We continue to meet electronically via Zoom and are active in the community. We will continue to do so for at least one meeting per month.  The second meeting of each month will be of a social nature.

If you would like to attend one of our meetings, please use the contact button at the bottom of this page to request the link.

A bit of history about Rotary in Darwen

The Rotary Club of Darwen formed in 1933 and brings together men and women to give service to our community and to enjoy good fellowship. We also raise funds to support local, national and international good causes.

The Club is active in all avenues of Rotary Service.  Darwen Rotarians have played leading roles in establishing Darwen's Old People's Welfare Centre, the Abbeyfield Society and our Probus Club.  The Club has a wide range of activities supporting local and international charities. The club recently undertook a project to build a Lego^© model of Darwen tower to raise £25,000 for local good causes, charities and community groups. We recently raised £100,000 for the restoration of Darwen's Jubilee Tower. The club runs other fund raising activities and these are distributed annually to local charities and good causes.

Internationally the Club sponsors the education of a child in Sri Lanka. In the last year we have organised the funding of  Shelterboxes and Aquaboxes and a dental clinic in Nigeria.

In 1959 proceeds from a Home Trade Exhibition formed the basis of the Rotary Club of Darwen Educational Fund.  Subsequent legacies from past Rotarians have helped this fund to grow and it assists young persons and educational establishments in the Darwen Area.  The Club is a supporter of Life Education Lancashire and there work in local primary  and secondary schools.  We have also established RotaKids groups in primary schools in the town and are in the process of establishing an Interact Group at one of the local Highschools.

Members are also active in many other spheres of local life, fulfilling the Rotary motto 'Service above Self'.

If this were not enough, Rotarians meet regularly to enjoy an evening together.

Darwen Tower

The most easily recognised symbol of Darwen. It stands on the moors overlooking the town and was built in 1897/8 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign.

On 11th November 2010 the dome and top section of the tower were blown off during a night of very strong winds that caused much damage across the area. Local businesses volunteered their services in repairing the tower and it was hoped to finish the work by the end of March but we waited until May 2011 for English Heritage's blessing. 

The replacement has been manufactured from stainless steel by apprentices at WEC engineering, a Darwen firm.

The new dome was lifted into place on Friday 13th January 2012 by helicopter. 

The Tower has suffered from the ravages of the weather over the years. We organise fund raising to have it repaired (see project details above)

Repairs got under way with scaffolding going up.

The Tower is now fully restored and open to the public.  The Council have installed a solid door and this is locked each evening and re-opend each morning by gamekeepers from the Lords Hall estate.