In June the Club is proud to host the renown African Children's Choir who will perform in a special one-night only concert at the Edgcumbe Theatre, Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth. For further details please access the event in our forthcoming programme pages.

The 1st February, 2017 was a red letter day in the Club's history marking as it did, the 20th anniversary of the Club's Charter. The Club has left its teenage years, at last, and celebrated its "adulthood" at a well attended Charter Night Dinner held at the Wet Wok restaurant on Plymouth Hoe.

On 29th January, 2017, the area surrounding the Sherwell at  Centre Plymouth University on Plymouth"™s North Hill was alive with wonderful music performed by some of the best young musicians in Devon and Cornwall.

Rotary District 1175 held their District Finals of this National competition featuring young people under the age of 17 who have a particular talent and passion for performing. Three vocalists and 4 instrumentalists competed for a place in the Regional Final to be held in March.

The audience were in awe of the three vocalists, all with different approaches to their singing, from the classical Caccini to musical theatre and the jazz number Feeling good. Alice Blackler from Plymouth exhibited wonderful stage presence and poise in her musical theatre pieces, Katherine Gregory from Truro impressed everyone with her beautiful tonal quality and Cameron Mills from Hatherleigh gave a strong and convincing rendition of Feeling Good.

Then came two violinists, Rachel Pankhurst from Bideford and James Culwick from Okehampton along with a pianist, Jack Thomas from Ivybridge and Fred Bareham, a clarinettist from Truro. All gave commanding and engaging performances from the sensitive and emotional "Remembrances" from Schindler"™s List and Clair de Lune by Debussy to the poetic and passionate Schumann for clarinet and the stirring piano prelude by Rachmaninoff.

The adjudicators were Simon Ible, Director of Music at Peninsular Arts, Dr Tim Watson, saxophonist and ex Royal Marine Musician and Rebecca Smith Vocal soloist, and they had the unenviable task of selecting a winner and runner up in each category to go through to the Regional Final. The winner in the Vocal section was Katherine Gregory and the runner up Cameron Mills. For the instrumentalists the winner was Fred Bareham, clarinettist, and the runner up was pianist Jack, nominated by the Rotary Club of Plymouth Mayflower 

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 through 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, SSAFA, 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 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, the Special Olympics 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 07.30 on Friday mornings....we look forward to seeing you....you will be assured of a warm welcome.

Alternatively, telephone 01752 406620 to speak to a Club representative.

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