The Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds meets on Tuesday evenings at the Bury St Edmunds & Farmers Club

6.30 for 7pm Dinner - Jacket and tie requested

2nd Tuesday 5.45 to 6.30pm Fellowship


Welcome to the website of the Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds.

Bury St Edmunds has two Rotary clubs: the Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds and the Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds Abbey. 

The Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds celebrated its 80th Charter Anniversary in February 2019 - and will celebrate its 85th Anniversary in 2024. 

Our Club meets weekly and currently has 25 members, with an average attendance at weekly meetings of around 18. We enjoy fellowship, serve the local community, raise money for good causes, and establish lasting friendships. We are an active club, one whose ambitions exceed our resources at present. Most of our members are in their fifties or retired and keen to put their skills to further use. 

Visiting Rotarians are always welcome and we seek new members. You are welcome to come to a Fellowship evening (second Tuesday of the month). You may prefer to come to a Dinner & speaker meeting (£24 for a three-course meal). For Dinners, please let us know by the preceding Friday evening using the contact link at the top of this page so that we can arrange a meal for you.

Every Club member belongs to a committee. 

Our Community committee, chaired by Lucy Perkins, meets regularly throughout the year to consider requests for funding assistance received from local charities and other worthwhile causes. 

Our International committee, chaired by Jenny Benfield, responds to requests for immediate help after natural disasters and supports on-going projects such as lendwithcare. Our 'pandemic' project has led to Bury St Edmunds becoming a Toilet-Twinned Town. 

Paul Rossi maintains our links with the Rotary Foundation. Our Club has supported a project in Nepal though a Rotary Global Grant. We have planted 5,000+ crocuses in Parkway , BSE, in support of End Polio Now.  The Club supports the Rotary Post-graduate Peace Scholarships with placements at the Universities of Cambridge and East Anglia. Each year at least one Scholar visits the Club and gives a presentation of their work. 

The Vocational & Youth committee, chaired by Sue Barrett, works with local schools and also arranges our Club visits. Secondary School events include annual public-speaking competitions (Years 9 and 12) and our Service above Self Awards held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. As part of the Rotary Dictionaries 4 Life project we gave dictionaries to 80 pupils in two of our local primary schools. 

As a Club, we usually fund one placement on the highly-regarded District 1080 Rotary Youth Leadership Award Course (RYLA). Two Club members also offer support as mentors to young people in the locality as they prepare for their RYLA Course.  For futher details www.ryla.co.uk

Prior to the pandemic, Club trips have included visits to West Suffolk House, Greene King, and the West Suffolk College Milburn Centre.

The Fund-raising committee, chaired by Alan Bedford is always on the look-out for new fundraising ideas. At present, we have  three annual projects: a Charity Golf Day in September, the Christmas Santa collections and an Charity Swimarathon in March. 

 

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Lendwithcare is an initiative of Care International UK

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Sunday 17 March 2024 at Abbeycroft Leisure Centre, BSE 12.00 - 5.00pm

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took place on September 27, 2023, at the Bury St Edmunds Golf Club. A wonderful day with twenty-two teams competing.

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Club member and guests gather around as Joint-President Ray Webber presents Geraldine with a donation to Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Two special visitors joined Club members and guests at our Summer Buffet meeting

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6.30 for 7pm Dinner - Jacket and tie requested 2nd Tuesday 5.45 to 6.30pm Fellowship

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