Rotarians promote peace

In Crowthorne, the centenary of the armistice that marked the end of World War I was marked with a very well-attended Remembrance Service at St John The Baptist Parish Church, where the guest preacher was Wing Commander The Revd David Norfield who attended St John's when he was a child. The service was followed by a wreath laying ceremony outside the church, where President Elect of the Rotary Club of Crowthorne & Sandhurst, Leigh Welham, laid a wreath on behalf of the Club.

While in Sandhurst, current President, Richard Lindo and Past President, Sian Lindo, represented the Rotary Club at another ceremony, together with representatives from other organisations in and around Sandhurst, including Sandhurst Military Academy, the Gurkhas and Sandhurst Corps of Drums.

Rotary had been in existence for less than a decade when WW1 started, having been founded in Chicago in 1905. Hundreds of Rotarians from Great Britain and North America served in the military during that war; hundreds more enlisted in the Red Cross, the YMCA, and various government departments. During World War II, Rotary clubs in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain were forced to disband. Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally, and after the war, Rotary members came together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.

Today, Rotary is committed to promoting peace and this isn’t only tackling the consequences of conflict. It means helping communities to overcome poverty, inequality and lack of access to education and key resources. In the UK, service projects include empowering young people to tackle bullying and enabling the protection of victims of domestic abuse.