CANCELLED Lunch meeting at the Gonville Hotel

Tue, Apr 21st 2020 at 1:00 pm -

Robin Catchpole: 'Are We Alone?'
Host - Antony Warren; Cashier - Jean Millar; Reception - David Ball; Equipment/projection - Morris Chudleigh


Robin Catchpole works at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. He was formerly Senior Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and before that worked at observatories in Pretoria and Cape Town for 24 years.


He has authored and co-authored over 120 research papers and articles and used a number of telescopes around the world including the Hubble Space Telescope. He has studied the composition of stars, exploding stars, the structure of our Galaxy and galaxies with black holes at their centres. His current research interest is in the structure of the Bulge of our Milky Way Galaxy, as shown by Mira variables.

'What We Do' Main Pages:

The winners and runners-up of our local heat

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Horatio Martin (11), Intermediate age group District winner. The Eden Project

The results of our annual competition - two of our local winners have also won at District level

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At the Centre for Computing History

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We have become one of only four Rotary Clubs to be awarded a Platinum Certificate, in recognition of donations to Shelterbox of £10,200 in 2022-3

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Rotary Clubs worldwide are spear-heading the drive to eliminate polio

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We have recently started supporting this successful and worthwhile cause

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There are many myths and pre-conceptions about Rotary - this page seeks to dispel them.

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Several of our entrants last year had success at District level and one was a winner of the National final

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34 of our members and friends are walking to plant trees with Treekly

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Our annual competition for budding artists - our entrants all won the second stage District Competition last year

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Our popular event for school choirs and their families & friends raised over £15,000 for local children's charities

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We organise two-day breaks at a National Trust site in N Norfolk for young people aged 12-15 who probably won't get any other holiday

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Combating AMR is the focus of this year's President's Charity, Antibiotic Research UK

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Our members take part in many hands-on activities as listed below

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Our Junior Competition entrant has gone on to win at National Level. Our Intermediate Team won third prize in their group

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Chloe Folkes, 3rd National Prizewinner

Our Senior Winner Chloe Folkes has received 3rd Prize in the National Competition

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Past President John Martin uses his building skills to help the locals create a community centre for this deprived settlement in The Gambia, only a few miles from the luxurious tourist resorts on the coast

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We raised funds supporting Ukrainians both in Ukraine and in Cambridge & East Anglia from several events in 2022

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The East Anglian District and National Rotary Magazines feature the wide range of charitable and fellowship activities that Rotary Clubs enjoy

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We and our colleagues in the three other Cambridge clubs celebrated 100 years of Rotary service in 2022

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Our inaugural competition for budding computer experts, for the Francis Hookham Trophy

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Read the story behind this map and visit any of the operational WW2 UK RAF and USAAF airfields

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We are part of a worldwide movement of 46,000 Rotary clubs with a total of 1.4 million members. We enjoy a range of informal fellowship events while supporting local and international charities

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Cambridge Aid does great work in support of Cambridge residents in need. In 2019-21 we raised over £12,500 and we continue to support them

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RYLA offers an intensive 7-day course for 18-26 year-olds, helping them to develop as future leaders

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A sample of our members' varied interests and significant contributions to the local community

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A brief history of the Rotary Club of Cambridge together with some records which might be of interest to the wider audience

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Our members raised £1366 for Children in Need in Cambridge Market Square on 20 November 2021

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