A King Amongst Rotarians

Not Many Rotary Clubs can claim to have a king amongst its members, but the Rotary Club of Oswestry's Ian Haigh has recently brought this distinction to his club.

The story goes back to early 2004 when King Ian's daughter Gabby spent three months working in the district hospital in Winneba, Ghana, with her school friend Lara de Klee as part of her gap year. One of the things that made a lasting impression on the two youngsters was the plight of the many orphans in the area and they decided they would set up a home for orphaned children.

Returning home to England and university life, Gabby studying Medicine and Lara Physiotherapy, they slowly raised funds and went back to Ghana in 2007 to buy a plot of land, have plans drawn up, get planning permission and start to build. The Rotary Club of Oswestry became involved in 2009 with a donation to the "Raise the Roof" fundraiser in Notting Hill. Never tempted to think small, Gabby and Lara's event raised an amazing