District Governor's Visit

The Rotarian movement faces three main challenges – arresting the decline in membership, completing the eradication of polio and embracing the use of technology.

This was claimed by District Governor Arthur Jones, the leading figure of the 1190 area, embracing 69 clubs in Cumbria and most of Lancashire, when he spoke to the Rotary Club of Barrow-in-Furness recently.

He was confident polio would be eradicated world wide by 2019, with the last case reported in 2017, but he said the last push to reach the goal would be the most expensive.

As for arresting the decline in District membership he said it had slipped over the past 20 years from 63,500 members to the current 53,000.

“If it goes on,“ he said, “in 20 years the average age of Rotarians will be 92!

“We must bring in people from a younger age group. Older members are still seen as important but we must attract younger people who now have a different working style which we need to accommodate.”

He said the setting up of “satellite” clubs had proved a great success for Rotary – but not in District 1190. A satellite club is one which meets at a different time and place from its mother club.

“We need fresh ideas and we all need to raise our profile - we are more than money raisers. The service we give to communities is important and we must support people in poverty.

“When the time given by Rotarians worldwide was turned into dollar value, it was so high it impressed the world of corporate business.”   

Arthur is a keen motor-cyclist and travels to many of his club visits on his BMW.