Clwb Rotari Pwllheli Rotary Club 

  Gwasanaeth Uwch Hunan - Service Above Self

  District 1180 Website of the Year 2009

 

Picture of the week.  -  The north coast of Pen Llŷn.

For more pictures of this spectacular area, see 'Photo Galleries' on the top bar.

This picture and the pictures at the foot of this site show some of the scenery around Pen Llŷn, a relatively little known area of outstanding natural beauty in north-west Wales. We have sandy bays, coves, cliffs and sand dunes. We have hills adjacent and the mountains of Snowdonia nearby. There is sailing and golf to international standards at much lower cost than elsewhere. We have ancient sites and deeply spiritual places where pilgrims visit. We have abundent wildlife, superb seafood and an exceptional wild flora.

And we have Pwllheli Rotary Club.

A message from our President, Philip Horwood

 

What is Rotary and what does a Rotary Club do?

These questions were answered by Rotarian Ray Klinginsmith when he acceded to his post as President of Rotary International, 2010-11.

"Building Communities – Bridging Continents"  

Raising money for good causes is part of our purpose, but the paramount mission of Rotarians is to combine their individual skills and resources to enable them to make a real contribution to the lives of others both at home and overseas.  

Here in Pwllheli our Club has been Building Communities and Bridging Continents since our Charter in 1927. Although a small club, this has not prevented us from actively pursuing the Rotary goals and our achievements are welcomed by both local and international groups.  

But it's not all work! The fellowship of Rotary enables us to make friends in our community and Pwllheli club has a varied and interesting social calendar that provides a welcome distraction to an otherwise hectic life.   

If you are interested in joining us or would like to visit, please contact our secretary.   secretary@pwllheli.rotary1180.org

Croeso Cynnes/A Warm Welcome.

We are a small, friendly club of 16 members (and growing) with a wide range of experiences, interests and age.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom and some of the illustrations on this site aim to give you a flavour of the scenic attractions of the area.

Pwllheli is situated on Pen Llŷn (Llyn Peninsula) in North Wales. It has a relatively low population density for the UK and is remote from the industrial centres. It has a wonderful and varied coastline with a coastal path around much of its length. We are 'off the beaten track' and, being on a peninsula, travellers do not 'pass through' but have to make a special journey to visit us. As such, the attractions of our area are relatively little known. Tourism is important to the area but we are not swamped with tourists and we are not even discovered by most of the guidebooks. Off season, in particular, it is a haven of peace and tranquility.

Pen Llŷn is close to the mountainous area of Snowdonia with all of that area's well known attractions but enjoys a much sunnier and milder climate, in fact it boasts some of the highest sunshine figures in the UK and regularly tops the charts as the sunniest place in Britain.

North Wales has a very strong cultural heritage and Pen Llŷn is a stronghold for the Welsh language which is the first language in most schools.

This part of Wales is steeped in history with one of the finest, though little known, iron age sites in Europe, Tre'r Ceiri. It has strong connections with the Arthurian legends and there is a growing academic opinion that King Arthur's last battle was at Cadlan, near the end of the peninsula, and that Avelon, where he died of his wounds was in fact the Island of Bardsey (Ynys Enlli) situated just off the end of the peninsula.

Bardsey has been a place of religious pilgrimage for centuries ever since Pope Callixtus II (1119-24) granted 'indulgences' for people travelling these routes. It reached its height in Mediaeval times but is enjoying a renaissance with visitors from all over the world coming to walk the ancient routes down the Llyn peninsula to Aberdaron and, if the weather is fair, perhaps on to Bardsey.

New Members and Visitors

We may be a small club but we are very active, as you will see from other parts of this site. We certainly need more members so if you live in our area or are thinking of moving here, please come and join us. But also, if you are a Rotarian planning to visit our area, as a tourist maybe or possibly a pilgrim, you would be most welcome to join us at our regular meetings during the period of your stay. In this way, we can keep in touch with the outside world and we may be able to help you find some of the hidden gems of our undiscovered area.

 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) 2009

The Rotary Club of Pwllheli is a strong supporter of RYLA and in 2009 sponsored two young people on the course organised by Oswestry Borderland at The Outdoor Education Centre at Arthog on the Mawdach estuary.

The one week course took place in August 2009 and 36 young people from District 1180 attended. The course is led by a very experienced leader who gives his services free of charge each year and aims to encourage leadership skills and teamwork through outdoor pursuit activities.

