Reading Abbey Rotary Club is one of six Rotary Clubs in and around Reading. You probably already realise that Rotary exists to:

• Help others through volunteering, fund raising and community service
• Facilitate the making of new friends and business contacts

What you may not have realised is how much fun this can be!  What sets Reading Abbey apart from other clubs is the people, men and women from all walks of life, bringing a variety of knowledge and experience to everything we do. We are an irreverent bunch!  The conversation is lively and the social calendar busy. We like to pitch in and contribute to our big events but we accept that family and work come first.

If you fancy the idea of putting something back and having fun at the same time then you will find a welcome with us, regardless of how much time you can afford. Come and get stuck in and see for yourself.

We meet weekly, on Thursday evenings and once a month on Zoom.  We have recently relocated our "home" to The Hilton Hotel in Reading.  We start with networking at the bar, followed by dinner and then listening to, and interacting with, an interesting speaker on a topic of general interest.  

Service Above Self 

The events we are most proud of are our community projects and big fundraisers. We call it "Service Above Self".  These provide the best opportunities for us all to work together, building camaraderie as we make a difference.  There are always tasks to suit any ability and we love putting a smile on the faces of the people involved.

Take a look here for a pdf summarising our very impressive portfolio of 15 current projects. 

Leaflets summarising these activities is also available here for corporate members and here for personal members.  Some highlights:

Duck Race

Building on our very successful Duck race last year, we did it again on Saturday 14th September over the same course - the Kennet canal at Reading Oracle Shopping Centre.

We raised almost £5,000 for charities. 

Children in Need

Every year we coordinate with other Rotary Clubs in the Reading area to raise funds for the BBC's Children in Need charity - selling gifts at Reading Station and at the Oracle Shopping Centre in mid-Novermber.

We raised almost £12,000 for Children in Need this year.  

LaunchReading

Rotary Club has developed and delivers LaunchReading, a significant training course for new entrepreneurs in the Reading Area.  Click here for our dedicated website. 

We're made a 2 minute movie introducing the course. 

Our first LaunchReading course started in March 2023 and 10 weeks later the vast majority of our "students" had completed the course, developed their business plans and successfully pitched their business to funders and supporters.  A significant number have received grants of up to £1500 from the Reading’s Economy & Destination Agency (REDA).    

Since then we've run 4 more LaunchReading courses and a total of around 50 new entrepreneurs have started their businesses with our help.  

We are taking expressions of interest in the next course which starts in Q4 2025.    

 Rotary Club of Reading Abbey Privacy Notice

Join us!

Interested in joining Reading Abbey Rotary Club? - or just meeting us to see what it is all about? - Contact our Membership Lead Fred McCrindle on 07734 810238 or email membership@rarc.org.uk.