On Sunday, 21^st April, 2013, 34 people set off around Burrator Reservoir on the Rotary Foundation Dog Walk organised by Plymouth Mayflower Rotary Club.

Our photograph shows participants as they arrived back for a welcome cup of coffee and hot pasty or two at the end of the circuit.  Plymouth Mayflower Rotarians were joined by friends and family as well as Rotarians from the Yelverton and Callington Clubs, with funds raised going towards the End Polio campaign.  The group was also accompanied by a myriad of very enthusiastic dogs of all shapes and sizes! 

Five members of Plymouth Mayflower Rotary Club have been awarded prestigious Paul Harris Fellow awards, in recognition of their long term and outstanding contributions to Rotary service.

Named after Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary in the USA, the awards can be bestowed by Rotary clubs on Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike. Those individuals honoured must meet high professional and personal standards and have made significant contributions to Rotary’s work or to the communities they serve.

Rotarians (L;R) Sue Wills, Richard Benjafield, Lesley Shorrocks, Paul Gale and Barbara Smith are seen here with Plymouth Mayflower Rotary Club President Phil Braide who had the pleasure of awarding them all Paul Harris Fellows.

 Plymouth Mayflower Club now has a father and daughter duo with Paul Harris Fellows.  Chris Shorrocks who has been a Rotarian for over 30 years and has held a Paul Harris for many years which was awarded by the Calne  Club in Wiltshire, is now joined by daughter Lesley Shorrocks who has been member of Plymouth Mayflower since 2000.

 

About us   

The Rotary Club of Plymouth Mayflower, chartered in 1997, provides the opportunity for those who share Rotary ideals to meet over breakfast and then to go about their normal daily business.

The criteria for a new Club in Plymouth was to extend the Rotary opportunity to a younger and more diverse group of community minded individuals who, perhaps, could not find the time to meet in the middle of or at end of the day.

At the time the Club was Chartered, none of the Founder Members were retired. The Club introduced people from the arts and leisure industries into the Rotary family and from the outset the Club embraced the dual gender principle - having the first Lady President in District 1290.

We are proud that this ideal, together with a young and vibrant membership, continues as the Club progresses into its teenage years.

Progress into adolescence has not been easy. Valuable founder members have left for a variety of reasons. Recruitment of new members into the Rotary movement has not been easy and this Club, which does not have the ready made fellowship conduit of a drink in the bar after the meeting, works hard to recruit new active and creative members.

The Club Leadership Plan, written and adopted during the 2007/8 Rotary year seeks to address this issue. We are confident that the Club will continue to grow, providing the opportunity for Rotary service in the Plymouth area for many years to come.

The Club has an extremely active social calendar, providing a mix of formal and informal events, where members can extend their Rotary "fellowship" as well as raising funds for local and international Charities.

Charities that have benefited from funds raised by members include: St.Lukes Hospice, Derriford Coronary and Baby Care Units, Jubilee Sailing Trust, Mustard Tree Appeal, and Hospital Radio – Plymouth.

As well as social events, the Club is active in supporting community projects within the City of Plymouth. For many years we provided the Christmas tree that adorned the main shopping piazza in Plymouth; we have regularly supported the popular "Music of the Night" event at Plymouth Citadel and we have assisted financially a project to provide a local inner city school with a "nature garden."

We have played a leading role with Rotary and local community activities such as Stroke Awareness, RYLA, the Soup Run, Plymouth Foodbank, the Cavitron Appeal and Kids Out.

International projects such as Shelterbox, REMIT, Sight Savers [Africa], Habitat for Humanity, Jaipur Limb, REMIT and the Tsunami Buy-a-Boat Appeal have been helped via donations from the Club.

Members have also been to Kosovo and Belarus to assist in providing humanitarian aid to these Countries.

The Club is a supporter of Rotary's own international Charity "The Rotary Foundation" where the Club's per capita donations, over many years, have been amongst the highest in the District.

Founder member, the late Kevin Farleigh, was District Governor in 2007/8. In doing so, he was the youngest District Governor ever appointed in District 1290.

We further stamped our mark on the District in July, 2011 when our founder President, Maxine Stoyel, became the District's first lady District Governor!

Having the name "Mayflower" within its name, this Club is proud of its association with "the New World" and is twinned with the Rotary Club of Plymouth Massachusetts.

……....not bad for an adolescent Club……….come and join us……..we meet at The Quality Hotel, Plymouth Hoe at 07.30 on Friday mornings………we look forward to seeing you……you will be assured of a warm welcome.

…………..or telephone 01752 406620 to speak to a Club representative.

(Photograph of Sunrise over Plymouth Sound with thanks to FreeDigitalPhotos.net)