The students we sponsored were selected by the Pwllheli Youth Project CIP which is also strongly supported by Pwllheli Rotary and which is doing some excellent work with the young people of Pwllheli. The two students Enzo and Mathew together with leaders from CIP came to our meeting on 8th October 2009 to give a presentation about the week and what they had gained from the week. The meeting was also attended by Merrick Corfield of Oswestry Borderland and the Mayor of Pwllheli.

It was abundantly clear from the presentations that the lads had drawn some huge benefits from the course. They were full of enthusiasm and humour and it underlined to all rotarians present how worthwhile the RYLA courses are.

Special thanks to Merrick Corfield from Oswestry Borderlands for his work as course director.

 

 

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) 2010

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) course is held at the Outdoor Education Centre at Arthog on the Mawdach estuary in Gwynedd.

The 2010 course will be 22 - 27 August 2010 when 36 students sponsored by Rotary Clubs in District 1180 (North-west Wales, Wirral, Merseyside) will be invited to attend.

The quality of the learning on our RYLA event resulted in the course being HIGHLY COMMENDED in the National Training Awards in 2007.  

For full details of the course please click on the RYLA heading near the top left of this page.

RYLA courses are for young adults who are potential leaders from diverse backgrounds.

Whether you are a secondary school student, university student or young professional, RYLA provides a unique opportunity to learn, grow, have fun and make new friends.

The RYLA experience prepares young people to be leaders in their community, profession and other facets of everyday life.

RYLA will help you to:

·         Develop leadership skills

·         Increase self confidence

·         Gain exposure to a variety of issues and people

·         Improve career skills and knowledge

But most of all, you will have a great time (talk to Mathew or Enzo about last year's course).

Two applicants have now been accepted and will take up their places on the course in August. 

More news soon.

 

Club Information Leaflet

 

We have produced a new up-to-date leaflet about Pwllheli Rotary Club and about Rotary in general and our Membership Secretary would be pleased to send you one. These can be requested by using the 'Contact Form' facility at the top of this page.

Alternatively the leaflets are available to download as pdf files which you may be able to print off for yourself. The leaflet is available in CYMRAEG HERE  or in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE HERE

Some of the Scenic Attractions in our area - for more, see the photo galleries.

 

Porth Neigwl or Hell's Mouth faces south west into the prevailing wind. It could be hell for sailing ships in the past but is now a top surfing location.

 

The winter of 2009/10 was unusually severe and ice formed in some of the sea estuaries. This photograph is taken from a train on the spectacular Cambrian Coast Line which starts at Pwllheli.

 

Pwllheli Marina, one of the finest natural harbours in Britain with access at all states of the tide. It is also a top sailing centre with International Regattas and training facilities for the Olympic Games all surrounded on this day by snow capped mountains. 

Aberdaron, the most westerly village on the Llŷn Peninsula and destination for pilgrims with its ancient church virtually 'on the beach.'

The Venue of our Meetings

 Nanhoron Arms Hotel      http://www.nanhoronhotel.com

Our Club meets generally every Thursday at 18.30 for dinner at 19.00 at the Nanhoron Hotel, Nefyn, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 6EA, North Wales. Tel 01758 720203. This applies for most of the year except during the month of August when the venue varies. Details of the August venues will be given at the bottom of this page or by going to 'Meetings' and 'Events' above.

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Feedback on this Website

 

This site is under development and the content will change regularly so please keep checking the site. Our 'Content Manager' is Ian Wood who is a relatively new rotarian with little experience of Rotary and even less experience of websites. Nevertheless he has taken up the challenge of improving our website and would welcome any comments and suggestions.

mailto:it@pwllheli.rotary1180.org

In the next 30 days..

29/07/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Club Coucil Meeting.  
05/08/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Coastal Walk and meal.  The walk will start and finish at the Fusion Restaurant, Llanbedrog with alternative routes depending on weather and ability. Start 6.30 at the Fusion car park.
12/08/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Shakespeare at Harlech Castle.  Romeo and Juliet will be performed by touring company "Illyria" in the grounds of Harlech Castle. 7.30pm.
22/08/2010  Club Weekly Meeting -  Open Garden at Y Felin, Sarn followed by BarBQ.  The garden of Betty and Ian Wood at Y Felin, Sarn will be open to the public between 2pm and 5pm on Sunday 22nd August 2010, addmission £2.50, children free. Refreshments will be available. Proceeds 50% to Rotary, 50% to Aberdaron Church.

Last Meeting

23/07/2010 Topic: Charter Dinner
For details see "Events"