Our Town and Club

History of Rugby


Rugby, the home of Rugby Football, is located in the north-east of the county of Warwickshire in the heart of England, and has excellent road and rail connections via the M6 and M1 motorways and National Rail Network to London, Birmingham, Coventry, Northampton and other major cities. The National Exhibition Centre of the UK is located on the East side of Birmingham next to Birmingham International airport and railway station. Other local attractions such as Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, and the outstanding Cotswold countryside can be explored from the town.

At the time of the Great Doomsday survey , the town was known as Rocheberie - 'roche' meaning stone and 'berie' important place. At its foundation it had 10 inhabitants. Later, it was known as Rokeby, and it wasn't until the 18th century that its current name was adopted. Today it is a modern and vibrant place, specialising in distribution, but with reminders of its past as a market town and centre of heavy industry. 

Rugby has become world famous for the game which takes its name from the town, a game inspired by Rugby Schoolboy William Webb Ellis's act of picking up the ball and running with it. The game is played by a number of countries and every four years the Rugby World Cup is competed for.  Visitors can walk the Pathway of Fame and celebrate the history of rugby football and commemorate some of its most notable players and events.

 





Rugby School, with its impressive Victorian buildings, was the inspiration for the novel Tom Brown's School Days written by Thomas Hughes MP in 1856. Hughes - a former pupil of the school - who studied under the famous Dr Arnold - went on to found the town of  Rugby in the state of Tennessee, USA. Another famous citizen of the town, and pupil of the school, was the poet Rupert Brooke whose most famous line is "If I should die, think only this of me, that there's some corner of a foreign field that is forever England".

In 1936 Sir Frank Whittle began working at British Thompson-Houston in Rugby and a year later had built the world's first jet engine.

The Rugby Rotary Club was founded in 1922 and on July 22nd that year was affiliated to Rotary International in Britain & Ireland and became its 85th member and the 1317th club in the world (See Club history) We are one of the few Clubs to meet fortnightly: on 1st, 3rd and 5th Friday of each month, for lunch,  

Since the Club's inception it has been heavily involved in community work in Rugby and can claim a number of firsts such as our "Sports Day for the Disabled" - begun in 1985 and now an annual event. Such projects help us to adhere to the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self"

Although the Club is active in various other projects both local and international we also believe in enjoying ourselves and have a varied programme of social events and fund raising activities throughout the year in which most members participate. 

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Installation of an Hydro Electric Power Supply in the village of Chepel, Nepal

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In June 2022 our club was a hundred years old. In celebration of this the club initiated a centenary project in conjunction with Rugby Borough Council and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust to upgrade a section of the Great Central Way in Rugby.

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Two travel scholarships of up to £500 each are being offered to young people (up to age 28) whose career options may be improved by study outside the UK. Print off application form

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History of Rugby

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3 Rotary Clubs - of Rugby, Rugby Dunsmore, and Rugby Saturday Breakfast organise a Music Bursary Scheme for the children of Rugby (Under 18s) which is run in conjunction with the County Music Service.

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Planting crocus bulbs for the Rotary International Purple 4 Polio Campaign, and admiring the results!

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The Rugby Rotary clubs help Rugby Sport for the Disabled Association run an annual Sports Day

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A pack of dog walkers, with trusty four legged friends - ready for the off

The Rotary Club of Rugby organised "Dog Walk 2018" to raise money (over £1000) for the charity "Dogs For Good".

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Visit to the Abesu Housing Project in Zambia by member Laurence Wilbraham

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International links, Aabenraa, Russelsheim

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Members of the Rotary Club of Rugby planting crocus bulbs with the villagers of Brinklow, Warwickshire

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The Rugby Santa Run organised by the The Rugby Rotary Club and the Rugby and Northampton Athletic Club, December 2018. 800 people took part this year. Great fun as always.

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The Rotary Club of Rugby annual cultural Trip

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