Rushden. Community Service In those early days the Rotary Club of Rushden arranged annual pantomime visits for children from Eastfield Home; Christmas parcels for the poor and needy; help with mentally handicapped children’s groups; annual holidays for a needy family being taken to Skegness (firstly in a caravan and later on in a flat); help with projects at Hinwick Hall; transport for Darby & Joan Club and for physically handicapped; lighted Christmas tree in Rushden and floodlighting of the church, along with many other projects. The first charitable donations recorded were 2 guineas given to a Miss Baxter, ‘ill and in distressed circumstances’, and 5 guineas towards Rushden Motor Ambulance. In 1937 the Town Council agreed to The Rotary Club furnishing a room at Rushden Hall for daily use by pensioners. At that time support was also given to Rushden Sanatorium by providing apparatus. Meetings Weekly meetings over the years were held at ‘The Waverley’, ‘The Coffee Tavern’, ‘Green Dragon’, ‘Queen Back in those early days, minutes were recorded in copper-plate handwriting, in biro, later produced on a typewriter, and now, in the 21st century, produced by word-processing and on computer to record activities and meetings undertaken over the years. During the War the Club became a Community Service Committee and two trawlers (HMS Dulcibell and HMS Strathergie) were adopted and supplied with comforts including 1,400 cigarettes per month to each, plus knitwear, games, etc, and correspondence exchanged with the crews. The Inner Wheel Club In 1947, after the War, The Rotary Club formed The Inner Wheel Club of Rushden, being the ladies (wives) of Rotarians, and, in 1950, assisted with the formation of Rushden Round Table. During the early 1950s the club decided to increase to 40 members, and in the early1960s discussions took place regarding linking (twinning) with a Rotary Club from Kampen, Service within the local community continued at a pace and records reveal Christmas parcels and special hampers were distributed locally at that time.
On the social side Rotarians played cricket and went ten‑pin bowling at Chelveston USAF Base with friendly matches against other local organisations. Even a Donkey Derby was held at the Ski Club in aid of the Hinwick Hall extension scheme and the installation of a lift which, in 1965 with £1,000 raised, was considered to be highly successful. Members of the Club also carried out the judging of parade entries at Rushden Carnival. These were popular events held during June of each year, and were always well supported within the town by the whole community, young and old! The Probus Club Moving on into the 1970s, The Rotary Club was instrumental in setting up Rushden Probus Club at the beginning of 1974, and the following year Thrapston & Raunds Rotary Club was formed with Rushden as its sponsors. At the end of the decade the club put together a book on ‘Old Rushden’ that sold out prior to publication. A reprint was carried out with the final account in 1980 showing a profit of £7,000. 1982 saw the formation of ‘Rushden Rotaract Club’, again out of sponsorship by The Rotary Club, with 25 members of our ‘younger generation’ providing ‘hands‑on’ help with our community. 1984 brought about a second book being published, ‘Old Higham’, which again proved to be a popular success. The club continued to meet at ‘The Queen Victoria Hotel’ (later known as ‘The Rilton’) and, in 1985, celebrated its 50th year in Rushden as a Service organisation. Many local and international projects were supported during the ’80s and a group of senior members took up the challenge to form a second Rotary Club in the town. The Rotary Club of Rushden Chichele was chartered in 1987 with their meetings being held on Monday evenings as opposed to The Rotary Club of Rushden meeting at lunchtime on Fridays. Eradication of Polio In the late 1980s the club supported the Rotary International project to finance and eradicate Polio throughout the entire world by the turn of the century (Year 2000). The task is still not complete, but continues making substantial inroads to the remaining isolated countries with children being immunised in large numbers at a pace. At a local level the club has held writing competitions, mock interviews, Youth Speaks, Public speaking within schools to help the younger generation. Encouragement is given by Rotary for use of ‘The Life Education Caravan’, with site visits to our local schools to demonstrate and promote healthy living and the avoidance of the dangers of the misuse of drugs and smoking. Our club was involved in the setting up of this mobile unit during the 1990s and continues to support it today with fund raising projects. Christmas Parade collections; Auction of Promises; Silent Auctions; annual Young Musician events; transport for ‘The Disabled Club’; sponsored Swimarathons; humanitarian aid taken by club members to Bosnia, Croatia and Romania to help refugees in camps. Aid has also been sent to On the social side the club has held golf tournaments, quizzes, pub‑game evenings, bowls tournaments, with a ‘light’ but very competitive spirit maintained throughout the membership. At the turn of the year 2000 ‘The Club’ was meeting at Rushden & Diamonds FC, but in 2005 moved to its present venue at John White’s Golf Club. A Century of Service 2005 saw the centenary of Rotary throughout the world with both Rushden Rotary Clubs teaming up to support funding a new dais within the ‘ One of our biggest fund raisers over recent years in the annual ‘Trolley Dash’ held just prior to Christmas with the kind support of Rushden supermarket ‘Waitrose’, and the beneficiaries being very worthwhile local charities serving and working within our district for the benefit of local people – Air Ambulance; Local Hospices; Cancer Support organisations, etc. This, even now, produces around £4,000 profit annually towards such good causes. In February 2010 The Rotary Club of Rushden will celebrate 75 years of activity within the local, national, and international community. At the present time it has 48 members, but is always prepared to look to the local public for support. Our motto throughout the world remains as ‘Service above Self’. |
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